Skip Navigation

Resources

Through the Eyes of Scientists - Meet Mark Hofstadter

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Published: September 7, 2010

Mark Hofstadter describes the lure of science -- of discovering something new -- and his path to becoming a planetary scientist.

Related

Arrival at Saturn
More
Arrival at Saturn
Arrival at Saturn
The most prominent jets of vapor and icy particles emerging from the south polar terrain of Saturn’s moon Enceladus are shown here in graphical form in a movie clip of a “rotating” Enceladus.
More
Enceladus' Jets
Enceladus' Jets
Annette and Alden Tombaugh, the children of Clyde Tombaugh, remember their father and his discovery of Pluto.
More
Video about Clyde Tombaugh
Video: Reflections on Clyde Tombaugh
Bob Anderson describes his work as a geologist who helps design and uses robots to collect data about Mars.
More
Bob Anderson describes his work as a geologist who helps design and uses robots to collect data about Mars.
Through the Eyes of Scientists - Meet Bob Anderson
Edward Stone describes how he was always interested in what was new as a young man and how space physics got his attention.
More
Edward Stone describes how he was always interested in what was new as a young man and how space physics got his attention.
Through the Eyes of Scientists - Meet Edward Stone
This movie is based on data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft and shows a flyover of an area of Saturn's moon Titan known as Sotra Facula
More
This movie is based on data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft and shows a flyover of an area of Saturn’s moon Titan known as Sotra Facula.
Flyover of Sotra Facula, Titan
Celebrate Earth Day 2018 with these images of Earth from afar.
More
Video of still images of Earth from Deep Space.
Earth from Afar
With fingers crossed and eyes wide open, sci-fi fans and scientists savor the joys of discovery...at Iapetus.
More
Video of scientists watching Iapetus data,
Backstage Pass to Iapetus (2007)
This data visualization represents twenty years' worth of data showing the abundance of life both on land and in the sea. 
More
Visualization showing ebb and flow of life on Earth.
Earth: Our Living Planet
New science, mined from the archives. Data from NASA's Galileo orbiter launched a generation ago yields new evidence of plumes, eruptions of water vapor, from Jupiter's moon Europa.
More
New science, mined from the archives. Data from NASA's Galileo orbiter launched a generation ago yields new evidence of plumes, eruptions of water vapor, from Jupiter's moon Europa.
Re-analyzing Old Data Reveals New Evidence at Europa
  This animation of Vesta is made from images taken with Dawn's framing camera.
More
This animation of Vesta is made from images taken with Dawn's framing camera.
Vesta's Coat of Many Colors
Filters, pixels and math star in this narrated cartoon.
More
How Does a Spacecraft Take a Picture?
How Does a Spacecraft Take a Picture?
On October 15, 1997, the Cassini–Huygens spacecraft was launched on an almost 7-year journey to the Saturn system.
More
Movie of rocket launch.
Cassini-Huygens Launch
Six years of exploration through the 'eyes' of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit.
More
Six years of exploration through the 'eyes' of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit.
Spirit of Mars
A quick look at how a Bistatic Observation works.
More
Artist's rendition of a bistatic observation
Bouncing Waves Off Titan
The heavens often seem vast and unchanging as seen from Earth, but movement in the skies is the norm. The relative motions of both Cassini and Enceladus over a 15-minute period create the movement ...
More
Enceladus
Nevertheless, It Moves
Atlas Found!
More
Atlas Found!
Atlas Found!
Cassini's mission planners created this animation to showcase the mission's final orbits, known as the Grand Finale.
More
This animation illustrates the mission's final orbits, known as the Grand Finale.
Grand Finale Orbits Begin and End with Titan
The small moon Mimas passes in front of the larger moon Rhea, which is partly obscured by Saturn's rings, in this movie from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
More
The small moon Mimas passes in front of the larger moon Rhea, which is partly obscured by Saturn's rings, in this movie from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
Before a Veiled Rhea
The Sun emitted a significant solar flare on Dec. 19, 2014.  
More
The Sun emitted a significant solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an X-class solar flare erupting on the sun on Dec. 19, 2014. This image blends two wavelengths of extreme ultraviolent light, 171 (gold) and 131 (purple).
Holiday Lights on the Sun: Imagery of a Solar Flare
Clara, Sugar Plum Fairy, move aside. Saturn's moons give Tchaikovsky's classic ballet, "The Nutcracker," a graceful new spin in this video compiled from some 61 images taken by the Cassini spacecra...
More
Clara, Sugar Plum Fairy, move aside. Saturn's moons give Tchaikovsky's classic ballet, "The Nutcracker," a graceful new spin in this video compiled from some 61 images taken by the Cassini spacecraft.
Saturn Moon Ballet
This is an animated artist interpretation of the area surrounding the Huygens landing site, based on images and data returned Jan. 14, 2005.
More
Artist's interpretation of Huygens on Titan
Huygens Landing Site Revisited
Glowing like a neon lasso, Saturn’s aurora is seen spinning above Saturn’s north pole over the course of most of a Saturn day in this movie made from multiple images taken by the ultraviolet imagin...
More
Saturn’s aurora is seen spinning above Saturn’s north pole over the course of most of a Saturn day
Ultraviolet Aurora Movie
The moon Tethys is joined by two smaller moons in this movie from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
More
The moon Tethys is joined by two smaller moons in this movie from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
Moons in Motion
Explore the process that Johannes Kepler undertook when he formulated his three laws of planetary motion.
More
Explore the process that Johannes Kepler undertook when he formulated his three laws of planetary motion.
Orbits and Kepler's Laws

You Might Also Like

NASA still hasn't heard from the Opportunity rover, but at least we can see it again. A new image produced by HiRISE, a high-resolution camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), shows a small object on the slopes of the Red Planet's Perseverance Valley. That object is Opportunity.
More
Opportunity Emerges in a Dusty Picture
Opportunity Emerges in a Dusty Picture
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has detected dust storms on Saturn's largest moon, making Titan the third Solar System body where such storms have been observed.
More
Dust Storms on Titan Spotted for the First Time
Dust Storms on Titan Spotted for the First Time
Just over a month into its mission, Parker Solar Probe has returned first-light data from each of its four instrument suites. These early observations – while not yet examples of the key science observations Parker Solar Probe will take closer to the Sun – show that each of the instruments is working well.
More
Illuminating First Light Data from Parker Solar Probe
Illuminating First Light Data from Parker Solar Probe
During NASA's Cassini mission's final distant encounter with Saturn's giant moon Titan, the spacecraft captured the enigmatic moon's north polar landscape of lakes and seas, which are filled with liquid methane and ethane.
More
Cassini's Final View of Titan's Northern Lakes and Seas
Cassini's Final View of Titan's Northern Lakes and Seas
JPL has won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Interactive Program for its coverage of the Cassini mission's Grand Finale at Saturn.
More
And the Emmy goes to: Cassini's Grand Finale
And the Emmy goes to: Cassini's Grand Finale
How do we reach deep space destinations where astronauts can’t yet travel? We send space robots! A discussion of the past & future of robotic planetary exploration will be broadcast live on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET, 0200 UTC)
More
Live Discussion: NASA@60 and the Role of the Robots
Live Discussion: NASA@60 and the Role of the Robots