Learn how a giant storm on Saturn sent temperatures soaring in this video from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. About once a Saturn year, the planet develops a massive storm called a Great White Spot. Planetary scientist Brigette Hesman describes observations of the storm that erupted on Saturn i
Learn about Earth's close encounter with asteroid 2012 DA14 on February 15, 2013, in this video from NASA. Asteroid 2012 DA14 passed safely about 17,000 miles (27,000 kilometers) from Earth's surface. Its orbit was well known and scientists were not worried about a possible collision. NASA observes
Meet NASA scientist Lynn Carter, who studies the geology of planetary surfaces, in this video adapted from NASA's Goddard Space Science Center. Carter describes how scientists learn about Earth by studying other planets and moons. Objects such as the Moon have older surfaces, which serve as a record
Learn about the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission to Mars in this video from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Mars does not have a global magnetic field like Earth but does have patches of magnetic fields. Scientists use magnetometers to study the planet's magnetic anomalies.
Explore the complex process of designing and building a satellite using the MAVEN mission to Mars as an example. Plans for the MAVEN satellite went through a thorough review of the concept, budget, and risk analysis before proceeding to the next step of the process. Even after the design review is a
This video from NASA introduces a proposed mission to study potential habitable worlds around gas giants such as Jupiter. The Europa Jupiter System Mission, a proposed joint venture between NASA and ESA (the European Space Agency), would send two spacecraft to study Jupiter and its four largest moon
Discover how and why Curiosity, the Mars rover, measures wind and radiation on Mars. Mars Science Laboratory scientist Ashwin Vasavada describes two of the instruments onboard the rover that study Mars' present environment. The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) measures high-energy radiation from
In the early 1900s, most geologists thought that Earth's appearance, including the arrangement of the continents, had changed little since its formation. This video segment, adapted from the "Earth Explorer" episode of Discovering Women, describes the impact the theory of plate tectonics has had on
This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey uses models, vivid descriptions, and analogies to explain the structural integrity of matter at the atomic level. You wouldn't know it by looking at it, but the atoms that make up a solid piece of iron contain more space than stuff. How is it then th
Explore how human understanding of planetary orbits has changed throughout history in this video about Kepler's laws of planetary motion. Kepler's three laws of planetary motion accurately describe the elliptical orbits of objects around the Sun. This video presents the story of Johannes Kepler and
In this video segment from NOVA: "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial," paleontologist Neil Shubin recounts a fossil discovery that added another compelling piece to the body of evidence that supports evolution. Shubin's find of a well-preserved skeleton, a "fishapod," represents a transitiona
Discover dark features in Jupiter's atmosphere called "hot spots," and their connection to large-scale atmospheric waves. David Choi describes his research on hot spots clearings in Jupiter's atmosphere that appear bright in infrared light. Analysis of data from the Cassini mission in 2000 reveal ho
