In Depth | Earth's Moon – NASA Solar System Exploration
WEBThe brightest and largest object in our night sky, the Moon makes Earth a more livable planet by moderating our home planet's wobble on its axis, leading to a relatively stable climate. It also causes tides, creating a rhythm that has …
Lunar Spacecraft Carries Ashes, Special Tribute to Shoemaker
WEBJan 6, 1998 · There could be no finer tribute to the legendary planetary geologist who said his greatest unfulfilled dream was to go to the moon. Tonight, the ashes of Eugene M. Shoemaker are to be launched in a memorial capsule aboard Lunar …
In Depth | Triton – NASA Solar System Exploration
WEBTriton is the largest of Neptune's 13 moons. It is unusual because it is the only large moon in our solar system that orbits in the opposite direction of its planet's rotation―a retrograde orbit. Scientists think Triton is a Kuiper Belt Object captured by …
1980s Video Icon Glows on Saturn Moon - NASA Solar System …
WEBMar 28, 2010 · The highest-resolution-yet temperature map and images of Saturn's icy moon Mimas obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft reveal surprising patterns on the surface of the small moon, including unexpected hot regions that resemble 'Pac-Man' eating a dot, and striking bands of light and dark in crater walls.
In Depth | Moons – NASA Solar System Exploration
WEBJupiter's menagerie of moons includes the largest in the solar system (Ganymede), an ocean moon (Europa) and a volcanic moon (Io). Many of Jupiter's outer moons have highly elliptical orbits and orbit backwards (opposite to the spin of the planet).
Excerpt from the 'Special Message to the Congress on Urgent …
WEBSpeaking to Congress and the Nation at the joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy said : "I believe that this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on …
Huygens Probe | Spacecraft – NASA Solar System Exploration
WEBThe Huygens probe successfully landed on Saturn's largest moon Titan at about 11:30 UTC on January 14, 2005. The descent lasted two hours and 27 minutes. The probe survived another 72 minutes on the surface of Titan. This was the first - and, so far, the only - landing in the outer solar system.
10 Things to Expect in Planetary Science for 2021
WEBJan 28, 2021 · Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander will carry 11 NASA payloads to the lunar surface. Intuitive Machines will carry five NASA payloads to the Moon on its Nova-C lander. These missions will help pave the way for sending the …
What is a Planet? | Planets – NASA Solar System Exploration
WEBDefining the term planet is important, because such definitions reflect our understanding of the origins, architecture, and evolution of our solar system. Over historical time, objects categorized as planets have changed. The ancient Greeks counted the Earth's Moon and Sun as planets along with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
In Depth | Uranus Moons – NASA Solar System Exploration
WEBOberon and Titania are the largest Uranian moons, and were the first to be discovered – by William Herschel in 1787. William Lassell, who had been the first to see a moon orbiting Neptune, discovered the next two, Ariel and Umbriel. Nearly a century passed before Gerard Kuiper found Miranda in 1948.