Curiosity's First Sample Drilling:
There were several preparatory events with the drill including a test that made the shallow hole on the right, but the deep hole resulted from the first use of the drill for rock sample collection.
On June 16, 2013, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of wildfires burning in a remote part of southwestern Alaska.
The Silver fire burning east of Silver City, New Mexico, in addition to producing gray smoke plumes, spawned a pyrocumulus cloud—a tall, cauliflower-shaped cloud that billowed up above the smoke.
Since Australia is heading into their winter as the northern climates head into summer, the north of Western Australia is ripe for bushfires and many have already begun.
The Sciences and Exploration Directorate is the largest Earth and space science research organization in the world. Its scientists advance understanding of the Earth and its life-sustaining environment, the Sun, the solar system, and the wider universe beyond. The Directorate is part of Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Researchers in the Sciences and Exploration Directorate work with engineers, computer programmers, technologists, and other team members to develop the cutting-edge technology needed for space-based research. Instruments are also deployed on aircraft, balloons, and Earth's surface.
The Directorate's researchers share their findings and data with the scientific community. Education and Public Outreach programs explain the science to students and the general public.
Contact Us
Dr. Michelle Lynn Thaller
301.286.4132
Assistant Director for Science Communication and Higher Education [600]
Barbara B Grofic
301.286.7624
Assistant Director for Program Support [600]
General inquiries about the scientific programs at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center may be directed to the Center Office of Communications at 1.301.286.8955.
