Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Eiffel Tower and its shadow can be seen next to the Seine in the left middle of this ASTER image of Paris. Based on the length of the shadow and the solar elevation angle of 59 degrees, we can calculate its More

The development of the Mars rover Curiosity capabilities for drilling into a rock on Mars required years of development work. Seen here are some of the rocks used in bit development testing and lifespan testing More

This image shows two flat-topped, layered rocks with angular edges almost side by side, except they are separated by a smaller rock and two thin channels of reddish-brown sand. The bare rock surfaces are a ligh More

Tuktoyuktuk Up Close NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

The Cassini spacecraft gazes upward at the face of giant Saturn, seeing beyond the equator to where ring shadows fall across the bluish northern latitudes NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Rover engineers check how a test rover moves in material chosen to simulate some difficult Mars driving conditions. The scene is inside the In-Situ Instrument Laboratory at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasad More

These dunes are located on the plains around Doanus Vallis as seen by NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. NASA/JPL/ASU

Opportunity View on Sols 1803 and 1804 Polar NASA/JPL-Caltech

Full Description: Take-off of America's first "rocket-assisted" airplane, an Ercoupe fitted with a GALCIT developed solid propellent 28 pound thrust JATO (Jet Assisted Take-Off) booster. The Ercoupe took off fr More

(August 12, 1941) Flight test crew for the Jet Assisted Take-Off (JATO) experimental solid rocket booster. It was later refered to as RATO (Rocket Assisted Take-Off). From left to right are: F.S. Miller, J.W. P More

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. Building 11, one of the oldest b More

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. During World War II, the Jet Pro More

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. At the northeast end of the Jet More

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This photograph from 1949 shows More

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This aerial image of the Jet Pro More

Why does Fargo flood? The Red River of the North, which forms the border between North Dakota and Minnesota, has a long history of severe floods. Major floods include those of 1826, 1897, 1950, 1997, and now 20 More

The Salton Sea in south California was created in 1905 when spring flooding on the Colorado River breached a canal. For 18 months the entire volume of the river rushed into the Salton Trough, creating a lake 32 More

(July 24, 1950) A new chapter in space flight began in July 1950 with the launch of the first rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida: the Bumper 8. Shown above, Bumper 8 was an ambitious two-stage rocket program t More

NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree polar view of the rover surroundings on the 1,950th Martian day, or sol, of its surface missio More

An age-defying star called IRAS 19312+1950 exhibits features characteristic of a very young star and a very old star. The object stands out as extremely bright inside a large, chemically rich cloud of material, More

During its close flyby of Jupiter on August 27, 2016, the Waves instrument on NASA's Juno spacecraft received radio signals associated with the giant planet's very intense auroras. This video displays these ra More

Full Description: (c. 1950)Dr. Theodore von Karman, co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Pasadena, California was an aeronautical theoretician. He was the first winner of the prestigious U.S. Medal More

This iron-nickel meteorite found near Fort Stockton, Texas, in 1952 shows a surface texture similar to some portions of the surface of an iron-nickel meteorite that NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity found More

This NAC image shows Qi Baishi and Hovnatanian, two craters that were newly named in November 2008. Qi Baishi is named for the famous Chinese painter who died in 1957. Hovnatanian is named for the nineteenth ce More

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL’s past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This is what greeted visitors to More

The three men responsible for the success of Explorer 1, America's first Earth satellite which was launched January 31, 1958. At left is Dr. William H. Pickering, former director of JPL, which built and operate More

(January 31, 1958) Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958. After the Russian Sputnik 1 was launched in October 1957, the launching of an American satellite assumed much gr More

Looking more like surgeons, these technicians wearing cleanroom attire inspect the Pioneer III probe before shipping it to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Pioneer III was launched on December 6, 1958 aboard a Juno II More

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Dr. James Pickering, Dr. James van Allen of the State University of Iowa, and Army Ballistic missionile Agency Technical Director Dr. Wernher von Braun triumphantly display a More

Explorer 1 atop a Jupiter-C in gantry. Jupiter-C carrying the first American satellite, Explorer 1, was successfully launched on January 31, 1958. The Jupiter-C launch vehicle consisted of a modified version of More

Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958. After the Russian Sputnik 1 was launched in October 1957, the launching of an American satellite assumed much greater importance. A More

Juno I, a slightly modified Jupiter-C launch vehicle, shortly before the January 31, 1958 launch of America's first satellite, Explorer I. The Jupiter-C, developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the rocket team a More

Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958. After the Russian Sputnik 1 was launched in October 1957, the launching of an American satellite assumed much greater importance. A More

In September of 1959, JPL held a press conference to celebrate the opening of its new $3,500,000 hypersonic wind tunnel, the third wind tunnel built at JPL from 1947 to 1959. A JPL engineer is shown positioning More

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL’s past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This photograph shows the fi More

Full Description: (c. 1960) Left to right: Dr. William H. Pickering, former JPL Director, Dr. Theodore von Karman, JPL co-founder and Dr. Frank J. Malina, co-founder, and first director of JPL...Identifier GPN- More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers off-load NASA's Genesis spacecraft which arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 3:30 a.m. aboard an Air Force C-17 aircraft.; Lockheed Martin Astronautics built the Gen More

This view of a rock called Block Island, the largest meteorite yet found on Mars, comes from the panoramic camera Pancam on NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell

Composition measurements by NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity confirm that this rock on the Martian surface is an iron-nickel meteorite. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Corne More

An aerial view of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California and the surrounding San Gabriel Mountains...Image # : p39727cc

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This image shows engineers at NA More

(1961) Dr. William H. Pickering, (center) JPL Director, presenting Mariner spacecraft model to President John F. Kennedy, (right). NASA Administrator James Webb is standing directly behind the Mariner model. Th More

NASA Mariner 2 was the world first successful interplanetary spacecraft. Launched August 27, 1962, on an Atlas-Agena rocket, Mariner 2 passed within about 34,000 kilometers 21,000 miles of Venus. NASA/JPL

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. When spacecraft in deep space "p More

A real-time data translator machine converted Mariner 4 digital image data into numbers printed on strips of paper. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Dan Goods

Mariner Crater NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Atlantis Region on Mars - Mariner 4 NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Ranger 7 took this image, the first picture of the Moon by aU.S. spacecraft, on 31 July 1964 at 13:09 UT 9:09 AM EDT about 17 minutes before impacting the lunar surface. NASA/JPL

On the night of June 4, 2001, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) captured this thermal image of the erupting Shiveluch volcano. Located on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, S More

As we head into the 21st Century, it seems hard to believe that human beings have been sending spacecraft toward Mars for more than 3 decades already. The first spacecraft to reach Mars was Mariner 4 in 1965. T More

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. The Administration Building of N More

Description: (July 29, 1965) Dr. William H. Pickering, (left) Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory presents Mariner spacecraft photos to President Lyndon Baines Johnson...Identifier GPN-2000-000480

(September 12, 1996) This mosaic of Europa, the smallest Galilean satellite, was taken by Voyager 2. This face of Europa is centered at about the 300 degree meridian. The bright areas are probably ice deposits, More

This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows the once-abandoned mining town of Silver Peak, Nevada, which began to thrive again when Foote Mineral Company began extracting lithium from brine below the floor of C More

Surveyor 6 casting 18-meter long shadow with Sun just 8° above the horizon. Surveyor 6 Landed 10 November 1967 in Sinus Medii. This image was taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State More

Surveyor 5 image of the footpad resting in the lunar soil. The trench at right was formed by the footpad sliding during landing. Surveyor 5 landed on the Moon on 11 September 1967 at 1.41 N, 23.18E in Mare Tran More

Surveyor 5 sitting in a 10-meter diameter crater. Surveyor 5 landed on Mare Tranquillitatis in September of 1967. This image was taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

NASA Viking 1 landing site is shown in this commemorative image from NASA Mars Odyssey spacecraft to celebrate the July 20, 1969 and 1976 anniversaries of NASA Apollo 11 and Viking 1 landings on the Moon and Ma More

Mars full disk approach view from Mariner 7 NASA/JPL

Yankee Clipper crater on Mars carries the name of the command and service module of NASA 1969 Apollo 12 mission to the moon. NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded this stereo view on Nov. 4, 2010. 3D More

This mosaic is a view from NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity of Yankee Clipper crater which carries the name of the command and service module of NASA 1969 Apollo 12 mission to the moon. NASA/JPL-Caltech

This NASA Mars Odyssey image of NASA Viking 1 landing site was taken to commemorate the anniversaries of NASA Apollo 11 landing on the Moon and Viking 1 landing on Mars -- July 20, 1969 and July 20, 1976, respe More

Description: These wide-angle images of Mars were laid in place on a globe already containing an indistinct, Earth-based view of Mars. The Mariner 6 pictures make two horizontal rows above; the Mariner 7 pictur More

The town of Shadegan, Iran is northeast of where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers enter the Persian Gulf. It sits near a wetland and upon land that was once part of an inland river delta. The long, linear orchar More

The so-called Face on Mars can be seen slightly above center and to the right in this NASA Mars Odyssey image. This 3-km long knob was first imaged by NASA Viking spacecraft in the 1970 and to some resembled a More

Although solid-looking in many images, Saturn's rings are actually translucent. In this picture, we can glimpse the shadow of the rings on the planet through (and below) the A and C rings themselves, towards th More

Another Look at Atget NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

It has been known since the 1970s when the Viking orbiters took pictures of Mars that there are large (i.e., several kilometers-thick) mounds of light-toned deposits within the central portion of Valles Mariner More

This image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows Soviet robotic lander Luna 17 still sitting on Mare Imbrium where it delivered the Lunokhod 1 Rover in November 1970. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Riyadh, the national capital of Saudi Arabia, is shown in 1972, 1990 and 2000. Its population grew in these years from about a half million to more than two million. Saudi Arabia experienced urbanization later More

Luna 16 was the first robotic mission to land on the Moon on basaltic plains of Mare Fecunditatis and return a sample to the Earth. It was launched by the Soviet Union on 12 September 1970. This image was taken More

These Mars Odyssey images show the White Rock feature on Mars in both infrared left and visible right wavelengths. White Rock is the unofficial name for this landform that was first observed during NASA Mariner More

Nix Olympica Identified by Mariner 9 on Mars Approach NASA/JPL

Oblique view of the crater complex near Ascraeus Lacus in the Tharsis region of Mars was taken by Mariner 9. It is the northernmost of the prominent dark spots observed by Mariner during its approach to the pla More

Mariner 9 views of shield volcano NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Mariner 9 View of Arsia Silva NASA/JPL

South Pole as viewed by Mariner 9 on Mars Approach NASA/JPL

This graphic indicates a similarity between 2016 (dark blue line) and five past years in which Mars has experienced a global dust storm (orange lines and band), compared to years with no global dust storm (blue More

This image was taken in the mid-latitudes of Mars' southern hemisphere near the giant Argyre impact basin. It is located just to the west of a prominent scarp known as Bosporos Rupes. The left side of the image More

Mariner 9 views Olympus Mons standing above the Martian Dust Storm NASA/JPL

South Polar Cap of Mars as seen by Mariners 9 & 7 NASA/JPL

Mariner 9 views Canyon System emerging from Martian Dust Storm NASA/JPL

There are some interesting erosional signs in this observation from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will make for a good comparison with other intracrater fans and fluvial sedimentary landforms. We can More

On February 21, 1972, Luna 20 soft landed in the rugged highlands between Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Crisium. The Luna 20 descent stage still sits silently on the Moon, clearly visible in this image taken by NA More

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. In December 1972, the science st More

S72-53472 (November 1972) --- An artist's concept illustrating how radar beams of the Apollo 17 lunar sounder experiment will probe three-quarters of a mile below the moon's surface from the orbiting spacecraft More

S72-49482 (November 1972) --- The Optical Recorder of the Lunar Sounder Experiment (S-209) which will be mounted in the SIM bay of the Apollo 17 Service Module. The three functional parts of the Lunar Sounder a More

Luna 21 lander delivered the Lunokhod 2 rover to the floor of Le Monnier crater in January 1973. This image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter also shows the rover tracks. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Description Mariner 10 was launched on November 3, 1973, 12:45 am PST, from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas/Centaur rocket (a reconditioned Intercontinental Ballistic Missile - ICBM). Within 12 hours of launch the t More

This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows a scarp upper left corner of the image about 130 kilometers long cutting two craters older crater is at extreme left corner, younger is More

Description (March 29, 1974) Taken only minutes after Mariner 10 made its closest approach to the planet Mercury on March 29, this is one of the highest resolution pictures obtained during the mission. Craters More

This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows an old basin hummocky rim is partly degraded and cratered by later events. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University

A field of bright rays, created by ejecta from a crater, radiating to the north top from off camera lower right is seen in this view of Mercury taken Sept. 21, 1974 by NASA Mariner 10. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University

This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, is of the H-7 Beethoven Quadrangle, and lies in Mercury Equatorial Mercator. NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft imaged the region during its initial f More

As NASA Mariner 10 passed by Mercury on its second encounter with the planet on Sept. 21, 1974, this picture of a large circular 350 kilometer, 220 mile diameter basin was obtained near the morning terminator. More

This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows that several west-facing lobate scarps occur in the hummocky plains interpreted as Caloris ejecta. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University

This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows plains filling this basin are uniformly brighter and slightly redder than the surrounding cratered terrain. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University

This computer photomosaic is of the Caloris Basin, the largest basin on Mercury. NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft imaged the region during its initial flyby of the planet after its launch in 1974. NASA/JPL

This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, includes part of the floor of the Caloris basin showing the ridges and fractures. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University

Intercrater plains and heavily cratered terrain typical of much of Mercury outside the area affected by the formation of the Caloris basin are shown in this image taken during the NASA Mariner 10 first encounte More