Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (original) (raw)

Finding out what is out there

The mission of Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, or ARES, is to combine scientific and engineering expertise in order to advance human space exploration, to integrate terrestrial and planetary research, and to promote successful space missions by mitigating risk. Our people are the world's leading sample scientists and we curate the most extensive collection of extraterrestrial materials on Earth.

The mission of Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, or ARES, is to combine scientific and engineering expertise in order to advance human space exploration, to integrate terrestrial and planetary research, and to promote successful space missions by mitigating risk. Our people are the world's leading sample scientists and we curate the most extensive collection of extraterrestrial materials on Earth.

ARES Highlights

Picture of the Curiosity Rover on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA.

Mars Curiosity Rover

The rover's goals include an investigation of the Martian climate and geology along with assessing whether the selected field site inside Gale has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.

Learn more about Curiosity >

Computer generated picture of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Credit: NASA.

OSIRIS-REx

The spacecraft will rendezvous with the near-Earth Asteroid Bennu in 2020. It will collect material from the surface of the asteroid via a robotic arm and is planned to return with the samples to Earth in 2023.

Learn more about OSIRIS-REx >

Computer generated picture of a greenhouse/garden facility on Mars. Credit: NASA.

ISRU & Simulants

The farther humans go into deep space, the more important it will be to generate their own products with local materials, a practice called in-situ resource utilization (ISRU).

Learn more about ISRU & Simulants >

In Your Classroom

Picture of students examining the contents of a meteorite sample disk. Credit: NASA.

Lunar and Meteorite Sample Disk Program (K-12)

Each Meteorite Sample Disk contains six different types of Meteorite samples. Each Lunar Sample Disk contains three Lunar rock and three Lunar soil (regolith) samples collected by the Apollo astronauts.

Learn more about LMDP >

Enhanced picture of a petrographic thin section from a meteorite. Credit: NASA.

University Petrographic Thin Section Program

Twelve polished thin sections of samples from either the Lunar or Meteorite collections are provided to colleges and universities that offer curriculums in the geosciences.

Learn more about Thin Sections >

Picture of students in a classroom watching a NASA Webinar on their laptop computers. Credit: NASA.

Webinars

Our interactive webinars are designed to connect educator-led student groups in formal and/or informal classroom environments with Subject Matter Experts to generate interest, excitement, and awareness of NASA science.

Learn more about Webinars >

Picture taken by the International Space Station of a volcano errupting. Credit: NASA.

Expedition Earth & Beyond

This program is designed to motivate middle and high school students to develop a greater interest in Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology (STEM) related subjects.

Learn more about EEAB >

The Latest

The Latest

The Latest

Allan Hills 84001 (ALH84001,65) is a fragment of a Martian meteorite that was found in the Allan Hills in Antarctica on December 27, 1984, by a team of American meteorite searchers from the ANSMET project. Credit: NASA.

Astromaterials Newsletter Vol. 6 No. 2 is now available

October 3, 2024

The Astromaterials Newsletter is a bi-annual publication produced by the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at NASA Johnson Space Center to inform the sample science community about updates to our policies, collections, and available samples.

In particular, the newsletter will be our new and exclusive mechanism for announcing new samples or new sample opportunities available to the community across all of our collections.

New issue of The Orbital Debris Quarterly News

October 2024 (Volume 28, Issue 4)

Available at the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office website.
This issue includes the following topics:

The Astromaterials 3D Explorer. Credit: NASA ARES.

Astromaterials 3D Releases 20 New Samples & New Features!

March 29, 2022

Astromaterials 3D is a virtual library of NASA's Apollo Lunar and Antarctic Meteorite collections launched to the public in December 2020. The team just released 20 new samples to explore in the interactive Explorer application, where you can now view the new NASA Curated Pins tool, and download the high-resolution 3D model files for every sample!