Ames Programs and Projects – Current

VIPER

Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) is a mobile robot that will go to the South Pole of the Moon to get a close-up view of the location and concentration of water ice that could eventually be harvested to sustain human exploration on the Moon, Mars — and beyond.

HelioSwarm

The HelioSwarm Observatory transforms our understanding of space plasma turbulence using an innovative mission concept, comprised of a hub spacecraft plus eight smaller node spacecraft, to collect data on multiple physical scales simultaneously.

SOFIA

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), is a Boeing 747SP aircraft. Flying into the stratosphere at 38,000-45,000 feet puts SOFIA above 99 percent of Earth’s infrared-blocking atmosphere, allowing astronomers to study the solar system and beyond in ways that are not possible with ground-based telescopes.

S3VI

NASA's Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute (S3VI) uses web technologies, databases, and virtual collaboration tools to collect, organize, and disseminate small spacecraft knowledge for the benefit of NASA and the community. 

SSTP

Small Spacecraft Technology Program (SSTP) expands the ability to execute unique missions through rapid development and demonstration of capabilities for small spacecraft applicable to exploration, science and the commercial space sector.

IRIS

Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) explorer's goal is to understand how the solar atmosphere is energized.

Flight Opportunities

Flight Opportunities (FOP) facilitates rapid demonstration of promising technologies for space exploration and the expansion of space commerce through suborbital testing with industry flight providers.

Orion

Ames provides multiple technologies and a range of engineering support for the Artemis program, including for the design, analysis, development, and testing of the Orion space capsule.

Rectify/Arcjet Upgrade

The Arcjet Facility, used to simulate the aerothermodynamic heating that a spacecraft endures during hypersonic re-entry, is being modernized and upgraded.