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    Don’t let the name fool you. Our solar system’s small bodies—asteroids, comets and meteors—pack big surprises. Asteroids and comets—and the meteors that sometimes come from them—are leftovers from the formation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago. While the planets and moons have changed over the millennia, many of these small chunks of ice, rock and metal have not. They are a lot like a fossil record of planetary evolution.

    There are currently known asteroids and known comets.

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    Explore in 3D—Eyes on the Solar System

    Eyes on the Solar System lets you explore the planets, their moons, asteroids, comets and the spacecraft exploring them from 1950 to 2050. Ride with the Curiosity Rover as it lands on Mars or fly by Pluto with the New Horizons spacecraft all from the comfort of your home computer.

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    Small Bodies News

    'Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object to travel through our solar system, got an unexpected boost in speed and shift in trajectory last year, a new study shows.
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    Our Solar System's First Known Interstellar Object Gets Unexpected Speed Boost
    Our Solar System's First Known Interstellar Object Gets Unexpected Speed Boost
    Asteroid 2018 LA entered Earth’s atmosphere at about 9:44 a.m. PDT (12:44 p.m. EDT, 16:44 UTC), and later disintegrated in the upper atmosphere near Botswana, Africa.
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    Tiny Asteroid Discovered Disintegrates Hours Later
    Tiny Asteroid Discovered Disintegrates Hours Later
    A new understanding of Mars is beginning to emerge, thanks to the first year of NASA's InSight lander mission.
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    A Year of Surprising Science From NASA's InSight Mars Mission
    A Year of Surprising Science From NASA's InSight Mars Mission
    The "Exploring Hell: Avoiding Obstacles on a Clockwork Rover" challenge is seeking the public's designs for a sensor that could be incorporated into the design concept.
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    NASA Wants Your Help Designing a Venus Rover Concept
    NASA Wants Your Help Designing a Venus Rover Concept
    In the fall of 2019, the Mars 2020 rover team welcomed ten members to serve as Returned Sample Science Participating Scientists.
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    NASA Adds Return Sample Scientists to Mars 2020 Leadership Team
    NASA Adds Return Sample Scientists to Mars 2020 Leadership Team
    NASA's Juno mission has provided its first science results on the amount of water in Jupiter's atmosphere.
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    Findings From NASA's Juno Update Jupiter Water Mystery
    Findings From NASA's Juno Update Jupiter Water Mystery
    NASA has selected four Discovery Program investigations to develop concept studies for new missions.
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    NASA Selects Four Possible Missions to Study the Secrets of the Solar System
    NASA Selects Four Possible Missions to Study the Secrets of the Solar System
    Data from NASA’s New Horizons mission are providing new insights into how planets and planetesimals – the building blocks of the planets – were formed.
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    New Horizons Team Uncovers a Critical Piece of the Planetary Formation Puzzle
    New Horizons Team Uncovers a Critical Piece of the Planetary Formation Puzzle
    Surrounded by California desert, NASA officials broke ground Tuesday, Feb. 11, on a new antenna for communicating with the agency's farthest-flung robotic spacecraft.
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    NASA Prepares for Moon and Mars With New Addition to Its Deep Space Network
    NASA Prepares for Moon and Mars With New Addition to Its Deep Space Network
    The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
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    NASA Administrator Statement on Moon to Mars Initiative, FY 2021 Budget
    NASA Administrator Statement on Moon to Mars Initiative, FY 2021 Budget
    Solar Orbiter, a new collaborative mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA to study the Sun, launched on Feb. 9.
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    Solar Orbiter Launch Takes Solar Science to New Heights
    Solar Orbiter Launch Takes Solar Science to New Heights
    After setting a record for the longest single spaceflight in history by a woman, NASA astronaut Christina Koch returned to Earth Thursday.
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    Record-Setting NASA Astronaut, Crewmates Return from Space Station
    Record-Setting NASA Astronaut, Crewmates Return from Space Station