a directory of ways to participate in space exploration
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A citizen science project around classifying high resolution images of craters and various parts of the lunar surface taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) via the Planetary Data System (PDS). From billion-year-old volcanic eruptions and curving lava channels to recent asteroid impacts, the images you [...]
Learn how to spot solar explosions and track them across space to Earth. Your work could make a new scientific discovery as well as give astronauts an early warning if dangerous radiation is headed their way. You’ll also find out how to pinpoint comets, particle strikes and optical effects, and how to make detailed storm [...]
Together, you and thousands of other Stardust@Home participants will find the first pristine interstellar dust particles ever brought to Earth. Nestled within the Stardust spacecraft’s capsule in 2006 were precious particles collected during its dramatic encounter with comet Wild 2 and something else, even rarer and no less precious: [...]
A project that allows individuals or groups to dedicate some portion of their time to analyzing data taken with other people’s telescopes. The Global Telescope Network is a network of small telescopes around the world for the purpose of supporting the science of NASA and ESA high energy astrophysics missions, including [...]
A citizen science project that needs volunteers to classify images of almost a quarter of a million galaxies taken by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey 2.5-m wide-angle optical telescope. Your job is very simple! All you need to do is look out for the features that mark out spiral and elliptical galaxies. There’s a tutorial showing how to classify [...]
A virtual laboratory for scientists and engineers to disseminate results and collaborate on research problems in health management technologies for aeronautics systems. DASHlink (Discovery in Aeronautics Systems Health) supports innovation by allowing researchers to overcome the limitations of distance and disparate [...]
The PlanetQuest Collaboratory will turn your computer (Mac, PC, Linux, and others) into a virtual astronomical observatory that you can use to make and share real scientific discoveries. Our telescopes are focused on extremely dense star regions, such as the center of the galaxy in Sagittarius, and when an observing run [...]
Help NASA get astronauts to the Moon and Mars. Future space exploration will challenge NASA to answer many critical questions about how humans can live and work for extended missions away from Earth. Currently, researchers are working to reduce the effects of space flight on the human body. To accomplish this, [...]
Help scientists search for landforms and identify new places to take pictures on Mars. The HiRISE camera, one of the instruments on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, has been sending back high-resolution images of Mars since late 2006. [...]
Contribute to the scientific understanding of the surfaces of solar system bodies. Surface features help astronomers learn more about solar system bodies. Developing the critical eye needed to identify and measure surface features in images takes a considerable amount of practice. Clickworkers offers you the opporunity to fine-tune your skills. [...]
A NASA mission to search for water on the moon needs help from citizen scientists with 10-12″ aperture telescopes to observe a lunar impact in early October. The project is actively asking for you to send in your images of the impact.These images will provide a valuable addition to the archive of data chronicling the impact and its aftermath. [...]