Users can read about the discovery of ice on Earth's moon, which occurs in the form of ice crystals accumulated near the lunar poles. The discussion covers the use of the neutron spectrometer as a tool for detecting water by sensing the hydrogen it contains, some ideas on the origin of the ice, and the fact that water has been found elsewhere in the solar system (on Europa, Jupiter's fourth-largest ... Full description.

This article describes how astronomers from the European Space Agency (ESA) have discovered thermal emission lines from interstellar water vapor using the spectrometers aboard ESA's Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). Full description.

This website presents the story of Comet LINEAR, which broke apart in 2000, revealing what many scientists thought all along - water in Earth's oceans could have come from outer space. The article discusses findings from the breakup of Comet LINEAR and the possibility of water in its composition. Full description.

This is a copy of a news story originally written on March 1, 2001 that describes the theory of how small comets may have been at least part of the source of the water on our planet. The site also offers links to the University of Iowa's Small Comets research site and information on the ground-based measurements that are used to identify these comets. Full description.

NASA and Russian scientists have been selected to take the search for life in the solar system to the frozen reaches of Earth. Life forms (from diatoms and bacteria to mammoths) preserved in the Siberian permafrost can yield evidence about how life has changed on the molecular level and provide a treasure trove of ancient enzymes, proteins, and biochemicals. The ecosystems of the ice and permafrost ... Full description.

This booklet provides a brief introduction to the concept of plate tectonics and complements the visual and written information in This Dynamic Planet, a map published in 1994 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Smithsonian Institution. The booklet highlights some of the people and discoveries that advanced the development of the theory and traces its progress since its proposal. Although ... Full description.

This module is designed to connect cutting edge NASA research with the teaching and learning of core science and mathematics concepts and skills while addressing state and national education standards. The process of science inquiry and the tools used to do research play a major role in all the lessons. Topics and research projects include Temperature Variations and Habitability, Modeling Hot and ... Full description.

This resource includes a classroom activity, background information and a set of temperature and surface pressure data from the Pathfinder Lander. Students analyze data on temperature and pressure graphs from the first 30 days of the Pathfinder Mission to determine whether water could have existed under these conditions. A set of 15 images is also available, which can be reproduced on a photocopier ... Full description.

This site presents clues to suggest that liquid water once flowed on Mars - raising hopes that life could have arisen there - but the evidence remains inconclusive and sometimes contradictory. Full description.

NeMO studies the dynamic interactions between submarine volcanic activity and seafloor hotsprings at an observatory called Axial Seamount. The research activities at NeMO provide an extraordinary educational opportunity, both from the daily reports from expeditions at sea and from creative learning materials based on NeMO results. The site features curriculum materials designed for high school and ... Full description.