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engineer inspects scopp on robotic arm of Phoenix

Intense Testing Paved Phoenix Road to Mars
When NASA's Phoenix Lander descends to the surface of Mars on May 25, few will be watching as closely as those who planned and conducted tests to prepare for the dramatic and nerve-wracking event. (May 9)
+ View feature      

Artist concept button link to Solar System Exploration Artist concept button link to Solar System Simulator
NEWS & FEATURES  
artist concept of Phoenix in space Phoenix Flying True Enough to Skip One Scheduled Adjustment
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander continues on course for its May 25 arrival at Mars.
+ Read more (May 9)

artist concept of Ulysses spacecraft Ulysses Team Recognized with International Award
The Ulysses mission operations team has won an international award for its outstanding contributions to the joint ESA/NASA observatory mission, now orbiting the poles of the sun.
+ ESA release (May 8)

radar view of sand dunes on Titan, top, and Namibian dunes on Earth Titan's Smoggy Sand Grains
NASA scientist Jason Barnes says Titan and Earth have much in common, but not when it comes to sand.
+ View feature (May 2)

Jeff Oster All That Cassini Jazz
A musician has made music out of the eerie sounds around Saturn recorded by the Cassini spacecraft.
+ Cassini feature (May 2)

Jupiter's system of rings Jupiter's Shadow Sculpts Its Rings
Using data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft, scientists have shown that Jupiter's shadow is shaping the planet's rings and the orbits of particles within the rings.
+ View feature (Apr. 30)

enhanced view of storm on Saturn NASA Spacecraft Tracks Raging Saturn Storm
Cassini watches as a powerful electrical storm rages on Saturn with lightning bolts 10,000 times more powerful than those found on Earth.
+ View release (Apr. 29)

drawing showing left- and right-handed amino acids NASA Experiment Planned for European Mars Mission
NASA is funding work on an instrument that could check for biologically produced chemicals on Mars. The device may hitch a ride on Europe's 2013 ExoMars Rover mission.
+ Univ. of CA San Diego release (Apr. 29)

artist concept of the Mars Exploration Rover Shoulder Motor Balks on Opportunity Rover's Robotic Arm
A small motor in the robotic arm of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity that began stalling occasionally more than two years ago has become more troublesome recently.
+ View release (Apr. 23)

images from a radar sounder instruments Mars Radar Opens a New Dimension in Planet Exploration
A radar instrument co-sponsored by NASA on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter has looked beneath the surface of Mars and opened up a new dimension for planetary exploration.
+ View feature (Apr. 17)

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3-D view of Martian crater Slide Show: 3-D Solar System
Grab a pair of 3-D glasses and check out views of Mars, Earth and moons.
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whats-up Video: What's Up for May
Get ready to gaze at galaxies through your telescope. Then compare your views to those taken in infrared by the Spitzer Space Telescope.
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JPL field trip landscapePack Your Backpack
Calling all explorers! Tour JPL with our new Virtual Field Trip site. Stops include Mission Control and the Rover Lab. Cool space images and souvenirs are included in your visit.
+ Virtual field trip
CURRENT MISSIONS

Cassini-Huygens to Saturn
Studying Saturn and its rings and moons.
+ Mission home page

Dawn
Dawn, the first spacecraft ever planned to orbit two different bodies after leaving Earth, will orbit Vesta and Ceres, two of the largest asteroids in the solar system.
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Deep Impact
Deep Impact's impactor was essentially "run over" by the nucleus of Tempel 1 in July 2005. The spacecraft is now on a trajectory to fly past Earth in December 2007.
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Mars Exploration Rovers
Spirit and Opportunity have been exploring Mars since January 2004. Clues found in some rocks indicate liquid water once covered the ground.
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
This orbiter has the most powerful telescopic camera ever to another planet, plus five other scientific instruments.
+ Mission home page

Mars Odyssey
This orbiter studies Mars' surface composition and radiation environment and has instruments to detect water and shallow buried ice.
+ Mission home page

Microwave Instrument
on Rosetta Orbiter
This JPL instrument will study gases given off by a comet as the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft orbits the comet. Rendezvous with the comet is scheduled for 2014.
+ Rosetta home page

Phoenix Mars Lander
This mission is flying a high-latitude lander to Mars. It will dig with a robotic arm to a layer containing water ice, and analyze samples of soil and ice.
+ JPL Phoenix site
+ University of Arizona Phoenix site

Stardust
A return capsule brought pristine comet samples to Earth; the spaceecraft is currently in hibernation and orbiting the sun.
+ Mission home page

Voyager
Voyager 1 and 2 flew past Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 also flew by Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 1 is now approaching interstellar space.
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Ulysses
Orbits sun around the north and south poles.
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+ Other Solar System missions
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