Space: The New Frontier

The celestial sky is studded with countless stars and immeasurable galaxies. As experts forecast new possibilities in space exploration advanced technologies enable our continual study of Earth from orbit—taking us to places far beyond the reach of our imagination.

The Moon is our closest celestial companion—lighting our night sky and gently tugging at our shores. Although only a few have walked on the surface there has been a recent surge in robotic exploration. Once again we view the moon with renewed interest … and with the hope of returning very soon.

Mercury’s proximity to the sun and the harsh climate on Venus have challenged our ability to explore our closest planets. To understand why Mercury and Venus differ so dramatically from Earth scientists must overcome these obstacles.

The dry barren planet Mars once flowed with vast reservoirs of water making it likely the only other place in our Solar System that Man might one day call “home.” A favorite target for recent exploration Mars is a destination for increasingly complex probes and plans for manned missions.

Since the beginning of our Solar System 4.5 billion years ago asteroids and comets have contained clues to its evolution. They were the building blocks of our planets and perhaps carry the origins of life itself. Finally these rocks of ice and dust are ready to give up their secrets.

Beyond the asteroid belt lay two ice giants: Uranus and Neptune. What secrets do they hold? We are sending cameras to the edge of our Solar System to gain new insights into the evolution of our galaxy.

These are the mysterious moons of the gas giants: Jupiter and Saturn. At the outer rim of our Solar System each moon is unique—with oceans of water geysers of sulfur or atmospheres of plastic. They may hold more interest than we ever imagined.

The Sun. It bathes our planet in warmth and light. It powers the machinery of nature—our weather—and it encourages and sustains life on land and at sea. If we study the Sun closely it can reveal the secrets of all other stars above.

As astronomers use advanced technology to peer more closely at nearby stars they are discovering countless exo planets: worlds outside of our Solar System. According to scientific calculations there could be as many as 40 billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone!

The night sky is a time machine: the further we look out into the universe the further back we reach. We know very little about the dark matter and dark energy that we see but we do know it is only a small percentage of what the Universe contains.