Heat Shield Construction for NASA InSight Mission

In this February 2015 scene from a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, specialists are building the heat shield to protect NASA's InSight spacecraft when it is speeding through the Martian atmosphere. Note: After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19404

A diagram is seen during a teacher professional development event hosted by the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) at the Dallas Arboretum, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Education Specialist Christine Milotte demonstrates heliophysics activities during a teacher professional development event hosted by the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) at the Dallas Arboretum, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Heliophysics Science Division Instrument Systems Engineer Patrick Haas, left, demonstrates heliophysics activities during a teacher professional development event hosted by the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) at the Dallas Arboretum, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Heliophysics Science Division Instrument Systems Engineer Patrick Haas, right, demonstrates heliophysics activities during a teacher professional development event hosted by the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) at the Dallas Arboretum, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Education Specialist Christine Milotte gives a presentation during a teacher professional development event hosted by the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) at the Dallas Arboretum, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Heliophysics Division Director Dr. Joseph Westlake delivers remarks during a teacher professional development event hosted by the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) at the Dallas Arboretum, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

Local educators participate in heliophysics activities during a teacher professional development event hosted by the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) at the Dallas Arboretum, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Aqua spacecraft has illustrated surface air and skin temperature for the period from July 16-24, showing movement of a dome of heat across the eastern two-thirds of the country. See More Details for the movies.

NASA AIRS Movies Show Evolution of U.S. 2011 Heat Wave

NASA's ECOSTRESS Captures Short-Lived Heat Wave in L.A. Area

A short-lived heat wave that hit the Los Angeles area the week of July 7, 2025, was the first of summer. The heat lingered into the evening hours, as captured by NASA's Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) instrument. By nearly 8:45 p.m. local time July 9, surface temperatures in the San Fernando Valley were still over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). The ECOSTRESS sensor recorded similar temperatures for downtown Pasadena (Figure A) and parts of Altadena, east of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the mission. In these data visualizations, dark red indicates higher temperatures, while areas in blue and green are cooler. Coastal regions remained significantly cooler than inland areas. The ECOSTRESS instrument measures thermal infrared emissions from Earth's surface. This enables researchers to monitor plant health, the progress of wildfires, land surface temperatures, and the burn risk to people from hot surfaces such as asphalt. Land surface temperatures are hotter than air temperatures during the day. Air temperatures, which are measured out of direct sunlight, are usually what meteorologists report in a weather forecast. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26651

(NESC) NASA Engineering and Safety Center Orion Heat Shield Carr

NASA's ECOSTRESS Shows Heat in Dallas and Fort Worth

NASA's Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) instrument recorded this image of ground surface temperatures in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, on June 20, 2022, at 7:17 a.m. Central Daylight Time. Even early in the day, manmade urban surfaces near city centers and transportation networks – streets, roads, and highways shown in red and orange – are warmer than the outskirts by up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). The paved surfaces at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, shown in red near the top-center of the image, had the warmest temperatures, exceeding 86 F (30 C). Natural land surfaces such as vegetation and streams in rural areas, shown in green and blue, are cooler than nearby large bodies of water, shown in red and yellow, that tend to retain more heat overnight due to their higher heat capacity. Cities are usually warmer than open land because of human activities and the materials used in building and construction. Streets are often the hottest part of the built environment due to asphalt paving. Dark-colored surfaces absorb more heat from the Sun than lighter-colored ones; asphalt absorbs up to 95% of solar radiation and retains the heat for hours into the nighttime. ECOSTRESS measures the temperature of the ground, which is hotter than the air temperature during the daytime. The instrument launched to the space station in 2018. Its primary mission is to identify plants' thresholds for water use and water stress, giving insight into their ability to adapt to a warming climate. However, ECOSTRESS is also useful for documenting other heat-related phenomena, like patterns of heat absorption and retention. Its high-resolution images, with a pixel size of about 225 feet (70 meters) by 125 feet (38 meters), are a powerful tool for understanding our environment. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25422

NASA's ECOSTRESS Shows Surface Heat in Houston

NASA's Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) instrument recorded this image of ground surface temperatures in Houston and its environs on June 20, 2022, at 6:29 a.m. Central Daylight Time. Even just after sunrise, manmade urban surfaces near the city center and transportation networks – streets, roads, and highways shown in red and orange – were significantly warmer than the outskirts by up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). Clouds, which are cool compared with the ground, are shown in blue and labeled in the image. Cities are usually warmer than open land because of human activities and the materials used in building and construction. Streets are often the hottest part of the built environment due to asphalt paving. Dark-colored surfaces absorb more heat from the Sun than lighter-colored ones; asphalt absorbs up to 95% of solar radiation and retains the heat for hours into the nighttime. ECOSTRESS measures the temperature of the ground, which is hotter than the air temperature during the daytime. The instrument launched to the space station in 2018. Its primary mission is to identify plants' thresholds for water use and water stress, giving insight into their ability to adapt to a warming climate. However, ECOSTRESS is also useful for documenting other heat-related phenomena, like patterns of heat absorption and retention. Its high-resolution images, with a pixel size of about 225 feet (70 meters) by 125 feet (38 meters), are a powerful tool for understanding our environment. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25421

NASA's ECOSTRESS Shows Overnight Heat in London

NASA's Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) instrument recorded this image of ground surface temperatures in London and surrounding areas on July 15, 2022, just before midnight local time. It shows surface temperatures exceeding 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) at 11:57 p.m. British Summer Time. Parts of Europe in mid-July experienced a record-breaking heat wave. The United Kingdom reaching its highest air temperature on record on July 19, 104.5 F (40.3 C) in Coningsby, about 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of London, which itself saw a high of 104.3 F (40.2 C) the same day. That evening, the overnight low was also a record-breaker: 78.4 F (25.8 C) at Kenley Airfield in Greater London. In this image, the red areas indicate hotter temperatures commonly associated with developed areas. These surfaces – roofs, paved streets, and other built structures – remain warm long after the sun sets. Blue and green areas indicate cooler areas commonly associated with parks and other natural land surfaces. Because this image was acquired at night, it shows bodies of water being warmer than the land surface. This is because water tends to change temperature more slowly, so its temperature stays elevated long after land surfaces have cooled down. Cities are usually warmer than open land with natural surfaces because of human activities as well as the materials used in building and construction. Streets are often the hottest part of the built environment due to asphalt paving. Dark-colored surfaces absorb more heat from the Sun than lighter-colored ones; asphalt absorbs up to 95% of solar radiation and retains the heat for hours into nighttime. This image overlays ECOSTRESS surface temperature data on a Google satellite map for context. ECOSTRESS measures the temperature of the ground, which is hotter than the air temperature during the daytime. The instrument launched to the space station in 2018. Its primary mission is to identify plants' thresholds for water use and water stress, giving insight into their ability to adapt to a warming climate. However, ECOSTRESS is also useful for documenting other heat-related phenomena, like patterns of heat absorption and retention. Its high-resolution images, with a pixel size of about 225 feet (70 meters) by 125 feet (38 meters), are a powerful tool for understanding our environment. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25423

HP3 on the Martian Surface

$NASA image release January 6, 2010 Caption: Spicules on the sun, as observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. These bursts of gas jet off the surface of the sun at 150,000 miles per hour and contain gas that reaches temperatures over a million degrees. GREENBELT, Md. -- Observations from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Japanese satellite Hinode show that some gas in the giant, fountain-like jets in the sun's atmosphere known as spicules can reach temperatures of millions of degrees. The finding offers a possible new framework for how the sun's high atmosphere gets so much hotter than the surface of the sun. What makes the high atmosphere, or corona, so hot – over a million degrees, compared to the sun surface's 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit -- remains a poorly understood aspect of the sun's complicated space weather system. That weather system can reach Earth, causing auroral lights and, if strong enough, disrupting Earth's communications and power systems. Understanding such phenomena, therefore, is an important step towards better protecting our satellites and power grids. "The traditional view is that all the heating happens higher up in the corona," says Dean Pesnell, who is SDO's project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The suggestion in this paper is that cool gas is being ejected from the sun's surface in spicules and getting heated on its way to the corona." Spicules were first named in the 1940s, but were hard to study in detail until recently, says Bart De Pontieu of Lockheed Martin's Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif. who is the lead author on a paper on this subject in the January 7, 2011 issue of Science magazine. In visible light, spicules can be seen to send large masses of so-called plasma – the electromagnetic gas that surrounds the sun – up through the lower solar atmosphere or photosphere. The amount of material sent up is stunning, some 100 times as much as streams away from the sun in the solar wind towards the edges of the solar system. But nobody knew if they contained hot gas. "Heating of spicules to the necessary hot temperatures has never been observed, so their role in coronal heating had been dismissed as unlikely," says De Pontieu. Now, De Pontieu's team -- which included researchers at Lockheed Martin, the High Altitude Observatory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Colorado and the University of Oslo, Norway -- was able to combine images from SDO and Hinode to produce a more complete picture of the gas inside these gigantic fountains. The scientists found that a large fraction of the gas is heated to a hundred thousand degrees, while a small fraction is heated to millions of degrees. Time-lapsed images show that this material spews up into the corona, with most falling back down towards the surface of the sun. However, the small fraction of the gas that is heated to millions of degrees does not immediately return to the surface. Given the large number of spicules on the Sun, and the amount of material in the spicules, the scientists believe that if even some of that super hot plasma stays aloft it would make a contribution to coronal heating. Astrophysicist Jonathan Cirtain, who is the U.S. project scientist for Hinode at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., says that incorporating such new information helps address an important question that reaches far beyond the sun. "This breakthrough in our understanding of the mechanisms which transfer energy from the solar photosphere to the corona addresses one of the most compelling questions in stellar astrophysics: How is the atmosphere of a star heated?" he says. "This is a fantastic discovery, and demonstrates the muscle of the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory, comprised of numerous instruments on multiple observatories." Hinode is the second mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program, the goal of which is to improve understanding of fundamental solar and space physics processes. The mission is led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The collaborative mission includes the U.S., the United Kingdom, Norway and Europe. NASA Marshall manages Hinode U.S. science operations and oversaw development of the scientific instrumentation provided for the mission by NASA, academia and industry. The Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center is the lead U.S. investigator for the Solar Optical Telescope on Hinode. SDO is the first mission in a NASA science program called Living With a Star, the goal of which is to develop the scientific understanding necessary to address those aspects of the sun-Earth system that directly affect our lives and society. NASA Goddard built, operates, and manages the SDO spacecraft for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. To learn more go to: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/news20110106-spicules.html" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/news20110106-spicules...</a> Credit: NASA Goddard/SDO/AIA <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>$

Hotspots in Fountains on the Sun's Surface Help Explain Coronal Heating Mystery

NASA image release January 6, 2010 Caption: Spicules on the sun, as observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. These bursts of gas jet off the surface of the sun at 150,000 miles per hour and contain gas that reaches temperatures over a million degrees. GREENBELT, Md. -- Observations from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Japanese satellite Hinode show that some gas in the giant, fountain-like jets in the sun's atmosphere known as spicules can reach temperatures of millions of degrees. The finding offers a possible new framework for how the sun's high atmosphere gets so much hotter than the surface of the sun. What makes the high atmosphere, or corona, so hot – over a million degrees, compared to the sun surface's 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit -- remains a poorly understood aspect of the sun's complicated space weather system. That weather system can reach Earth, causing auroral lights and, if strong enough, disrupting Earth's communications and power systems. Understanding such phenomena, therefore, is an important step towards better protecting our satellites and power grids. "The traditional view is that all the heating happens higher up in the corona," says Dean Pesnell, who is SDO's project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The suggestion in this paper is that cool gas is being ejected from the sun's surface in spicules and getting heated on its way to the corona." Spicules were first named in the 1940s, but were hard to study in detail until recently, says Bart De Pontieu of Lockheed Martin's Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif. who is the lead author on a paper on this subject in the January 7, 2011 issue of Science magazine. In visible light, spicules can be seen to send large masses of so-called plasma – the electromagnetic gas that surrounds the sun – up through the lower solar atmosphere or photosphere. The amount of material sent up is stunning, some 100 times as much as streams away from the sun in the solar wind towards the edges of the solar system. But nobody knew if they contained hot gas. "Heating of spicules to the necessary hot temperatures has never been observed, so their role in coronal heating had been dismissed as unlikely," says De Pontieu. Now, De Pontieu's team -- which included researchers at Lockheed Martin, the High Altitude Observatory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Colorado and the University of Oslo, Norway -- was able to combine images from SDO and Hinode to produce a more complete picture of the gas inside these gigantic fountains. The scientists found that a large fraction of the gas is heated to a hundred thousand degrees, while a small fraction is heated to millions of degrees. Time-lapsed images show that this material spews up into the corona, with most falling back down towards the surface of the sun. However, the small fraction of the gas that is heated to millions of degrees does not immediately return to the surface. Given the large number of spicules on the Sun, and the amount of material in the spicules, the scientists believe that if even some of that super hot plasma stays aloft it would make a contribution to coronal heating. Astrophysicist Jonathan Cirtain, who is the U.S. project scientist for Hinode at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., says that incorporating such new information helps address an important question that reaches far beyond the sun. "This breakthrough in our understanding of the mechanisms which transfer energy from the solar photosphere to the corona addresses one of the most compelling questions in stellar astrophysics: How is the atmosphere of a star heated?" he says. "This is a fantastic discovery, and demonstrates the muscle of the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory, comprised of numerous instruments on multiple observatories." Hinode is the second mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program, the goal of which is to improve understanding of fundamental solar and space physics processes. The mission is led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The collaborative mission includes the U.S., the United Kingdom, Norway and Europe. NASA Marshall manages Hinode U.S. science operations and oversaw development of the scientific instrumentation provided for the mission by NASA, academia and industry. The Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center is the lead U.S. investigator for the Solar Optical Telescope on Hinode. SDO is the first mission in a NASA science program called Living With a Star, the goal of which is to develop the scientific understanding necessary to address those aspects of the sun-Earth system that directly affect our lives and society. NASA Goddard built, operates, and manages the SDO spacecraft for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. To learn more go to: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/news20110106-spicules.html" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/news20110106-spicules...</a> Credit: NASA Goddard/SDO/AIA <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>

The heat shield for NASA Mars Science Laboratory is the largest ever built for a planetary mission. This image shows the heat shield being prepared at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, in April 2011.

Biggest-Ever Heat Shield Prepared for Mars Spacecraft

Technicians at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, prepare the heat shield for NASA Mars Science Laboratory. With a diameter of 4.5 meters nearly 15 feet, this heat shield is the largest ever built for a planetary mission.

Preparing Mars Science Laboratory Heat Shield

This color full-resolution image showing the heat shield of NASA Curiosity rover was obtained during descent to the surface of Mars. This image shows the inside surface of the heat shield, with its protective multi-layered insulation.

Curiosity Heat Shield in Detail

This image shows NASA Mars Science Laboratory heat shield, and a spacecraft worker at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. It is the largest heat shield ever built for descending through the atmosphere of any planet.

Large Heat Shield for Mars Science Laboratory

Close-up of 3D printed MOXIE Heat Exchanger

This nickel-alloy heat exchanger is among several that were 3D printed for the Mars Oxygen In-situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), one of the instruments aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. If conventionally fabricated, the heat exchanger would have required making two parts and welding them together; the 3D-printed heat exchanger is a single piece. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24171

NASA InSight's robotic arm will use its scoop to pin the spacecraft's heat probe, or "mole," against the wall of its hole. The mole is part of an instrument formally called the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, or HP3, provided by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23373

Preparing to Pin the Mole

InSight Aeroshell Coming Together

The heat shield is suspended above the rest of the InSight spacecraft in this image taken July 13, 2015, in a spacecraft assembly clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. The gray cone is the back shell, which together with the heat shield forms a protective aeroshell around the stowed InSight lander. The photo was taken during preparation for vibration testing of the spacecraft. InSight, for Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is scheduled for launch in March 2016 and landing in September 2016. It will study the deep interior of Mars to advance understanding of the early history of all rocky planets, including Earth. Note: After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19814

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

Maurice Henderson speaks to guests about the upcoming total solar eclipse at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

A solar eclipse glasses crafting station is seen at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Heliophysics Laboratory Research Scientist Ashley Greeley, center, works with guests at the solar eclipse glasses crafting station at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

Maurice Henderson speaks to guests about the upcoming total solar eclipse at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

Guests pose for a photo in front of a floral solar eclipse display at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

Former NASA astronaut Alvin Drew, right, speaks with guests at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Heliophysics Science Division Instrument Systems Engineer Patrick Haas speaks to guests about the upcoming total solar eclipse at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

Guests place their questions about the solar eclipse upon a board at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

A guest embellishes their solar eclipse glasses at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Curriculum Specialist Dr. Hilarie Davis speaks to guests about the upcoming total solar eclipse at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

Guests learn about the upcoming total solar eclipse from NASA staff at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Principal Scientist Carolyn Ng speaks to guests about the upcoming total solar eclipse at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

NASA Earth Science Education and Outreach Lead Dr. Trena Ferrell, second from right, hands out educational materials to guests at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA HEAT at the Dallas Arboretum

Former NASA astronaut Alvin Drew, right, speaks with guests at the Dallas Arboretum, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Mars 2020's Aeroshell

The heat shield (left) and back shell (right) that comprise the aeroshell for NASA's Mars 2020 mission are depicted in this image. Both components are nearly 15 feet (4.5 meters) in diameter. The aeroshell will encapsulate and protect the Mars 2020 rover and its descent stage both during their deep space cruise to Mars and during descent through the Martian atmosphere, which generates intense heat. The image was taken at Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, Colorado, which manufactured the aeroshell. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23590

Pinning Helps the Mole Move

This animation shows NASA InSight's heat probe, or "mole," digging about a centimeter (half an inch) below the surface last week. Using a technique called "pinning," InSight recently pressed against the mole using a scoop on its robotic arm to help the self-hammering heat probe dig so that it can "take the temperature" of Mars. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23379

Map of Io Volcanic Heat Flow

This frame from an animation shows Jupiter volcanic moon Io as seen by NASA Voyager and Galileo spacecraft (at left) and the pattern of heat flow from 242 active volcanoes (at right). The red and yellow areas are places where local heat flow is greatest -- the result of magma erupting from Io's molten interior onto the surface. The map is the result of analyzing decades of observations from spacecraft and ground-based telescopes. It shows Io's usual volcanic thermal emission, excluding the occasional massive but transient "outburst" eruption; in other words, this is what Io looks like most of the time. This heat flow map will be used to test models of interior heating. The map shows that areas of enhanced volcanic heat flow are not necessarily correlated with the number of volcanoes in a particular region and are poorly correlated with expected patterns of heat flow from current models of tidal heating -- something that is yet to be explained. This research is published in association with a 2015 paper in the journal Icarus by A. Davies et al., titled "Map of Io's Volcanic Heat Flow," (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.003.) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19655

Mars 2020's MMRTG

The electricity for NASA's Mars 2020 rover is provided by a power system called a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or MMRTG. Essentially a nuclear battery, an MMRTG uses the heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium-238 to generate about 110 watts of electricity at the start of a mission. Besides generating electrical power, the MMRTG produces heat. Some of this heat can be used to maintain the rover's systems at the proper operating temperatures in the frigid cold of space and on the surface of Mars. This device, seen here before fueling and testing at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, has "fins" that radiate excess heat. MMRTGs are provided to NASA for civil space applications by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The radioisotope fuel is inserted into the MMRTG at the DOE's Idaho National Laboratory before the MMRTG is shipped to the launch site. Electrically heated versions of the MMRTG are used at JPL to verify and practice integration of the power system with the rover. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23306

InSight on Mars, As Seen by HiRISE

NASA's InSight spacecraft, its heat shield and its parachute were imaged on Dec. 6 and 11 by the HiRISE camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In images released today, the three new features on the Martian landscape appear teal. That's not their actual color: Light reflected off their surfaces cause the color to be saturated. The ground around the lander is dark, blasted by its retrorockets during descent. Look carefully for a butterfly shape, and you can make out the lander's solar panels on either side. Unannotated, individual images of the lander, heat shield and parachute are also available. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22875

NASA Phoenix Mars Lander carried the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer t to heat and sniff samples of Martian soil and ice to analyze some ingredients.

Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer for Phoenix Mars Lander

The heat shield carrier for Orion’s Artemis IV mission is in view secured on a work stand in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Dec. 15, 2024. The carrier structure holds the thermal protection system heat shield securely to the Orion crew module while facing launch, reentry, and splashdown impact loads.

Artemis IV Orion Heat Shield Carrier

Entering the Martian Atmosphere with the Perseverance Rover (Illustration)

With its heat shield facing the planet, NASA's Perseverance rover begins its descent through the Martian atmosphere in this illustration. Hundreds of critical events must execute perfectly and exactly on time for the rover to land on Mars safely on Feb. 18, 2021. Entry, Descent, and Landing, or "EDL," begins when the spacecraft reaches the top of the Martian atmosphere, traveling nearly 12,500 mph (20,000 kph). The aeroshell, which encloses the rover and descent stage, makes the trip to the surface on its own. The vehicle fires small thrusters on the backshell to reorient itself and make sure the heat shield is facing forward as it plunges into the atmosphere. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24313

The shadow of NASA InSight's robotic arm moves over its heat probe, or "mole," on Nov. 3, 2019, the 333rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23512

InSight's Arm Camera Stares Into the Pit

A technician inspects NASA's ECOSTRESS instrument in a clean room at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ECOSTRESS measures the temperature of plants, which shows how they are regulating their water use in response to heat stress. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22509

NASA's New 'Plant Thermometer' Undergoes Inspection

The robotic arm on NASA's InSight lander deployed its Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument on the Martian surface on Feb. 12, 2019. Movie available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23249

HP3 Deployed on Martian Surface

During final stacking of NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, the heat shield is positioned for integration with the rest of the spacecraft in this photograph from inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Mars Science Laboratory Heat Shield Integration for Flight

At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the back shell powered descent vehicle configuration, containing NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, is being placed on the spacecraft heat shield.

Connecting Curiosity Heat Shield and Back Shell

MEDLI2 sensors are installed on the Mars 2020 heat shield and back shell prior to launch. The sensors will measure the environment surrounding the spacecraft and the performance of thermal protection system material during the atmospheric entry phase of NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23989

MEDLI2 Onboard Mars 2020 Spacecraft

An annotated image of the surface of Mars, taken by the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) on May 30, 2014. The annotations - added after InSight landed on Nov. 26, 2018 - display the locations of NASA's InSight lander, its heat shield and parachute. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22877

Locations of InSight, its Heat Shield and its Parachute

InSight Robotic Arm Test Lift of Heat Probe

An engineering version of the robotic arm on NASA's InSight mission lifts the engineering version of the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Probe (HP3) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This test was conducted by InSight team members in a Mars-like environment, including reddish lighting, to simulate conditions InSight will encounter on the Red Planet. The orange tape-like tail behind HP3 is a tether that connects the HP3 support structure to the instrument's back-end electronics box on the lander. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22807

During the first 25 seconds after NASA Phoenix Mars Lander deploys its parachute, the spacecraft will jettison its heat shield and extend its three legs.

Phoenix Extends its Legs

Astronomers watched an exoplanet called HD 80606b heat up and cool off during its sizzling-hot orbit around its star. The results are shown in this data plot from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope.

HD 80606b Light Curve

This image graphs four gases released evolved when powdered rock from the target rock Cumberland was heated inside the Sample Analysis at Mars SAM instrument suite on NASA Curiosity Mars rover.

Volatiles Released by Heating Sample Powder from Martian Rock Cumberland

NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was on its way from Endurance Crater toward the spacecraft jettisoned heat shield in this anaglyph. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

Opportunity View After Sol 321 Drive 3-D

Ignited by lightning strikes during a record-breaking heat wave, the Biscuit Fire became Oregon largest wildfire of the past century. NASA Terra spacecraft acquired these image between mid July and early September 2002.

The Biscuit Wildfire

$This image, combining data from the imaging science subsystem and composite infrared spectrometer aboard NASA Cassini spacecraft, shows pockets of heat appearing along one of the mysterious fractures in the south polar region of Saturn moon Enceladus$

Enceladus Warm Baghdad Sulcus

This image from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope shows where the action is taking place in galaxy NGC 1291. The outer ring, colored red, is filled with new stars that are igniting and heating up dust that glows with infrared light.

Ring of Stellar Fire

NASA Hubble Space Telescope shows detailed analysis of two continent-sized storms that erupted in Jupiter atmosphere in March 2007 shows that Jupiter internal heat plays a significant role in generating atmospheric disturbances.

Jupiter Eruptions Captured in Infrared

Jupiter Eruptions

These observations of Jupiter equator in thermal heat emission were made by NASA Infrared Telescope Facility top panel within hours of the Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer NIMS instrument image middle inset and the spectra bottom.

Observations of Jupiter thermal emission made by the Infrared Telescope Facility and the Galileo NIMS instrument

Granicus Vallis

The active volcano Prometheus on Jupiter moon Io was imaged by NASA Galileo spacecraft during the close flyby of Io on Oct.10, 1999. The spectrometer can detect active volcanoes on Io by measuring their heat in the near-infrared wavelengths.

Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer Detects Active Lava Flows at Prometheus Volcano, Io

Data from NASA Cassini spacecraft have enabled scientists to make the highest-resolution heat intensity maps yet for the hottest part of a tiger stripe fissure on Saturn moon Enceladus.

Hot and Narrow Tiger Stripe

Height measurements taken by NASA U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on July 11, 1998; sea surface height is an indicator of the heat content of the ocean.

TOPEX/El Niño Watch - Satellite shows Pacific Stabilizing, July 11, 1998

This figure charts 30 hours of observations taken by NASA Spitzer Space Telescope of a strongly irradiated exoplanet an planet orbiting a star beyond our own. Spitzer measured changes in the planet heat, or infrared light.

Light from Red-Hot Planet

Preparations are under way to enclose NASA Mars Science Laboratory in an Atlas V rocket payload fairing. The fairing protects the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent.

Mars Science Laboratory and Its Payload Fairing

This plot of data from NASA Mars rover Curiosity shows the variety of gases that were released from sand grains upon heating in the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument, or SAM.

Heating Martian Sand Grains

As the Sample Analysis at Mars SAM suite of instruments on NASA Curiosity Mars rover heats a sample, gases are released or evolved from the sample and can be identified using SAM quadrupole mass spectrometer.

Major Volatiles Released from the Fourth John Klein Portion

Comet NEOWISE was first observed by NASA NEOWISE spacecraft on Valentine Day, 2014. This heat-sensitive infrared image was made by combining six exposures taken by the NEOWISE mission of the newly discovered comet.

An Infrared portrait of Comet NEOWISE C/2014 C3

This close-up view shows Curiosity heat shield, which helped the rover survive the harrowing journey through the Martian atmosphere, on the surface of Mars. NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter about 24 hours after landing.

Final Resting Spot for Curiosity Heat Shield

This map shows a dramatically improved view of heat radiation from a warm fissure near the south pole of Saturn icy moon Enceladus. It was obtained by NASA Cassini spacecraft during its Nov. 21, 2009, flyby of that moon.

Zooming in on heat at Baghdad Sulcus

This artist concept shows NASA Curiosity rover tucked inside the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft backshell while the spacecraft is descending on a parachute toward Mars. Here, the spacecraft heat shield has already been jettisoned.

Curiosity While on Parachute, Artist Concept

This image shows a high-resolution heat intensity map of part of the south polar region of Saturn moon Enceladus, made from data obtained by NASA Cassini spacecraft.

Tiger Stripe Split Ends

This image from an animation is from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter MRO showing the landing effects of the descent stage, the rover lander, the back shell and parachute, and the heat shield, all found on the left side of the image.

Before and After Curiosity Touchdown

This artist concept shows how NASA Spitzer Space Telescope was able to detect a super Earth direct light for the first time using its sensitive heat-seeking infrared vision.

First-of-Its-Kind Glimpse at a Super Earth Artist Animation

This picture highlights a slice of Saturn largest ring. The ring red band was discovered by NASA Spitzer Space Telescope, which detected infrared light, or heat, from the dusty ring material.

Infrared Ring around Saturn

InSight Prelaunch Overview

During a prelaunch briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Scott Messer, United Launch Alliance's Program Manager for NASA Missions, speaks to members of the media. The presentation focused on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018, atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg. The spacecraft will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes.

InSight Prelaunch Overview

During a prelaunch briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Tim Dunn, Launch Director for NASA's Launch Services Program, speaks to members of the media. The presentation focused on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg. The spacecraft will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes.

InSight Prelaunch Overview

During a prelaunch briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Stephanie Smith, NASA Communications, speaks to members of the media. The presentation focused on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg. The spacecraft will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes.

InSight Prelaunch Overview

During a prelaunch briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Jim Green, NASA Chief Scientist, speaks to members of the media. The presentation focused on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg. The spacecraft will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes.

InSight Prelaunch Overview

During a prelaunch briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Andy Klesh, MarCO Chief Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, speaks to members of the media. The presentation focused on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg. The spacecraft will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes.

InSight Prelaunch Overview

During a prelaunch briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Bruce Banerdt, InSight Principal Investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, speaks to members of the media. The presentation focused on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg. The spacecraft will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes.

InSight Prelaunch Overview

During a prelaunch briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Tom Hoffman, InSight Project Manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, speaks to members of the media. The presentation focused on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg. The spacecraft will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes.

InSight Prelaunch Overview

During a prelaunch briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Annie Marinan, MarCO Systems Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, speaks to members of the media. The presentation focused on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg. The spacecraft will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes.

NASA's ECOSTRESS Maps Europe Heat Wave

These maps of four European cities show ECOSTRESS surface temperature images acquired in the early mornings of June 27 and 28, 2019, during a heatwave. The images have been sharpened to delineate key features such as airports. Airports and city centers are hotter than surrounding regions because they have more surfaces that retain heat (asphalt, concrete, etc.). ECOSTRESS launched on June 29, 2018, as part of a SpaceX commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Its primary mission is to detect plant health by monitoring Earth's surface temperature. However, surface temperature data are also useful in detecting other heat-related phenomena — like heat waves, volcanoes and fires. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23148

InSight Battery Installation

In the gantry at Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a technician prepares batteries for installation in NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. The spacecraft will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018.