Readers of this journal article can learn about data sent back to Earth by NASA's Lunar Prospector spacecraft, which indicates the presence of water in the form of ice at the Moon's north and south poles. Materials presented include an estimate of how much water exists, where and in what form it might occur, and what its economic value as a resource for human exploration might be. Full description.

Using the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory, Spanish and Italian astronomers have for the first time measured the total amount of water in cold regions of the Milky Way. The findings and implications of this research are discussed here, with emphasis on the fact that water is abundant in these cold regions and exists mostly in the form of ice. Images and videos are included. Full description.

Until very recently, planetary scientists had thought that Mars is a cold, dry planet. Then in the summer of 2000, NASA released images from the Mars Global Surveyor showing evidence of very recent seepage of ground water from crater and valley slopes in the planet's southern hemisphere. It seems that substantial reservoirs of the water that once may have run so copiously on the surface may still ... Full description.

This set of slides shows imagery of clouds as seen from above, in space, by various satellites and space shuttle missions. Each slide is accompanied by a brief caption describing the feature being shown and the satellite or shuttle mission from which the photo was taken. The slides are available as downloadable high-resolution TIF files, or they can be purchased from Lunar and Planetary Institiute's ... Full description.

This resource ties together physical and biological aspects of ocean color for high school students. Specific sections discuss life in the oceans, the appearance of the ocean from space, phytoplankton (the little link in a big food chain), carbon (where does it go?), and the Earth as a giant greenhouse. There are also activities that accompany these lessons. Full description.

Students in this lesson will be introduced to the concept of tides and tidal forces. By viewing a related applet which visualizes the relationship between the Earth, moon and tides, students will gain an understanding of why the Earth experiences tides. In the process they are asked to observe and explain how the relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun are responsible for the moon phases, ... Full description.

This is a collection of high-quality photographs of Mars, showing evidence of water. Each photo is available in multiple versions, and is accompanied by a detailed description of what it illustrates. 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.

As part of this classroom activity, students will record and graph temperature data to learn about the search for water on Mars. Using models of frozen and ice-free "soils" constructed from readily available materials (a list is provided), they will examine (by periodically measuring temperature and graphing the results) how the ice content of the Martian soil affects the rate at which a warm probe ... Full description.

Visitors to the ImageBank can view and download photographs, remote imagery, and slide shows. The images are related to earth and space science topics such as dinosaurs, earthquakes, volcanoes, rocks and minerals, mining and petroleum, groundwater, planets and astronomical phenomena, and others. The site contains thousands of images and is searchable by category, continent, country, or keyword. A ... Full description.