NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Who are NASA's Earth and Space Science Explorers?

The middle school students who track weather to study its effect on bursting tree buds. And the scientist studying black holes in distant galaxies. But also the teacher whose class shares Earth science data with students around the world. And the engineer who designs robotic instruments to probe hard-to-reach planets. All of these people are Earth Explorers, Space Science Explorers or both. The Earth Explorers and Space Science Explorers series features NASA explorers, young and old, with many backgrounds and interests.

Nominate an Earth or Space Science Explorer!

Tell us about the Earth Explorers and Space Science Explorers you know. We're looking for students, teachers, scientists and others who have a connection to NASA, whether they work for the agency or are involved in a NASA-supported mission or program. Send your nominations to Dan Stillman: dan_stillman@strategies.org.

On its 100,000th orbit of planet Earth, the Hubble Space Telescope peered into a small portion of the Tarantula Nebula, unveiling its stellar nursery. Image Credit: NASA

The hundreds of thousands of images captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have helped determine the age of the universe, shown how galaxies form and shed light on black holes, among many other groundbreaking achievements. More than 6,000 scientific articles have been published based on Hubble data.

The Mission to Hubble is the last scheduled attempt to prolong the life of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched in 1990. Scientists hope that the mission's repairs and upgrades will keep Hubble going at least another five years.

From Edwin Hubble, the astronomer for whom the telescope is named, to many other astronomers, engineers and astronauts, numerous people have made Hubble's many discoveries possible. Space Science Explorers asked three of those people -- Randy Kimble, Jacqueline Townsend and Mark Jarosz -- about their roles with Hubble, what people should know about the telescope, how they became interested in science, and their advice for students thinking about pursuing science as a career.

>  Read Randy Kimble interview.

>  Read Jacqueline Townsend interview.

>  Read Mark Jarosz interview.


Related Resources
NASA Student Programs
Main NASA Hubble Page   →
HubbleSite   →


Dan Stillman, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies