Space Exploration Technology

A cubesat, like this briefcase-sized MarCO, was key to relaying telemetry during the recent InSight mission to Mars. It was the first time this kind of mini-spacecraft had flown into deep space.

Science

What's Next For Tiny Satellites?

4:09pm December 26, 2018

by Joe Palca

Two briefcase-sized satellites gave the control room of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in November what scientists had never been able to get before: real-time information about a spacecraft's landing.

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NASA engineers on the flight team celebrate the InSight spacecraft's successful landing on Mars at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., on Monday.

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Science

NASA Probe Lands Safely On Martian Surface

4:35pm November 26, 2018

by Joe Palca

There's a new probe on Mars. After Monday's tricky landing, NASA's InSight spacecraft is to deploy a sensitive seismometer and temperature probe to let scientists explore the planet's interior.

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Science

WATCH: Building A Probe That Will Survive A Trip To The Sun

4:16pm July 31, 2018

The sun is responsible for all life on Earth, but we still have a lot to learn about it. So this summer, NASA is sending the Parker Solar Probe closer to the sun than we have ever been before.