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.

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 >

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

Astromaterials Newsletter Vol. 2 No. 1 is now available

February 20, 2020

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.

Go to the Astromaterials Newsletter >

Picture of the 3D model of Apollo 12 lunar sample 12038. During the second EVA, Astronauts Charles 'Pete' Conrad and Alan Bean collected this Moon rock along the edge of Bench Crater. Credit: NASA ARES.

Astromaterials 3D Celebrates Apollo 12

November 19, 2019

The mission of the Astromaterials 3D project is to make more accessible NASA's Apollo Lunar Sample and Antarctic Meteorite collections, and to share their wondrous cosmochemical stories through interactive, high-resolution, research-grade 3D models.

Go to the Apollo 12 3D Model >

US National Space Council Announces Update to the USG ODMSP

December 10, 2019

The U.S. National Space Council announced the update to the U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices. Originally published in 2001, this 2019 update to the ODMSP (required by SPD-3) includes improvements to the original objectives as well as clarification and additional standard practices for certain classes of space operations. It provides a reference to promote efficient and effective space safety practices for other domestic and international operators. The ODPO played a key role in leading an interagency working group to update the ODMSP.

Download the PDF >

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