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Surveyor 4

Goals: Like Surveyor 3, Surveyor 4 was to photograph the lunar terrain and test the soil in preparation for Apollo lunar landing missions.

Accomplishments: None. Despite a flawless flight to the Moon, contact was lost a heartbreaking 2.5 minutes before scheduled touchdown on the lunar surface.

Solar System News

The 2018 Webby Awards have honored NASA's digital communications.

NASA Web Sites, Social Media Honored in 2018 Webby Awards

NASA Web Sites, Social Media Honored in 2018 Webby Awards

Jim Bridenstine was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on April 23 to serve as the agency's 13th administrator.

Jim Bridenstine Sworn in as NASA Administrator

Jim Bridenstine Sworn in as NASA Administrator

NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission has released its fourth year of survey data.

NASA's NEOWISE Asteroid-Hunter Spacecraft -- Four Years of Data

NASA's NEOWISE Asteroid-Hunter Spacecraft -- Four Years of Data

Statements from Rep. Jim Bridenstine and acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot on the U.S. Senate confirmation of Bridenstine as the 13th Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Statements on Jim Bridenstine’s Senate Confirmation as NASA Administrator

Statements on Jim Bridenstine’s Senate Confirmation as NASA Administrator

In December 2017, President Donald J. Trump gave NASA a new direction, telling the agency to work with international and commercial partners to refocus exploration efforts on the moon, with an eye to eventually going on to Mars and even beyond.

NASA's Exploration Campaign: Back to the Moon and on to Mars

NASA's Exploration Campaign: Back to the Moon and on to Mars

Legendary explorers and visionaries, real and fictitious, are among those immortalized in the first set of official surface-feature names for Pluto's largest moon, Charon.

Pluto's Largest Moon Gets Its First Official Feature Names

Pluto's Largest Moon Gets Its First Official Feature Names

A 3-D infrared movie depicts cyclones and anticyclones in Jupiter's polar regions, and the first detailed view of a dynamo powering the magnetic field of a planet beyond Earth.

NASA’s Juno Mission Provides Infrared Tour of Jupiter’s North Pole

NASA’s Juno Mission Provides Infrared Tour of Jupiter’s North Pole

A mini-profile of citizen scientist Jason Major.

Meet a Citizen Scientist: Jason Major

Meet a Citizen Scientist: Jason Major

Meet some amateur scientists who made a mark on history.

Citizen Scientists of History

Citizen Scientists of History

On May 5, millions of Californians may witness the historic first interplanetary launch from America’s West Coast.

Bound for Mars: Countdown to First Interplanetary Launch from California

Bound for Mars: Countdown to First Interplanetary Launch from California

The launch of a Black Brant IX sounding rocket carrying the Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment or ASPIRE was successfully conducted at 12:19 p.m. EDT, March 31, 2018, from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Mars Parachute Test Successfully Launched from Wallops

Mars Parachute Test Successfully Launched from Wallops

NASA is about to go on a journey to study the center of Mars. The space agency held a news conference today at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, detailing the next mission to the Red Planet.

NASA is Ready to Study the Heart of Mars

NASA is Ready to Study the Heart of Mars