This training module was designed to help the user identify and grasp basic concepts associated with space travel and deep space missions. Separate sections deal with topics such as the physical environment of space (solar system, gravity, orbital mechanics), flight projects (mission concepts, system requirements, design, onboard systems and instruments), and flight operations (launch, cruise, encounter). ... Full description.

This biographical index provides short descriptions of the lives and achievements of prominent astronomers, physicists, mathematicians, and other persons who have made contributions to astronomy. Links to related persons and topics are embedded in the text. Full description.

This animation showing Neptune as it rotates was imaged by the spacecraft Voyager. A link is provided to a written document that describes the physical characteristics and appearance of the planet. Full description.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) homepage provides links to spacecraft and mission information, imagery, news articles, events, features, and public services. Users can access articles and imagery from the Mars Rover and Cassini missions, images from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and an El Nino/La Nina Watch. Full description.

Students who wish to ask a question about the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite or mission may submit their name, email address, and a question by using this online form. Full description.

Users can access news articles, background information and links about the International Space Station. Materials presented here include crew biographies, expedition press kits, accounts of science experiments, and imagery taken from the station. Other features include a clock/counter that logs the station's and the crew's time in orbit and information for ground-based observers who wish to view the ... Full description.

Visitors to this site will learn about NASA's manned and unmanned explorations of the Moon and Mars. Topics include the history of the Apollo program, robotic missions to Mars, and future visions for space exploration. The document "Vision for Space Eploration," which describes a timeline and major realignment of NASA's resources and efforts for manned and unmanned missions to the Moon and elsewhere, ... Full description.

This scale model of the Galileo spacecraft is constructed of paper card stock and a sheet of printer transparency. By assembling the model, students will learn the components and features of the real spacecraft. The real Galileo was one of the most complex robotic spacecraft ever flown. It completed its mission and was flown into Jupiter's atmosphere in September 2003. Full description.

As part of this activity, students learn about geologic processes on Earth in order to interpret surface features recently seen on Europa by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Materials presented here include a vocabulary list, geology jigsaw puzzle, review questions, and links to related sites. Full description.

This animation shows a sequence of daily images of the southern hemisphere in which daily and seasonal fluctuations in the ozone hole over Antarctica can bee seen. The images were captured by the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), an instrument carried aboard the Earth Probe spacecraft. Full description.