Ames Programs and Projects – Past

Kepler/K2

Spanning 9 years, the Kepler/K2 missions discovered thousands of planets outside of our solar system, orbiting other stars.

LADEE

Instruments onboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) studied the lunar exosphere and dust in the Moon’s vicinity.

LCROSS

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite confirmed the presence of water in the southern polar region of the Moon.

Lunar Prospector

The Lunar Prospector mission provided a mapping of the surface composition of the Moon, including ice deposits in the polar regions.

Galileo Probe

The Galileo mission to Jupiter released the Galileo Probe into the Jovian atmosphere by parachute, returning valuable data indicating an intense radiation belt about 31,000 miles above Jupiter’s clouds, few organic compounds, winds as high as about half a mile per second, less lightning, less water vapor, and half the helium than had been expected in the upper atmosphere.

Pioneer Missions

The Pioneer missions are a series of satellites launched in the 1960’s and 70’s that were managed by NASA Ames Research Center. These missions explored Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. Some of the spacecraft continued to function 3 decades after launch, traveling beyond their primary destinations, exiting our Solar System and venturing into deep space.