NASA Missions

LADEE

Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer robotic mission that will orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust. A thorough understanding of these characteristics will address long-standing unknowns, and help scientists understand other planetary bodies as well. intentially landed on moon from lack of fuel and broke Launch September 6, 2013

LRO

Lunar Renaissance Orbit a robotic mission that set out to map the moon's surface and, after a year of exploration, was extended with a unique set of science objectives. observations have enabled numerous groundbreaking discoveries, creating a new picture of the moon as a dynamic and complex body. These developments have set up a scientific framework through which to challenge and improve our understanding of processes throughout the solar system. Launch June 18, 2009

MRO

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter a search for evidence that water persisted on the surface of Mars for a long period of time Launch August 12, 2005

MAVEN

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN will explore the Red Planet's upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind Launch November 18, 2013

Dawn

Launched: Sept. 27, 2007 Goal: Learn more about formation and makeup of early solar system. Status: Orbiting dwarf planet Ceres. Orbited giant protoplanet Vesta in 2011-2012. First mission to orbit two targets. Closer Look at Bright Spots

Lucy

will be the first space mission to study the Trojans 12-year journey to seven different asteroids — a Main Belt asteroid and six Trojans, the last two members of a "two-for-the-price-of-one" binary system. Lucy's complex path will take it to both clusters of Trojans and give us our first close-up view of all three major types of bodies in the swarms (so-called C-, P- and D-types). Launch October 2021

ACE

(Advanced Composition Explorer) LAUNCH: Delta II-August 25, 1997 -deciphers the composition of matter from the sun, solar wind, and local galaxy -observes particles of solar, interplanetary, interstellar, and galactic orgins; spanning energy range from solar wind ions to galactic cosmic ray nuclei -carries six high-resolution sensors and three monitoring instruments that sample low-energy particles of solar origin and high-energy galactic particles

AIM

(Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere) LAUNCH- April 25, 2007 -to study noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds; helped scientists understand a host of upper-atmosphere phenomena, from radio echoes to giant, planet-scale atmospheric waves -CIPS instrument can detect tiny changes in ultraviolet light reflected off of Earth's atmosphere about 30 miles above the surface. Those tiny changes can reveal the gravity waves coming from below -Overturning assumptions about the sun and noctilucent clouds, noctilucent cloud and greenhouse gases, meteors help create noctilucent clouds, tracking meteoric smoke, understanding the upper atmosphere, studying atmospheric waves caused by Earth's rotation, teleconnection between the poles, how Earth's weather affects the upper atmosphere, understanding the atmosphere from bottom to top, the source of radar echoes

CloudSat

-Cloud Profiling Radar using microwave energy to observe cloud particles and determine the mass of water and ice within clouds. The mission will collect information about the vertical structure of clouds that will help answer key questions about how they form, evolve and affect our weather, climate and water supply. Launch April 28, 2006

Apollo 13

-Apollo 13 was supposed to land in the Fra Mauro area. An explosion on board forced Apollo 13 to circle the moon without landing. The Fra Mauro site was reassigned to Apollo 14 Crew James A. Lovell Jr., Commander Fred W. Haise Jr., Lunar Module Pilot John L. Swigert Jr., Command Module Pilot Backup Crew John W. Young, Commander Charles M. Duke Jr., Lunar Module Pilot John L. Swigert Jr., Command Module Pilot Payload Odyssey (CM-109) Aquarius (LM-7) Launch April 11, 1970; 1:13 p.m. CST Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V AS-508 High Bay 1 Mobile Launcher Platform-3 Firing Room 1 Orbit Altitude: 118.99 miles Inclination: 32.547 degrees Earth Orbits: 1.5 Duration: five days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 41 seconds Distance: 622,268 miles Landing April 17, 1970 Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Iwo Jima

Apollo 7

-Demonstrate command and service module, or CSM, and crew performance; demonstrate crew, space vehicle and mission support facilities performance during a crewed CSM mission; and demonstrate CSM rendezvous capability. Launch Oct. 11, 1968; 11:02:45 a.m. EST Launch Complex 34 Saturn-IB AS-205 First Block II CSM First crewed CSM mission First three-person American crew First live TV downlink Orbit Altitude: 141.65 miles Inclination: 31.608 degrees Orbits: 163 revolutions Duration: 10 days, 20 hours, nine minutes, three seconds Distance: 4,546,918.3 miles Landing Oct. 22, 1968; 7:11:48 a.m. EDT, Atlantic Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Essex Crew Walter Schirra Jr., Commander R. Walter Cunningham, Lunar Module Pilot Donn F. Eisele, Command Module Pilot Backup Crew Thomas Stafford, Commander Eugene Cernan, Lunar Module Pilot John Young, Command Module Pilot

Apollo Missions

-Establishing the technology to meet other national interests in space. -Achieving preeminence in space for the United States. -Carrying out a program of scientific exploration of the Moon. -Developing man's capability to work in the lunar environment. › Apollo-Saturn Uncrewed › Apollo 1 › Apollo 7 › Apollo 8 › Apollo 9 › Apollo 10 › Apollo 11 › Apollo 12 › Apollo 13 › Apollo 14 › Apollo 15 › Apollo 16 › Apollo 17

Curiosity

-Goal: Determine if Mars was ever able to support microbial life. Launched: Nov. 6, 2011 Landed on Mars: Aug. 6, 2012

Apollo 8

-a coordinated performance of the crew, the command and service module, or CSM, and the support facilities. The mission also was to demonstrate translunar injection; CSM navigation, communications and midcourse corrections; consumable assessment; and passive thermal control Launch Dec. 21, 1968; 7:51 a.m. EST Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V AS-503 High Bay 1 Mobile Launcher Platform-1 Firing Room 1 Orbit Altitude: 118.82 miles Inclination: 32.509 degrees Orbits: 10 revolutions Duration: six days, three hours, 42 seconds Distance: 579,606.9 miles Landing Dec. 27, 1968; 10:52 a.m. EST Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Yorktown Crew Frank Borman, Commander William A. Anders, Lunar Module Pilot James A. Lovell Jr., Command Module Pilot Backup Crew Neil Armstrong, Commander Fred W. Haise Jr., Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Command Module Pilot

Commercial Crew Program

-a partnership to develop and fly human space transportation systems. Began in 2006 and is ongoing

Commercial Resupply Services

-a series of contracts awarded by NASA from 2008-2016 for delivery of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) on commercially operated spacecraft

CubeSat

-a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that is made up of multiples of 10×10×10 cm cubic units -have a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms per unit,[2] and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure -commonly put in orbit by deployers on the International Space Station, or launched as secondary payloads on a launch vehicle First Launches in June 2003

Euclid (ESA)

-all-sky space mission designed to map the geometry of the dark Universe. Its primary objectives are to understand the nature of dark energy and dark matter by accurate measurement of the accelerated expansion of the Universe through different independent methods -dark energy, general relativity, dark matter, and the initial conditions of the universe FUTURE 2021

Apollo 9

-an Earth-orbital engineering test of the first crewed lunar module, or LM;an overall checkout of launch vehicle and spacecraft systems, the crew, and procedures -with the command module, or CM, the service module, or SM, the joined command and service module, or CSM, the LM and S-IVB stage while they were linked in launch or various docked configurations, and while they were flying separate orbital patterns Crew James A. McDivitt, Commander Russell L. Schweickart, Lunar Module Pilot David R. Scott, Command Module Pilot Backup Crew Charles Conrad Jr., Commander Alan L. Bean, Lunar Module Pilot Richard F. Gordon Jr., Command Module Pilot Payload Gumdrop (CSM-104) Spider (LM-3) Launch March 3, 1969; 11:00 a.m. EST Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V AS-504 High Bay 3 Mobile Launcher Platform-2 Firing Room 2 Orbit Altitude: 118.63 miles Inclination: 32.552 degrees Orbits: 151 revolutions Duration: 10 days, one hour, 54 seconds Distance: 4,214,543 miles Landing March 13, 1969; 12:01 p.m. EST, Atlantic Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Guadalcanal

Cluster (through ESA)

-currently investigating the Earth's magnetic environment and its interaction with the solar wind in three dimensions. Science output from it greatly advances our knowledge of space plasma physics, space weather and the Sun-Earth connection and has been key in improving the modeling of the magnetosphere and understanding its various physical processes. Launch I June 4, 1996- failed II July 16, 2000

Explorer I

-first US satellite in space -confirmed existence of high-radiation bands above the Earth's atmosphere Launch January 31, 1958

Apollo 10

-first flight of a complete, crewed Apollo spacecraft to operate around the moon -included a scheduled eight-hour lunar orbit of the separated lunar module, or LM, and descent to about nine miles off the moon's surface before ascending for rendezvous and docking with the command and service module, or CSM, in about a 70-mile circular lunar orbit. Pertinent data to be gathered in this landing rehearsal dealt with the lunar potential, or gravitational effect, to refine the Earth-based crewed spaceflight network tracking techniques, and to check out LM programmed trajectories and radar, and lunar flight control systems Crew Thomas Stafford, Commander Eugene Cernan, Lunar Module Pilot John Young, Command Module Pilot Backup Crew L. Gordon Cooper Jr., Commander Edgar D. Mitchell, Lunar Module Pilot Donn F. Eisele, Command Module Pilot Payload Charlie Brown (SM-106) Snoopy (LM-4) Launch May 18, 1969; 12:49 p.m. EDT Launch Pad 39B Saturn-V AS-505 High Bay 2 Mobile Launcher Platform-3 Firing Room 3 Orbit Altitude: 118.83 miles Inclination: 32.546 degrees Orbits: 31 revolutions Duration: eight days, 23 minutes, 23 seconds Distance: 829,437.5 miles Landing May 26, 1969; 12:52:23 p.m. EDT Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Princeton

Exploration Mission-1

-first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human deep space exploration to the Moon and beyond, further than ever before -orion sls 3 week mission 2019 start

AURA (AIR)

-four instruments study the atmosphere's chemistry and dynamics. -measurements will enable us to investigate questions about ozone trends, air quality changes and their linkage to climate change. -measurements will provide accurate data for predictive models and provide useful information for local and national agency decision support systems. Launch July 15, 2004

Apollo 11

-goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth -scientific exploration by the lunar module, or LM, crew; deployment of a television camera to transmit signals to Earth; and deployment of a solar wind composition experiment, seismic experiment package and a Laser Ranging Retroreflector. During the exploration, the two astronauts were to gather samples of lunar-surface materials for return to Earth. They also were to extensively photograph the lunar terrain, the deployed scientific equipment, the LM spacecraft, and each other, both with still and motion picture cameras. This was to be the last Apollo mission to fly a "free-return" trajectory, which would enable a return to Earth with no engine firing, providing a ready abort of the mission at any time prior to lunar orbit insertion Crew Neil Armstrong, Commander Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module Pilot Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot Backup Crew James A. Lovell, Commander Fred W. Haise Jr., Lunar Module Pilot William A. Anders, Command Module Pilot Payload Columbia (CSM-107) Eagle (LM-5) Launch July 16, 1969; 9:32 a.m. EDT Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V AS-506 High Bay 1 Mobile Launcher Platform-1 Firing Room 1 Orbit Altitude: 118.65 miles Inclination: 32.521 degrees Orbits: 30 revolutions Duration: eight days, three hours, 18 min, 35 seconds Distance: 953,054 miles Lunar Location: Sea of Tranquility Lunar Coordinates: .71 degrees north, 23.63 degrees east Landing July 24, 1969; 12:50 p.m. EDT Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Hornet

EPOXI

-recycled the Deep Impact spacecraft, which had formerly visited comet Tempel 1, to visit a second comet, Hartley 2 September 26, 2007: Commands from Earth awaken the Deep Impact spacecraft, instructing it to adjust its orbit toward comet Hartley 2. January 22, 2008: The Deep Impact spacecraft, operating under the EPOXI mission to comet Hartley 2, aims its largest telescope toward five stars in search of alien (exosolar) planets. November 4, 2010: EPOXI successfully flies by comet Hartley 2, marking only the fifth time a comet has been visited by a spacecraft.

CHAMP

-the description of the high-precision global long-wave properties of the static earth-gravity fieldand the temporal variability of the field -the global determination of the magnetic core field and the crust field of the earth as well as their temporal and spatial variability with unprecedented accuracy -the recording of many measurements for diffraction of GPS signals in the atmosphere and ionosphere . These data give a conclusion about the distribution of temperature, water vapor and electron content. Focused on Geosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere Launch July 15, 2000 ended up burning up after 10 years

Hubble Space Telescope

-the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, the ultimate mountaintop. Above the distortion of the atmosphere, far far above rain clouds and light pollution, Hubble has an unobstructed view of the universe. Scientists have used Hubble to observe the most distant stars and galaxies as well as the planets in our solar system. -Saturn, we learned, had rings. Jupiter had moons. That nebulous patch across the center of the sky called the Milky Way was not a cloud but a collection of countless stars Launch April 24, 1990 PAST

Apollo 12

-the second crewed lunar landing included an extensive series of lunar exploration tasks by the lunar module, or LM, crew, as well as the deployment of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, or ALSEP, which was to be left on the moon's surface to gather seismic, scientific and engineering data throughout a long period of time -included a selenological inspection; surveys and samplings in landing areas; development of techniques for precision-landing capabilities; further evaluations of the human capability to work in the lunar environment for a prolonged period of time; deployment and retrieval of other scientific experiments; and photography of candidate exploration sites for future missions The astronauts also were to retrieve portions of the Surveyor III spacecraft, which had soft-landed on the moon April 20, 1967, a short distance from the selected landing site of Apollo 12 The flight plan for Apollo 12 was similar to that of Apollo 11, except Apollo 12 was to fly a higher inclination to the lunar equator and leave the free-return trajectory after the second translunar midcourse correction. This first non-free-return trajectory on an Apollo mission was designed to allow a daylight launch and a translunar injection above the Pacific Ocean. It also allowed a stretch of the translunar coast to gain the desired landing site lighting at the time of LM descent, conserved fuel and permitted the Goldstone, Calif., tracking antenna to monitor the LM descent and landing In addition, the Apollo 12 flight plan called for the LM ascent stage to provide a measured seismic stimulus for the ALSEP seismic experiment. Following crew return to the command and service module, or CSM, a controlled burn of the remaining propellants in the empty ascent stage caused the stage to crash into the moon, providing a measurable seismic shock impulse Crew Charles Conrad Jr., Commander Alan L. Bean, Lunar Module Pilot Richard F. Gordon Jr., Command Module Pilot Backup Crew David R. Scott, Commander James B. Irwin, Lunar Module Pilot Alfred M. Worden, Command Module Pilot Payload Yankee Clipper (CM-108) Intrepid (LM-6) Launch Nov. 14, 1969; 11:22 a.m. EDT Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V AS-507 High Bay 3 Mobile Launcher-2 Firing Room 2 Orbit Altitude: 118.55 miles Inclination: 32.54 degrees Orbits: 45 revolutions Duration: 10 days, four hours, 36 minutes, 25 seconds Distance: 952,354 miles Lunar Location: Ocean of Storms Lunar Coordinates: 3.04 degrees south, 23.42 degrees west Landing November 24, 1969; 3:58:24 p.m. EST Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Hornet

GRAIL

-this information into a high-resolution map of the Moon's gravitational field. -same tech as GRACE, dedicated to Sally Ride Launch September 10, 2011

Europa Clipper

-to investigate the habitability of Jupiter's icy moon Europa -The mission is being planned for launch in the 2020s, arriving in the Jupiter system after a journey of several years

Hitomi

-to provide breakthrough results in diverse scientific areas, including the evolution of the universe's largest structures, the behavior of matter in extreme gravitational fields, the spin of black holes and the internal structure of neutron stars, and the detailed physics of particle jets -sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray astronomy satellites developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Launch February 17, 2016

Hinode

-to understand how energy generated by magnetic-field changes in the lower solar atmosphere (photosphere) is transmitted to the upper solar atmosphere (corona),to understand how that energy influences the dynamics and structure of that upper atmosphere, andto determine how the energy transfer and atmospheric dynamics affects the interplanetary-space environment -collab between NASA and JAXA -Solar Optical Telescope, X-ray Telescope and Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer. Launch September 22, 2006

Clementine

-was designed to test sensors and spacecraft components under extended exposure to the space environment and to make scientific observations of the Moon and the near-Earth asteroid 1620 Geographos. Jan. 25, 1994: Launch Feb. 19, 1994: Lunar Orbit Insertion May 3, 1994: Departure for Asteroid June 1994: Contact Lost

CHANDRA

Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) -Goal: Detect X-ray emission from very hot regions of the Universe such as exploded stars, clusters of galaxies, and matter around black holes. Launch July 23, 1999

Landsat

8- formerly called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, or LDCM) is NASA's eighth satellite in the Landsat series and continues the Landsat program's critical role in monitoring, understanding and managing the resources needed for human sustainment such as food, water and forests. As our population surpasses seven billion people, the impact of human society on the planet will increase, and Landsat monitors those impacts as well as environmental changes. 8 satellites in total Launch 8th February 11, 2013

ARTEMIS

Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun When THEMIS concluded in 2010, two of its five spacecraft were repurposed as ARTEMIS. The two satellites were moved to lunar orbits to study the moon's interactions with the sun. Launch July 12, 2001

ATTREX

Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment -The impact of stratospheric water vapor on Earth's energy budget and climate.Future changes in stratospheric humidity and ozone concentration as a response to climate change.To better understand the physical processes and chemical composition of the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) which is the region of the atmosphere that controls the composition of the stratosphere -perform a series of measurement campaigns using the long-range NASA Global Hawk (GH) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to directly address these problems. Jan-Feb 2013: Dryden Flight Research Center, California Jan-Feb 2014: Guam Jun-Jul 2014: Dryden Flight Research Center, California

Analog Missions (15)

An Analog is a situation on Earth that produces effects on the body similar to those experienced in space, both physical and mental/emotional. These studies help prepare us for long duration missions. -Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) -NASA Space Radiation Lab (NSRL) -Human Exploration Spacecraft Testbed for Integration and Advancement (HESTIA) -envihab -Antarctic Stations - National Science Foundation (NSF) -Aquarius; NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) -Parabolic Flight -IBMP Ground-based Experimental Complex (NEK) Human-Rated Altitude Chamber Complex (ACC) -Concordia -Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) -Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP) -Haughton Mars Project (HMP) -In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU

ARCTAS

Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites focused on atmospheric composition, pollution transport pathways, and the formation of "arctic haze," which is fueled by sunlight that causes chemical reactions in pollutants that accumulate over the winter. Launch July 1, 2008

BARREL

Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses -project will use more than 40 high altitude balloons to return new scientific insights about Earth's Van Allen Belts. The type of radiation in the belts can be hazardous to astronauts, orbiting satellites and aircraft flying in high altitude polar routes. -The balloons will be launched from Antarctica. They will expand to roughly the size of a large blimp when they reach the near-space research altitude. A single balloon of this type will hover at an altitude of approximately 21 miles for as long as two weeks. By carefully timing the launch of a series of balloons, about one per day, Millan and her group of young scientists in training can form a ring of balloons encircling the South Pole to study the total influx of radiation from the belts into Earth's atmosphere. Launch 2007-2008 Antarctic campaign. last balloon soaring toward the stratosphere over Sweden on Aug. 30, 2016

CALIPSO

Cloud-Aerosol Lider and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations -satellite provides new insight into the role that clouds and atmospheric aerosols (airborne particles) play in regulating Earth's weather, climate, and air quality. -combines an active lidar instrument with passive infrared and visible imagers to probe the vertical structure and properties of thin clouds and aerosols over the globe. Pairs with Cloudstat Launch April 28, 2006

CATS

Cloud-Aerosol Transport System - a lidar remote-sensing instrument that will extend profile measurements of atmospheric aerosols and clouds from the International Space Station (ISS) Launch January 10, 2015

CGRO

Compton Gamma Ray Observatory -was the second of NASA's Great Observatories. Compton, at 17 tons, was the heaviest astrophysical payload ever -Compton had four instruments that covered an unprecedented six decades of the electromagnetic spectrum, from 30 keV to 30 GeV. In order of increasing spectral energy coverage, these instruments were the Burst And Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE), the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL), and the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET). For each of the instruments, an improvement in sensitivity of better than a factor of ten was realized over previous missions. Launch April 5, 1991 rentered atmosphere June 4, 2000

COBE

Cosmic Background Explorer -revolutionized our understanding of the early cosmos. -It precisely measured and mapped the oldest light in the universe -- the cosmic microwave background. -The cosmic microwave background spectrum was measured with a precision of 0.005%. -The results confirmed the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe. -The very precise measurements helped eliminate a great many theories about the Big Bang. -The mission ushered cosmologists into a new era of precision measurements, paving the way for deeper exploration of the microwave background by NASA's WMAP mission and ESA's Planck mission. Launch November 18, 1989

CHIPS

Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (UNEX mission) -demonstrated that a small (65 kg), three-axis stabilized spacecraft and science instrument could be built and operated for a fraction of the cost of traditional missions -monitored hot solar plasma at temperatures between one and two million degrees Kelvin as active solar regions rotated across the sun's surface Launch January 12, 2003

CINDI

Coupled Ion Nuetral Dynamic Investigation -key component of the science objectives of the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) undertaken by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Space and Missile Command Test and Evaluation Directorate -studied the elements that influence space weather near Earth's equator. Launch April 16, 2008 Decayed 2015

CYGNSS

Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System -eight micro-satellites to measure wind speeds over Earth's oceans, increasing the ability of scientists to understand and predict hurricanes. Each satellite will take information based on the signals from four GPS satellites. Launch December 15, 2016

Fermi-Gamma Ray Space Telescope

Data from this space telescope has unveiled a previously unseen structure centered in the Milky Way observes the cosmos using the highest-energy form of light. Mapping the entire sky every three hours; from gamma-ray bursts and black-hole jets to pulsars, supernova remnants and the origin of cosmic rays Launch June 11, 2008

DISCOVER-AQ

Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality -Earth-observing satellites measuring air quality is to distinguish between pollution high in the atmosphere and that near the surface where people live and breathe Flight Campaigns June 27 to 31st 2011 January 16 thru mid-Feb 2013 September 1, 2013 begin

Juno

Determine how much water is in Jupiter's atmosphere, which helps determine which planet formation theory is correct (or if new theories are needed) Look deep into Jupiter's atmosphere to measure composition, temperature, cloud motions and other propertiesMap Jupiter's magnetic and gravity fields, revealing the planet's deep structure Explore and study Jupiter's magnetosphere near the planet's poles, especially the auroras - Jupiter's northern and southern lights - providing new insights about how the planet's enormous magnetic force field affects its atmosphere. Launch - August 5, 2011Deep Space Maneuvers - August/September 2012Earth flyby gravity assist - October 2013Jupiter arrival - July 2016Spacecraft will orbit Jupiter for 20 months (37 orbits)End of mission (deorbit into Jupiter) - February 2018

Kepler

Determine the percentage of terrestrial and larger planets that are in or near the habitable zone of a wide variety of stars Determine the distribution of sizes and shapes of the orbits of these planets Estimate how many planets there are in multiple-star systems Determine the variety of orbit sizes and planet reflectivities, sizes, masses and densities of short-period giant planets Identify additional members of each discovered planetary system using other techniques Determine the properties of those stars that harbor planetary systems. Launch March 7, 2009

James Webb Space Telescope

ESA and CSA First Light and Reionization seeks to identify the first bright objects that formed in the early Universe, and follow the ionization history. Assembly of Galaxies will determine how galaxies and dark matter, including gas, stars, metals, physical structures (like spiral arms) and active nuclei evolved to the present day. The Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary Systems focuses on the birth and early development of stars and the formation of planets. Planetary Systems and the Origins of Life studies the physical and chemical properties of solar systems (including our own) and where the building blocks of life may be present. the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), the Optical Telescope Element (OTE), which includes the mirrors and backplane, and the Spacecraft Element, which includes the Spacecraft Bus and Sunshield. Projected May 2020

EP-TOMS

Earth Probe Satellite, Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer -measures ozone indirectly by mapping ultraviolet light emitted by the Sun to that scattered from the Earth's atmosphere back to the satellite Launch July 2, 1996

ERBS

Earth Radiation Budget Satellite -first spacecraft to be launched and deployed by a Space Shuttle mission -measured the decline in ozone over Antarctica from the time the ozone hole was first described in 1985 -created an aerosol data record on polar stratospheric clouds (PSC) which was crucial to understanding the ozone hole process Launch October 5, 1984 Deactivated October 14, 2005

Future Missions/Exploration

Euclid Europa Clipper Exploration Mission 1

EUVE

Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer -Carry out an all-sky, all-band survey in the extreme ultraviolet (70 -760 Å) in four bandpasses with an angular resolution of 6 x 6 arc minutes with ~ 500 seconds average exposure -Carry out a deep survey in the EUV in two bandpasses along the ecliptic -Carry out pointed spectroscopy observations identified by Guest Observers -Identify the emission physics of EUV sources and study of the ISMProbe whether compelling science can be done with increased sensitivity Launch June 7, 1992

FUSE

Far Ultraviolet to Spectroscopic Explorer -explore the Universe using the technique of high-resolution spectroscopy in the far-ultraviolet spectral region Launch June 24, 1999, and operated until October 18, 2007

FAST

Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer the second Small Explorer mission -investigated the behavior of ionized gas, called plasma, and particles during auroras Launch August 21, 1996 PAST

Earth Observing-1 (EO-1)

First Earth Observing Mission -validated advanced land imagining instruments and unique spacecraft technologies -Advanced sensored web and autonomous spacecraft operation s concepts -acquired earth images for sale

Mars Odeyssy

For the first time, the mission globally mapped the amount and distribution of many chemical elements and minerals that make up the martian surface. Maps of hydrogen distribution led scientists to discover vast amounts of water ice in the polar regions burried just beneath the surface. Odyssey also recorded the radiation environment in low Mars orbit to determine the radiation-related risk to any future human explorers who may one day go to Mars. All of these objectives support the four science goals of the Mars Exploration Program. transmitted 95% of past data Launch April 7, 2001

SAZAKU

Formerly ASTRO 2, (ASTRO EII) -fifth Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite -observational studies for a wide variety of X-ray sources, with higher energy resolution and a higher sensitivity over a wider energy range (from 0.3 to 600 keV) than ever before achieved. -carries five soft X-ray telescopes and one hard X-ray telescope. LAUNCH July 10, 2005

Galex

Galaxy Evolution Explorer Small Explorer Mission it made observations in ultravioletwavelengths to measure the history of starformation in the universe 80 percent of the way back to the Big Bang Launch April 28, 2003, decommissioned June 28, 2013

GOES

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite data products have led to more accurate and timely weather forecasts and better understanding of long-term climate conditions Launch May 1974 most recent GOES-16, launched November 19, 2016

GPM

Global Pressure Measurement Partnered with JAXA -Improved knowledge of the Earth's water cycle and its link to climate changeNew insights into precipitation microphysics, storm structures and large-scale atmospheric processes -Extended capabilities in monitoring and predicting hurricanes and other extreme weather events -Improved forecasting abilities for natural hazards, including floods, droughts and landslides. -Enhanced numerical prediction skills for weather and climate -Better agricultural crop forecasting and monitoring of freshwater resources Launch February 27, 2014

GOLD

Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk -Gathering observations from geostationary orbit above the Western Hemisphere, measures the temperature and composition of neutral gases in Earth's thermosphere. This part of the atmosphere co-mingles with the ionosphere, which is made up of charged particles. Both the Sun from above and terrestrial weather from below can change the types, numbers, and characteristics of the particles found here

GRACE

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment -second mission under the NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program in May 1997 -maps Earth's gravity field by making accurate measurements of the distance between the two satellites, using GPS and a microwave ranging system. It is providing scientists from all over the world with an efficient and cost-effective way to map Earth's gravity field with unprecedented accuracy. The results from this mission are yielding crucial information about the distribution and flow of mass within Earth and its surroundings Launch March 17, 2002

IRIS

Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph is a NASA Small Explorer Mission to observe how solar material moves, gathers energy, and heats up as it travels through a little-understood region in the sun's lower atmosphere. Tracking how material and energy move through this region is a crucial part of understanding the dynamics of the sun. Such information can help explain what causes the ejection of solar material -- from the steady stream of the solar wind to larger, explosive eruptions such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- that travels toward Earth and causes space weather that can disrupt human technology. Launch June 28, 2013

InSight

Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport Mars Lander seek to understand the evolutionary formation of rocky planets, including Earth, by investigating the interior structure and processes of Mars. InSight will also investigate the dynamics of Martian tectonic activity and meteorite impacts, which could offer clues about such phenomena on Earth Projected

ISS

International Space Station a space exploration and research platform orbiting more than 350km above the earth. It is a joint project of five space agencies and 16 countries (Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, and the United States). The largest and most complicated spacecraft ever built, the space station is an international, technological and political achievement that represents the latest step in humankind's quest to explore and live in space Designated as a national laboratory by Congress in the 2005 NASA Authorization Act, the space station provides a research platform that takes advantage of the microgravity conditions above the Earth's surface across a wide variety of fields, including human life sciences, biological science, human physiology, physical and materials science, and Earth and space science Launch November 20, 1998 Cumulative Crew Time November 2, 2000

IBEX

Interstellar Boundary Explorer to discover the nature of the interactions between the solar wind and the interstellar medium at the edge of our solar system. Launch October 19, 2009

ICON

Ionospheric Connection Explorer will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above. In this region, the tenuous gases are anything but quiet, as a mix of neutral and charged particles travel through in giant winds. These winds can change on a wide variety of time scales -- due to Earth's seasons, the day's heating and cooling, and incoming bursts of radiation from the sun Projected

JPSS

Joint Polar Satellite System advanced polar-orbiting weather satellite system. JPSS is a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA, and its satellites provide critical, global Earth observations to support weather forecasting and environmental monitoring consists of the NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, launched in October 2011, and four next-generation satellites: JPSS-1, which launched in November 2017; JPSS-2, scheduled to launch in 2021; JPSS-3, slated for launch in 2026 and JPSS-4, which will launch in 2031

Apollo 1

LAUNCH: January 27, 1967 -a flash fire occurred in command module 012 during a launch pad test of the Apollo/Saturn space vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight, the AS-204 mission -Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, a veteran of Mercury and Gemini missions; Lt. Col. Edward H. White, the astronaut who had performed the first United States extravehicular activity during the Gemini program; and Roger B. Chaffee, died

Deep Impact

Launch July 4, 2005: First comet impact (Tempel 1). -spacecraft will reveal the secrets of the comet's interior by collecting pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the crater's depth and diameter as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

Cassini-Huygens

Launched: Oct. 15, 1997 End of Mission: Sept. 15, 2017 Cassini orbited Saturn, studying the ringed planet and its moons in detail. The Huygens probe landed on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, in January 2005

Jason-2/OSTM

Ocean Surface Topography Mission The multi-decadal record has already helped scientists study global sea level rise and better understand how ocean circula-tion and climate change are related. Partnered with Jason 1 and GRACE Launch June 20, 2008

Apollo Soyuz

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project would send NASA astronauts Tom Stafford, Deke Slayton and Vance Brand in an Apollo Command and Service Module to meet Russian cosmonauts Aleksey Leonov and Valeriy Kubasov in a Soyuz capsule. A jointly designed, U.S.-built docking module fulfilled the main technical goal of the mission, demonstrating that two dissimilar craft could dock in orbit. But the human side of the mission went far beyond that Launch July 15, 1975 The Apollo crew returned to Earth on July 19, their Russian counterparts two days later

ICESat-2

The Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 Measure how much melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica contribute to sea level changes Measure how ice sheets, glaciers and more are gaining or losing mass in different regions, to help researchers understand the mechanisms behind those changes Estimate the thickness of sea ice, and monitor any changes Measure the height of forests to calculate the amount of vegetation in a region will carry a single instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, or ATLAS Launch 2018, 3 year plan first ICESat, which was launched in 2003 and operated until 2009

The Apollo

The flight mode, lunar orbit rendezvous, was selected in 1962. The boosters for the program were the Saturn IB for Earth orbit flights and the Saturn V for lunar flights. Apollo was a three-part spacecraft: the command module (CM), the crew's quarters and flight control section; the service module (SM) for the propulsion and spacecraft support systems (when together, the two modules are called CSM); and the lunar module (LM), to take two of the crew to the lunar surface, support them on the Moon, and return them to the CSM in lunar orbit.

ASTRO-2

The three ultraviolet telescopes, which flew on Astro-1, were reassembled for Astro-2. These telescopes were (1) the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) operating in the 1200-3100 Angstrom range, (2) the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) operating from 425 to 1850 Angstroms, and (3) the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photopolarimetry Experiment (WUPPE) operating from 1250 to 3200 Angtroms. HUT was significantly upgraded for this second flight, with new optical coatings, which enhanced the telescope's performance by more than a factor of two. The three telescopes were planned to make simultaneous observations of objects such as stars, galaxies and quasars, since many science objectives and selected astronomical targets of the three instrument teams are interrelated. BBXRT, which was onboard ASTRO 1, was not flown on ASTRO 2 Launch March 2, 1995

Apollo 16

Three primary objectives were (1) to inspect, survey, and sample materials and surface features at a selected landing site in the Descartes region; (2) emplace and activate surface experiments; and (3) conduct in-flight experiments and photographic tasks from lunar orbit. Additional objectives included performance of experiments requiring zero gravity and engineering evaluation of spacecraft and equipment Crew John W. Young, Commander Charles M. Duke Jr., Lunar Module Pilot Thomas K. Mattingly II, Command Module Pilot Backup Crew Fred Haise, Commander Edgar D. Mitchell, Lunar Module Pilot Stuart A. Roosa, Command Module Pilot Payload Casper (CM-113) Orion (LM-11) Launch April 16, 1972; 12:54:00:567 p.m. EST Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V SA-511 High Bay 3 Mobile Launcher Platform-3 Firing Room 1 Orbit Altitude: 107.5 miles Inclination: 32.54 degrees Orbits: 64 revolutions Duration: 11 days, one hour, 51 minutes Surface Time: 71:02:13 Distance: 1,391,550 miles Lunar Location: Descartes Highlands Lunar Coordinates: 8.97 degrees south, 15.51 degrees east Landing April 27, 1972 Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Ticonderoga

Herschel

a European space telescope for which NASA helped build instruments and process data, has stopped making observations after running out of liquid coolant as expected Launch March 14, 2009 PAST

K2

a series of sequential observing "Campaigns" of fields distributed around the ecliptic plane and offers a photometric precision approaching that of the original Kepler mission. Operating in the ecliptic plane minimizes the torque exerted on the spacecraft by solar wind pressure, reducing pointing drift to the point where spacecraft attitude can effectively be controlled through a combination of thrusters and the two remaining reaction wheels. Each campaign is therefore limited by Sun angle constraints to a duration of approximately 80 days Provide a yield of hot planets around bright stars for follow-up transit spectroscopy to facilitate rapid advances in the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres. Provide a yield of small planets around bright, small stars to facilitate the most precise follow-up measurements to date of masses, densities and compositions. Identify locations and characteristics of potentially-habitable planets around bright M-dwarfs in the solar neighborhood. Determine if hot gas giants exist around young stars, or whether they migrate to small orbits at a later epoch by tidal or other interactions. Determine the relationship between stellar structure, rotation and activitywithin stellar associations over a range of ages and metallicity. Identify the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae from photometric structure in the rise to outburst maximum. Discover and characterize binary starswithin open clusters and stellar associations. Characterize internal stellar structure and fundamental properties of stars using the tools of asteroseismology. Provide a large, regular cadence survey of AGN activity in the optical bandpass. Participate in multi-mission, multi-band monitoring campaigns of ecliptic targets along with other space-based hardware or ground-based telescopes. operational June 2014

J-2X Engine

liquid-oxygen/liquid-hydrogen fueled rocket engine that produces nearly 300,000 pounds of thrust in a vacuum. It is designed to start at altitude as part of a second or third stage of a large, multi-stage launch vehicle. In order to meet the requirements of specific mission profiles, the engine is designed to provide in-space restart and can operate at either the nominal throttle set - ting or at approximately 82 percent of nominal. The engine's specific impulse- a measure of propulsive efficiency - i s higher than any previ - ous rocket engine in its class and of its type. It is equipped with a modern control and data system that is fully redundant and includes self-diagnostics to promote flight reliability and safety. First Use Summer 2011

ISS-RapidScat

a space-based scatterometer Scatterometers are radar instruments that measure wind speed and direction over the ocean, and are useful for weather forecasting, hurricane monitoring, and observations of large-scale climate phenomena such as El Niño. The instrument enhances measurements from other international scatterometers by cross-checking their data, and demonstrates a unique way to replace an instrument aboard an aging satellite Space Applications compiles scatterometer wind measurements to fill the gap left by the QuikSCAT satellite, enabling continuous contributions to the international Earth observation satellite community. Improved understanding of the variability of sea surface winds between day and night could improve climate models and may affect future observation strategies, which in turn may lead to new mission designs. Placing the instrument aboard station demonstrates faster space instrument deployment using existing infrastructure, rather than a dedicated satellite. Earth Applications improves observations of wind processes that drive ocean circulation, waves, swell, distribution of nutrients, and severe weather. Data from it enhances climate and weather models used to forecast short-term and long-term climatic changes. In addition, its position aboard the station will allow the first observations of the changes in ocean winds between day and night, which can also improve climate models. Although the International Space Station is not ideal for this type of instrument, its view will cross the orbital paths of other scatterometers every hour, allowing scientists to cross-check instrument readings Duration September 2014 - March 2016; March 2016 - September 2017; September 2017 - February 2018

Mars Express

as part of Earth's search for water and possible evidence of past or present life on the red planet. Mars Express, which features an orbiter and a lander, is a European Space Agency mission designed as a low-cost, fast-track effort. Countries involved include France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Japan, and the United States. Launch June 2, 2003

ASTRO-1

consisted of three ultraviolet telescopes and an X-ray telescope The primary objectives of this observatory were to obtain (1) imagery in the spectral range 1200-3100 A (Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope, UIT); (2) spectrophotometry in the spectral region 425 to 1850 A (Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope, HUT); (3)spectrapolarimetry from 1250 to 3200 A (Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photopolarimetry Experiment, WUPPE); and (4) X-ray data in the bandpass between 0.3 and 12 keV (Broad Band X-ray Telescope, BBXRT) Launch December 20, 1990

Galileo

data allowed the creation of the first detailed maps of Jupiter's major moons. It also gave scientists the most detailed look yet at the structure of the planet's magnetic field and radiation belts Launch October 18, 1989

Apollo 14

explore the Fra Mauro region centered around deployment of the Apollo Lunar Surface Scientific Experiments Package, or ALSEP; lunar field geology investigations; collection of surface material samples for return to Earth; deployment of other scientific instruments not part of ALSEP; orbital science involving high-resolution photography of candidate future landing sites; photography of deep-space phenomena, such as zodiacal light and gegenschein; communications tests using S-band and VHF signals to determine reflective properties of the lunar surface; engineering and operational evaluation of hardware and techniques; tests to determine variations in S-band signals; and photography of surface details from 60 nautical miles in altitude Crew Alan B. Shepard Jr., Commander Edgar D. Mitchell, Lunar Module Pilot Stuart A. Roosa, Command Module Pilot Backup Crew Eugene A. Cernan, Commander Joe H. Engle, Lunar Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans, Command Module Pilot Payload Kitty Hawk (CM-110) Antares (LM-8) Launch Jan. 31, 1971; 4:03 p.m. EDT Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V AS-509 High Bay 3 Mobile Launcher Platform-2 Firing Room 2 Orbit Altitude: 118.55 miles Inclination: 31.12 degrees Orbits: 34 revolutions Duration: nine days, two minutes Distance: 1,150,321 miles Lunar Location: Fra Mauro Lunar Coordinates: 3.65 degrees south, 17.48 degrees west Landing Feb. 9, 1971 Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS New Orleans

Apollo 17

final in a series of three J-type missions planned for the Apollo Program. These J-type missions can be distinguished from previous G- and H-series missions by extended hardware capability, larger scientific payload capacity and by the use of the battery-powered Lunar Roving Vehicle, or LRV. Scientific objectives of the Apollo 17 mission included, geological surveying and sampling of materials and surface features in a preselected area of the Taurus-Littrow region; deploying and activating surface experiments; and conducting in-flight experiments and photographic tasks during lunar orbit and transearth coast. These objectives included deployed experiments, such as the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, or ALSEP, with a heat flow experiment; lunar seismic profiling, or LSP; lunar surface gravimeter, or LSG; lunar atmospheric composition experiment, or LACE; and lunar ejecta and meteorites, or LEAM. The mission also included lunar sampling and lunar orbital experiments. Biomedical experiments included the Biostack II experiment and the BIOCORE experiment. Crew Eugene A. Cernan, Commander Harrison H. Schmitt, Lunar Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans, Command Module Pilot Backup Crew John W. Young, Commander Charles M. Duke Jr., Lunar Module Pilot Stuart A. Roosa, Command Module Pilot Payload America (CM-114) Challenger (LM-12) Launch Dec. 7, 1972; 12:33 a.m. EST Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V SA-512 High Bay 3 Mobile Launcher Platform-3 Firing Room 1 The CSM, LM and S-IVB booster stage were inserted 11 minutes, 53 seconds after launch into an Earth parking orbit of 91.2 by 92.5 nautical miles. After two revolutions, at 8:45:37 a.m. GMT, Apollo 17 was inserted into translunar coast. Orbit Altitude: 105.86 miles Inclination: 28.526 degrees Orbits: 75 revolutions Duration: 12 days, 13 hours, 52 minutes Surface Time: 75 hours Distance: 1,484,933.8 miles Lunar Location: Taurus-Littrow Lunar Coordinates: 20.16 degrees north, 30.77 degrees east Landing Dec. 19, 1972 Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Ticonderoga

Apollo 15

first of the Apollo "J" missions capable of a longer stay time on the moon and greater surface mobility. There were four primary objectives falling in the general categories of lunar surface science, lunar orbital science and engineering-operational. The mission objectives were to explore the Hadley-Apennine region, set up and activate lunar surface scientific experiments, make engineering evaluations of new Apollo equipment, and conduct lunar orbital experiments and photographic tasks Exploration and geological investigations at the Hadley-Apennine landing site were enhanced by the addition of the Lunar Roving Vehicle, or LRV. Setup of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, or ALSEP, was the third in a trio of operating ALSEPs (on Apollos 12, 14 and 15). Orbital science experiments were concentrated in any array of instruments and cameras in the scientific instrument module, or SIM, bay. Engineering and operational objectives included evaluation of modifications to the lunar module, or LM, made for carrying a heavier payload and for a lunar stay time of almost three days. Changes to the Apollo spacesuit and to the portable life support system, or PLSS, were evaluated, and performance of the Lunar Roving Vehicle and the other new J-mission equipment that went with it - lunar communications relay unit, or LCRU, and the ground-controlled television assembly, or GCTA Another major mission objective involved the launching of a Particles and Fields, or P&F, subsatellite into lunar orbit by the command and service module, or CSM, shortly before beginning the return-to-Earth portion of the mission. The subsatellite was designed to investigate the moon's mass and gravitational variations, particle composition of space near the moon and the interaction of the moon's magnetic field with that of Earth Crew David R. Scott, Commander James B. Irwin, Lunar Module Pilot Alfred M. Worden, Command Module Pilot Backup Crew Richard F. Gordon Jr., Commander Harrison H. Schmitt, Lunar Module Pilot Vance DeVoe Brand, Command Module Pilot Payload Endeavor (CM-112) Falcon (LM-10) Launch July 26, 1971; 9:34:00 a.m. EDT Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V AS-510 High Bay 3 Mobile Launcher Platform-3 Firing Room 1 Orbit Altitude: 99.7 miles Inclination: 29.679 degrees Orbits: 74 revolutions Duration: 12 days, 17 hours, 12 min Distance: 1,274,137 miles Lunar Location: Hadley-Apennine Lunar Coordinates: 26.08 degrees north, 3.66 degrees east Landing Aug. 7, 1971, Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Okinawa

Jason-3

fourth mission in U.S.-European series of satellite missions that measure the height of the ocean surface. The mission will extend the time series of ocean surface topography measurements (the hills and valleys of the ocean surface) begun by the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite mission in 1992 and continuing through the currently operating Jason-1 (launched in 2001) and OSTM/Jason-2(launched in 2008) missions. These measurements provide scientists with critical information about circulation patterns in the ocean and about both global and regional changes in sea level and the climate implications of a warming world Launch January 17, 2016

Aqua

is a major international Earth Science satellite mission centered at NASA. Launched on May 4, 2002, the satellite has six different Earth-observing instruments on board and is named for the large amount of information being obtained about water in the Earth system from its stream of approximately 89 Gigabytes of data a day

Gemini

is often referred to as the "bridge to the moon." It spanned the period between Project Mercury, America's first efforts to determine if humans could survive in space, and the Apollo lunar landing flights Launch April 8, 1964

Jason-1

joint project between NASA and France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales an oceanography mission to monitor global ocean circulation, improve global climate predictions, and monitor events such as El Nino conditions and ocean eddies. The satellite carried a radar altimeter, and it was a follow-on mission to the highly successful TOPEX/Poseidon mission, that measured ocean surface topography to an accuracy of 4.2 cm, enabled scientists to forecast the 1997-1998 El Niño, and improved understanding of ocean circulation and its effect of global climate Launch December 7, 2001 lost contact, June 21, 2013

Spirit and Opportunity

rovers exploring the surface of Mars for signs of past life and liquid water launched toward Mars on June 10 and July 7, 2003, in search of answers about the history of water on Mars. They landed on Mars January 3 and January 24 PST, 2004 (January 4 and January 25 UTC, 2004).

IceBridge

six-year NASA mission, is the largest airborne survey of Earth's polar ice ever flown. It will yield an unprecedented three-dimensional view of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, ice shelves and sea ice. These flights will provide a yearly, multi-instrument look at the behavior of the rapidly changing features of the Greenland and Antarctic ice part of cryosphere program NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) -- launched in 2003 and de-orbited in 2010 -- and ICESat-2, planned for 2018. ICESat stopped collecting science data in 2009 Launch expected 2018

Aquarius

studied the interactions between changes in the ocean circulation, global water cycle and climate by measuring ocean surface salinity Launch June 10, 2011

Mars 2020 Rover

testing a method for producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, identifying other resources (such as subsurface water), improving landing techniques, and characterizing weather, dust, and other potential environmental conditions that could affect future astronauts living and working on Mars. Projected July/August 2020