Welcome to the Planetary Environments Laboratory at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. We are located in Greenbelt, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC, in NASA's first science center, where our scientists are part of the world's largest Earth and space science research organization. These pages will introduce you to our work exploring the environments throughout the Solar System. You will find information about our people and projects, along with scientific data and links to original publications.
The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer, which will measure the composition of Mars' upper atmosphere, has been integrated into NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft.
An analysis of rock sample by the SAM and CheMin instruments on NASA's Curiosity rover shows that the Yellowknife Bay area of Mars was once wet and had conditions favorable for living microbes.
NASA's Curiosity rover analyzed its first solid sample of Mars in November with a variety of instruments, including the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite. The sample of Martian soil came from the patch of windblown material called "Rocknest."
The Planetary Environments Laboratory studies the chemistry of atmospheres and surfaces of planets and their moons. We participate in all phases of planetary investigations, from defining and developing specialized instrumentation to analyzing, interpreting, distributing, and archiving data collected during flight missions. We provide a basis for planetary mission studies through a vigorous program of planetary analog research that includes laboratory simulations of planetary environments, geochemical and isotopic analysis, computational modeling of planetary atmospheres, and field studies of planetary analog sites.
Contact Us
Dr. Paul R Mahaffy
301.614.6379
Chief [699]
General inquiries about the scientific programs at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center may be directed to the Office of Public Affairs at 1.301.286.8955.
