Refresh Page Here
each visit to get the most recent updates.
Last Update:
Space Probes
Space Imagery Space Vehicles Space Probes 2 NASA History
Contents:
CASSINI
DEEP SPACE
1
GALILEO
GENESIS
GRACE
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
HUYGENS
JASON
MAGELLAN
MAP (Microwave Anisotropy Probe)
MARINER
MARS GLOBAL
SURVEYOR
MARS ODYSSEY
MARS PATHFINDER
NEAR
PIONEER 10
QUICK SCATTEROMETER
SCATTEROMETER
SEASAT
SOHO
STARDUST
ULYSSES
VIKING
VOYAGER 1 &
2
Missions
Exploring our Solar System
Links
| CASSINI |
CASSINI
CASSINI
DATE LAUNCHED:
October 1997
STATUS:
En route
to orbit Saturn in July 2004
MISSION: A
series of four fly-bys of planets, two of Venus and one each of Earth and
Jupiter, helped slingshot Cassini on its way to Saturn orbit, where it will
study the planet, its magnetic and radiation environment, moons and rings for
four years. A separate probe, Huygens, will parachute to Saturn moon's Titan to
study its atmosphere and surface if possible.
OFFICIAL SITE:
Cassini (NASA)
The Cassini/Huygens spacecraft, the most ambitious effort in planetary space exploration ever mounted, launches on a 6 1/2 year journey to Saturn. A joint endeavor between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, the mission will be the first orbiter of Saturn. It will study the planetary system for four years.
The Huygens probe will be
released from Cassini and parachute through the atmosphere to the surface of
Saturn's largest and most interesting moon, Titan, which is
shrouded by an opaque atmosphere. Titan's atmosphere includes organic compounds,
leading scientists to believe that the moon may be like a frozen vault of
conditions similar to those on Earth before life began. The Cassini orbiter will
also use imaging radar to map Titan's surface.
See also: Cassini home page
| DEEP SPACE 1 |
DEEP SPACE 1
DEEP SPACE 1
DATE LAUNCHED: October 1998
STATUS: Its mission extended, the spacecraft should reach the comet Borrelly by October 2001
MISSION: On its journey to fly by and photograph asteroid Braille, Deep Space 1 has validated a range of experimental equipment for use on future missions. One test involved an ion propulsion system, which runs on xenon gas and requires only 1/10 the volume of fuel of conventional chemical rockets to achieve the same exhaust velocity. A second test is an autonomous navigation system, called AutoNav, that enables the probe to steer by the stars, pinpointing its own location in space.
Deep Space 1, a spacecraft
designed to flight-test new technologies, launches. Among the technologies it
tests is an ion engine that could power solar system explorers of the future.
OFFICIAL SITE:
Deep Space 1 (NASA)
| GALILEO |
GALILEO
GALILEO
DATE
LAUNCHED:
October 1989
STATUS:
Currently orbiting the Jupiter system, Galileo is
expected to take a fatal plunge into the planet's atmosphere in August 2003
MISSION: Galileo arrived in orbit around Jupiter for an intended two-year mission in December 1995. It continues to orbit Jupiter and its moons, often swooping close to the surfaces of Io, Callisto and Ganymede. The resilient probe has already endured three times the radiation it was designed to withstand.
The Galileo spacecraft launches on a six-year
journey to Jupiter. The mission is the first of a new generation that will orbit
outer planets -- rather than fly by -- so they can be studied in greater detail.
Galileo's flight path takes it by other planets first so that it will gain
energy from the gravity of each. Galileo will fly past Venus on February 10,
1990, and then twice past Earth -- once on December 8, 1990, and again on
December 8, 1992.
OFFICIAL SITE:
Galileo (NASA)
| The Galileo spacecraft
consists of a probe to descend into the Jovian atmosphere and an orbiter
to transmit pictures and other data from 11 scientific instruments.
In December of 1995, the probe descended at 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) into Jupiter's clouds. For five hours before entry, the probe sent back information on lightning, radio emissions, and the magnetic field. |
| The Galileo orbiter has
investigated the atmosphere of Jupiter and the surface composition of its
satellites. After each orbit of Jupiter, the spacecraft's trajectory is
gravity-assisted by encounters with one of Jupiter's moons. In this
manner, there have been numerous encounters with the moons of Jupiter,
some within 500 kilometers (310 miles) of the surface.
Galileo imagery has revealed surface features on Europa (one of Jupiter's large icy moons) that suggested the presence of subsurface water. As a result, NASA is already planning a small Europa Orbiter for the near future to investigate the moon's icy surface and determine if an underlying liquid ocean exists. For more information on the Galileo Mission: Project Galileo Home Page (NASA/JPL) Europa Orbiter - planned future mission to Europa. |
| Genesis |
GENESIS
The monthly gravity maps generated by Grace will be up to 1,000 times more accurate than those currently in use, substantially improving the accuracy of many techniques used by oceanographers, hydrologists, glaciologists, geologists and other scientists to study phenomena that influence climate. These phenomena range from shallow and deep ocean currents, water movement on and beneath Earth's surface, and the movement and changing mass of ice sheets, to sea-level heights, sea-level rise and changes in the structure of the solid Earth. The mission is a joint endeavor between NASA and the German Center for Air and Space Flight.
| HUYGENS |
HUYGENS
HUYGENS
DATE LAUNCHED:
October 1997
STATUS:
En route
to orbit Saturn's moon Titan in July 2004
MISSION:
Carried aboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft, this European Space Agency probe will
analyze the physical and chemical environment of Titan, one of Saturn's moons.
The atmosphere of Titan is thought to resemble that of a young Earth. Scientists
hope such conditions will provide them with insight into the origin of life.
With its stunning rings and dozen of moons, Saturn is an intriguing planet for many reasons. Barely smaller than Jupiter, it formed four billion years ago and it is made mainly of gas. It is also the only known planet that is less dense than water, meaning that if it could be placed inside an imaginary gigantic bathtub it would float. Saturn has a huge magnetosphere and a stormy atmosphere, with winds clocked at 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) per hour near its equator.
Of the 31 known
moons orbiting Saturn, Titan is the largest. Bigger than the planet Mercury and
our own moon, Titan is of particular interest to scientists because it is the
only moon in the solar system with its own atmosphere.
OFFICIAL SITES:
Huygens
(ESA)
| Jason 1 |
Jason 1
Jason 1
The joint NASA/French Space
Agency oceanography satellite Jason 1 launches into Earth orbit. Jason 1 joins
its orbiting cousin, the venerable Topex/Poseidon satellite, to continue
observations of the global climate interaction occurring between the sea and the
atmosphere as a result of stored solar energy.
Instruments on the satellite will map
variations in ocean surface topography to monitor world ocean circulation, study
interactions of the oceans and atmosphere, improve climate predictions and
observe events like El Nino.
See also: Jason 1 home page
| Magellan |
Magellan
May 4, 1989
Magellan
The Magellan spacecraft
launches on a mission to Venus. It is the first planetary spacecraft to be
launched from the Space Shuttle.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, the United
States and the Soviet Union sent orbiters to Venus that used imaging radar to
pierce the veil of swirling clouds and map the planet's surface. Magellan is a
follow-on to those missions, dramatically improving on their mapping resolution.
See also: Magellan home page
| MAP |
MAP
MAP (Microwave Anisotropy Probe)
The MAP Goal: A Detailed Picture of the Early Universe
MAP will image the cosmic microwave background radiation, the radiant heat
left over from the Big Bang.
OFFICIAL SITE:
MAP (NASA)
| Mariner |
Mariner 2
August 27, 1962
Mariner 2
Mariner 2 successfully launches on a mission to Venus. It is to become the first spacecraft to fly by another planet.
During its journey to Venus, the craft for the first time measures the solar wind, a constant stream of charged particles flowing outward from the Sun. It also measures interplanetary dust, which turns out to be more scarce than predicted. In addition, Mariner 2 detects high-energy charged particles coming from the Sun, including several brief solar flares, as well as cosmic rays from outside the solar system.
Mariner 2 (4) (5) (6) (7) (9) (10)
| MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR |
MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR
MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR
DATE LAUNCHED:
November 1996
STATUS:
Orbiting
Mars, mapping the planet and taking photographs
MISSION:
Surveyor began its primary mapping mission in March 1999 and has continued ever
since. The craft takes high resolution photographs of the surface, studies the
topography and investigates the role of water and dust on the surface and in the
atmosphere.
OFFICIAL SITE:
Mars
Global Surveyor
Mars Image Gallery
| Mars Odyssey |
MARS ODYSSEY
Mars Odyssey
DATE
LAUNCHED:
April 7, 2001
Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey is an orbiter carrying science experiments designed
to make global observations of Mars to improve our understanding of the planet's
climate and geologic history, including the search for water and evidence of
life-sustaining environments. The mission will extend for more than a full
Martian year (two-and-a-half Earth years).
OFFICIAL SITE:
Mars Odyssey
(NASA)
| Mars Pathfinder |
Mars Pathfinder
December 4, 1996
Mars Pathfinder
Mars Pathfinder launches for Mars. Aboard is the Sojourner rover, destined to become the first rover to explore another planet.
| NEAR |
NEAR
NEAR
DATE LAUNCHED:
February 1996
STATUS:
On
February 12, 2001, NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) became the first
spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
MISSION: After
a year-long mission to fly by and map the asteroid EROS scientists got bonus
research after NEAR made a controlled crash on the surface of the asteroid.
During it's one-year orbit of EROS, NEAR sent back pictures with the best
resolution ever of an asteroid.
OFFICIAL SITE:
Near Earth
Asteroid Rendezvous (NASA)
| PIONEER 10 |
PIONEER 10
Pioneer 10
DATE
LAUNCHED:
March 1972
STATUS:
Continues outward from solar system in opposite
direction as Voyager mission. Low power supply permits limited contact if any at
all.
MISSION: Its
formal scientific mission to study Jupiter and then exit the solar system ended
in March 1993 due to budget constraints, but the probe continues on its
trajectory out of the solar system and has been in occasional contact with
Earth, including as recently as April 2001. A plaque depicting humans, the
location of the sun and planets in the solar system is carried onboard.
OFFICIAL SITE:
Pioneer 10 (NASA)
| Quikscat |
Quick
Scatterometer
June 19, 1999
Quikscat
The ocean-observing Quick Scatterometer (Quikscat) satellite launches with the Seawinds instrument onboard. The mission is a quick turn-around replacement to Japan's Midori satellite, which became during the previous year.
With Quikscat circling Earth every 101 minutes, the Seawinds instrument senses ripples caused by winds near the ocean's surface, from which scientists can compute the winds' speed and direction. The instruments can acquire hundreds of times more observations of surface wind velocity each day than can ships and buoys.
See also: Quick Scatterometers
| Scatterometer |
Scatterometer
August 17, 1996
Artist's concept of the NASA Scatterometer
The NASA Scatterometer instrument, designed and built at JPL, launches aboard Japan's Midori satellite. A scatterometer is an instrument that measures near-surface ocean winds by sending a constant stream of radar pulses toward Earth from an orbiting satellite. When the radar pulse reflects back off the ocean surface, some of its energy is scattered by small, wind-driven waves rippling across the sea. By measuring these changes in the reflected radar signals, engineers can deduce the speed and direction of the winds that caused the ocean waves.
The scatterometer yields 268,000 measurements of ocean winds each day, covering more than 90 percent of Earth's ice-free seas. This information is critical in determining regional weather patterns and global climate.
Nine months after launch, the Midori satellite loses power, ending the mission. NASA approves a rapid replacement mission called the Quick Scatterometer to replace the lost instrument.
See also: Scatterometers
| Seasat |
Seasat
June 26, 1978
Seasat
Using some of the same technology aboard spacecraft studying other planets, the experimental Seasat satellite launches to flight-test four instruments that use radar to study Earth and the seas. Its radar instruments measure the satellite's distance from the sea surface, measure near-surface ocean winds and take pictures using radar rather than light for illumination.
The mission lasts only 100 days but the satellite collects more ocean topography data than the previous 100 years of shipboard research. Many later Earth-orbiting instruments developed at JPL owe their legacy to this pioneering mission.
See also: Seasat
| SOHO |
SOHO
SOHO
DATE LAUNCHED:
December 1995
STATUS:
The
craft has visited both poles at least once and will have completed another pass
around each by December 2001
MISSION: A
joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency, SOHO (Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory) is to study the sun and its solar winds. Spectacular
photographs have been taken and massive amounts of data has been collected. The
project is to continue through March 2003.
OFFICIAL SITE:
SOHO
(ESA)
| Stardust |
STARDUST
Stardust
February 7, 1999
STARDUST
Mission
Stardust is the first U.S. space mission dedicated solely to the
exploration of a comet, and the first robotic mission designed to return
extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the Moon.
OFFICIAL
SITE:
STARDUST
(NASA)
The Stardust spacecraft launches as part of NASA's suite of low-cost, science-focused Discovery missions. It will fly through comet Wild 2 in 2004 and uses a unique substance called aerogel to collect cometary and interstellar dust particles for analysis. In 2006, Stardust will be the first comet-sample-return mission when it delivers its return capsule to the Air Force's Utah Testing and Training Range.
See also: Stardust home page
| ULYSSES |
ULYSSES
ULYSSES
DATE LAUNCHED:
October 1990
STATUS:
Mission
status
MISSION: The
exploration of the space above and below the poles of the sun is the primary
objective of this joint NASA/European Space Agency venture. It is paying
particular attention to the heliosphere, a huge bubble in space created by solar
winds.
OFFICIAL SITE:
Ulysses
(ESA)
| Viking |
Viking 1
August 20, 1975
Viking 1
NASA's Viking Project includes two identical spacecraft, each consisting of a lander and an orbiter. Their objective is to be the first mission to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of another planet, in this case Mars.
Viking 2
September 9, 1975
Launching a few weeks behind its twin Viking 1, Viking 2 will follow suit and fly as an orbiter-lander pair and enter Mars orbit. The landers will then separate from the orbiters and descend to the planet's surface.
See also: National Space Science Data Center
| VOYAGER 1 & 2 |
VOYAGER 1 &
2
DATES
LAUNCHED:
August/September 1977
STATUS:
Searching for the end of the solar winds at the
edge of the solar system.
MISSION: The
two probes, launched 16 days apart, were sent to study planets in the outer
solar system. After jointly collecting data from Jupiter (1979) and Saturn
(1980-81), Voyager 2 continued by itself to Uranus (1986) and Neptune (1989).
Both crafts continue to collect data as they search for the end of the solar
wind's influence. Voyager 1 is the most distant manmade object from the sun. The
project was recently renamed the Voyager Interstellar Mission.
Voyager 1 begins it 18-month journey for its first planetary encounter: Jupiter. Its mission, along with Voyager 2, is to investigate the atmospheres, magnetospheres, satellites, and ring systems of Jupiter and Saturn.
As of 2002, 25 years after launch, Voyager 1 is the farthest human-made spacecraft in the universe. Both Voyagers send back data from their distant locations well beyond Pluto once a week.
In the 1960s, mission designers recognized that a unique opportunity was going to present itself more than a decade later. Starting in the late 1970s, the giant gaseous outer planets -- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune -- would line up in such a way that single spacecraft might hop from one to the next, using the gravity of each one to help propel it. Taking advantage of this alignment -- which occurs only once every 175 years -- NASA approves the Voyager Project, designed to send twin spacecraft to the outer solar system.
Voyager 2 is the first of the twin spacecraft to launch on what will become a space exploration odyssey that still continues in 2002.
OFFICIAL SITE:
Voyager (NASA)
Voyager home page
| Links: |
LINKS:
Information on probes provided by:
CNN Space News
NASA
JPL NASA
PDS Planetary Data System
The Imaging Node maintains and
distributes the archives of planetary image data acquired from NASA's flight
projects with the primary goal of enabling the science community to perform
image processing and analysis on the data.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Institute of Space and
Astronautical Science (ISAS)
The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) is the main institute
dedicated to space and astronautical science in Japan. ISAS dates to the
beginning of Japanese space science activity in launch systems and spacecraft.
ISAS continuously conducts space science research by making the maximum use of
its own launch vehicles, scientific satellites, planetary probes, and balloons.
Image Library
NSSDC
Photo Gallery
National Space Science Data Center
The Solar System Visualization (SSV) project, in collaboration with the
Digital Image Animation Laboratory (DIAL), has developed new
visualization/animation techniques, algorithms, and technologies for planetary
science applications. SSV is sponsored by NASA's
Office
of Space Science (OSS) ,
Solar
System Exploration Program and
Information Systems Office
.
The SSV project is a part of the
JPL Science
Information Systems Program.
Solar System Simulator
Welcome to the solar system simulator, a NASA/JPL/Caltech spyglass on the
cosmos. Select from options to have the simulator create a color image of your
favorite planet or satellite!
| Missions |
MISSIONS:
The USGS Astrogeology Research Program provides mission support through activities such as assisting in the mapping of landing sites, processing image data, and geologic mapping. Follow a mission link below to learn more about our projects related a particular mission.
| Cassini | Mission to Saturn expected to arrive in 2004 The Cassini Mission to Saturn is an international venture involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and several separate European academic and industrial partners. The spacecraft carries 12 scientific sensors to support the planned investigations of the Saturn system. Launched in October 1997, the spacecraft requires seven years to travel to Saturn. It has flown past Venus, Earth, and Jupiter in gravity-assist swingbys to boost its speed, and will arrive at Saturn in 2004. Cassini orbiter carries the Huygens probe, which will be released from the orbiter to land on Saturn's largest moon, Titan Other Web Sites |
| Clementine | 1994 unmanned mission to the Moon to make scientific observations and test equipment. Clementine was launched January 25, 1994, as a joint project between the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization and NASA. The objective of the mission was to test sensors and spacecraft components under extended exposure to the space environment and to make scientific observations of the Moon and a near-Earth asteroid (1620 Geographos). Due to a malfunction on May 7th, 1994, Clementine exhausted its fuel after the successful mapping of the lunar surface, and did not complete the visit to the asteroid. Other Web Sites |
| Galileo | Two year mission to study Jupiter and its moons. Arriving in 1995, this spacecraft is currently active on an extended mission. Galileo was launched October 18, 1989 from the Space Shuttle Atlantis (mission STS-34). It arrived in 1995 for its two year mission to explore the Jovian system. As part of its mission, a probe was released to collect information as it dropped into the Jovian atmosphere and was destroyed an hour later. Galileo's mission was extended two years to study Jupiter's moon Europa in depth (the Galileo Europa Mission). The mission has been extended a to a third segment called the Galileo Millennium Mission. Other Web Sites |
| Lunar Orbiter | A series of missions that took place in the mid-1960's to map and study the Moon Five Lunar Orbiter missions were launched in 1966 and 1967 to study the Moon. The first three missions were devoted to mapping potential lunar landing sites. The missions of fourth and fifth were intended for broader scientific goals. Lunar Orbiter 4 photographed the near-side and 95% of the far-side of the Moon. Lunar Orbiter 5 completed the photography of the far-side and collected medium and high resolution imagery of 36 pre-selected regions. Other Web Sites |
| Magellan | A four year mission arriving at Venus in 1990 to collect imagery and data Magellan was launched in 1989 to collect radar imagery, topography, and gravity field data of Venus. Magellan orbited Venus for four years during its extended mission. At the conclusion of the mission, Magellan was intentionally crashed into the planet's surface, allowing the spacecraft to collect data on Venus' atmosphere before it was destroyed. It was the first time a working planetary spacecraft was ever intentionally crashed. Other Web Sites |
| Mariner | A series of spacecraft launched in the 1960's and early 1970's to study Mercury, Venus, and Mars. From 1962 to 1973, ten planetary spacecraft were launched under the name Mariner, targeting our neighbors, the inner planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars. There were six missions, most missions launching a pair of Mariner spacecrafts a few months apart. Of the ten launched Magellan spacecrafts, seven were successful in their missions, and three were lost due to launch vehicle failures. Other Web Sites |
| Mars Pathfinder | The 1996 mission to explore the red planet with the robotic rover, Sojourner. Mars Pathfinder was launched in 1996 to deliver a lander and a robotic rover named Sojourner to the surface of Mars. It deployed a parachute upon entering the atmosphere, and the impact of the lander was cushioned by airbags that inflated before the parachute was cut loose and the lander allowed to free-fall to the surface. The mission collected imagery and data useful in understanding the Martian atmosphere and geologic composition. Another rover mission is planned for launch this year, when the Mars Exploration Rover 2003 mission will take two new rovers to Mars. Other Web Sites |
| Mars Global Surveyor | Global mapping and scientific data collection mission to Mars. Arriving in 1997, this mission is currently active. Mars Global Surveyor is the first in a series of spacecraft destined for Mars. It's in a near-polar orbit on a mission to globally map the planet, examining the planet's ionosphere, atmosphere, surface, and interior using six science instruments. Other Web Sites |
| Viking | A pair of spacecraft arriving at Mars in 1976, each one consisting of an orbiter and a lander. The Viking Mission to Mars launched two spacecraft, Viking 1 and Viking 2, each consisting of an orbiter and a lander. The primary mission objectives were to obtain high resolution images of the Martian surface, characterize the structure and composition of the atmosphere and surface, and search for evidence of life. The spacecraft were launched in 1975 and arrived at Mars in 1976. The first month of orbit was devoted to imaging the surface to find appropriate landing sites for the Viking Landers. The Viking 1 Lander touched down at Chryse Planitia. The Viking 2 Lander touched down at Utopia Planitia. The Orbiters imaged the entire surface of Mars. Other Web Sites |
| Voyager | A pair of spacecraft launched in 1975 to study the planets and moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus before leaving the solar system to explore interstellar space.
The twin Voyager spacecraft were launched
in 1975 to conduct studies of
Jupiter,
Saturn,
Saturn's rings, and the larger moons of both planets. The five year
mission extended to twelve years, allowing the spacecraft to explore
not only Jupiter and Saturn, but also Uranus, Neptune, and a total of
48 of the gas giants' moons.
Like the Pioneers 10 and 11 spacecraft before them, both Voyager spacecraft are leaving the solar system to explore interstellar space. This new leg of the journey called the Voyager Interstellar Mission. Each carries a golden phonograph record with the images and sounds of Earth to communicate the story of our planet to extraterrestrials. Other Web Sites |
| More Missions... | Mars Odyssey, Earth Observing System, and other missions the Astrogeology Research Program is involved in. NEAR ShoemakerOn February 17, 1996, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft was launched on a mission to answer important questions about the origin and composition of asteroids, comets, and our solar system. It was the first of the NASA Discovery Program missions, an ongoing program that is intended to offer the scientific community opportunities to accomplish frequent, high quality scientific investigations using innovative and efficient management approaches. NEAR (renamed NEAR Shoemaker after USGS astrogeologist Eugene Shoemaker), during its 5-year mission was the first to orbit and land on an asteroid and provide the most detailed profile yet of a small celestial body. NEAR Shoemaker touched down on the surface of Eros at 3:01:52 p.m. EST (20:01:52 UT) Monday, 12 February 2001. Other Web Sites |
| Exploring our Solar System | Observing the Universe | Fundamental Physics in Space | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In operation |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Under development |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Under study |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Post operation |
|
|
Multimedia Gallery Kennedy Space Center
Jupiter
Page
Saturn
Page
Uranus
Page
Neptune
Page
AURA is a consortium of universities, and educational and other non-profit institutions, that operates world-class astronomical observatories that we term "centers." Our members are 30 U.S. institutions and 6 international affiliates. We view ourselves as acting on behalf of the science communities that are served by our centers, and as trustees and advocates for the centers' missions.
Programs (see
Quest - The history of spaceflight for complete information and
links).
ACTS The Advanced Communications Technology
Satellite (ACTS), a significant activity of the Space Communications Program,
provided for the development and flight test of high-risk, advanced
communications satellite technology.
Apollo Apollo is the
United States program to land men on the moon for scientific exploration and
return them safely to earth. It has been described as the greatest scientific,
engineering, and exploratory challenge in the history of mankind.
Clementine Clementine was a joint project
between the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization and NASA. The objective of
the mission was 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.
Explorer "Explorers" were
smaller, simpler, and less costly than the orbiting observatories also used in
scientific exploration of physical and astronomical phenomena.
Galileo The Galileo mission
consists of two spacecraft: an orbiter and an atmospheric probe.
Gemini The second U.S. manned
space program was announced in January 1962
Landsat
Lunar Prospector The primary mission dedicated
to globally mapping lunar resources, gravity, and magnetic fields.
Lunar Orbiter Five Lunar Orbiter
missions were launched in 1966 through 1967 with the purpose of mapping the
lunar surface before the Apollo landings
Magellan
Mariner Mars, Venus, and Mercury flyby
missions - 1962-75.
Mercury Initiated in 1958,
completed in 1963, Project Mercury was the United States' first man-in-space
program.
Nimbus Weather Satellite
Pioneer 1 & 2 - Venus The
Pioneer mission consisted of two components, launched separately: an Orbiter and
a Multiprobe.
Pioneer 10
Pioneer 11 Missions
Ranger The Ranger series was the
first U.S. attempt to obtain close-up images of the Lunar surface.
Skylab - Program Information America's
first experimental space station.
Skylab - Images
Skylab - Technical Drawings
Space Shuttle
Shuttle Milestones and
History.
Shuttle-Mir
This
Shuttle-Mir History Web Site presents the history of Phase 1 in many ways - in
its sights and sounds; in its historical context; and in the words of its
participants - all against the backdrop of our times.
Sputnik - 40th Anniversary: NASA Site History
changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik
I.
Surveyor The Surveyor probes were the first
U.S. spacecraft to land safely on the Moon.
Tiros
(Television Infrared Observation
Satellite)
Topex /Poseidon
UARS
Viking 1 & 2 NASA's Viking Mission to Mars was
composed of two spacecraft, Viking 1 and Viking 2, each consisting of an orbiter
and a lander.
Voyager 1 & 2 The last
two spacecraft of NASA's Mariner series, Voyager 1 and 2 were the first in that
series to be sent to explore the outer solar system.
Astronauts Everything you wanted to know about the astronauts and programs.
Key Documents in the History of Space Policy 1950's - present