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USGS Astrogeology USGS Astrogeology has helped NASA explore the solar system by providing scientific and map-making expertise for more than 50 years. Posts do not = endorsement.

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Space exploration starts right here on Earth.USGS Astrogeology has a long tradition of preparing explorers. From Apollo ...
10/09/2026

Space exploration starts right here on Earth.

USGS Astrogeology has a long tradition of preparing explorers. From Apollo era astronaut geology training at the Cinder Lake Crater Field to today’s hands on demonstrations that spark curiosity in the next generation. Our outreach programs connect students, visitors, and early career scientists with real planetary science tools, helping build future mission leaders one experience at a time.

📸1: Astrogeologists Amber Gullikson and Rachel Fry getting started for an “Impactful” day at Asteroid Day, a community event to raise awareness about asteroids and their potential “impacts!”
📸2: Attendees at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference take maps and handouts from the USGS booth, a fan favorite!
📸3: USGS-led astronaut candidate training at Meteor Crater in Arizona

Could AI be implemented on other planetary bodies to help space exploration? What if we told you it has already been!USG...
10/08/2026

Could AI be implemented on other planetary bodies to help space exploration? What if we told you it has already been!

USGS Astrogeology collaborates with NASA and federal and commercial partners to refine AI- and machine-learning-enabled instruments that can help make decisions faster. From helping rovers navigate easier on faraway worlds to finding anomalies in the rocks, AI has been researched for over a decade in space applications. Faster decisions mean fewer costly delays and safer missions, technology that's also shaping how we analyze hazards and remote landscapes back home.

📸NASA Perseverance rover uses an Autonomous Navigation System, AutoNav, to identify hazards in its path, in this case a rock.

Ice on Mars isn't just fascinating; it’s key for future exploration.An ice-filled crater makes Martian water easy to see...
10/07/2026

Ice on Mars isn't just fascinating; it’s key for future exploration.

An ice-filled crater makes Martian water easy to see. Ice beneath the surface is harder to locate. USGS Astrogeology produces the most detailed inventories of Martian water ice to date. By combining several kinds of spacecraft data to map where buried ice is most likely located, researchers are better able to study how Mars has changed over time and guide long term planning for human missions, resource use, and scientific discovery.

📸Korolev crater on Mars, showing an ice deposit discovered by Mars Express in 2018.

The impacts of an asteroid strike wouldn’t end when the dust settles. What could happen next? Meteor Crater is a reminde...
10/06/2026

The impacts of an asteroid strike wouldn’t end when the dust settles. What could happen next?

Meteor Crater is a reminder that asteroid impacts can, and do, affect Earth. The first damage may come from the impact itself, but hazards such as flooding and debris flows could continue afterward or reach communities farther away.

What does USGS have to do with asteroids? More than you might think.

USGS Astrogeology contributes essential hazard modeling data and interagency planning for planetary defense. From information exchange with NASA and FEMA to developing tools that characterize potential threats and ongoing hazards from an asteroid impact, our work ensures the Nation is ready, long before an asteroid ever appears in the sky.

📸Photo from Astrogeology excursion into Meteor Crater, descending into the 1.2-kilometer bowl of the impact structure.

Exploring other worlds starts with knowing where to step. Before an astronaut sets foot on the Moon or a rover touches d...
10/05/2026

Exploring other worlds starts with knowing where to step.

Before an astronaut sets foot on the Moon or a rover touches down on Mars, mission teams need to understand what may lie ahead. USGS Astrogeology creates high-precision maps that guide mission planners, engineers, and even astronauts to safe landing sites and interesting science targets. Our thermophysical, photogrammetric, and geologic products help identify and characterize safe landing sites, find future resources, and investigate areas of scientific interest, supporting Artemis and the next era of human exploration.

Mapping other worlds helps make exploration safer and more purposeful. The same expertise that keeps explorers safe on the Moon also keeps us prepared here on Earth.

Join us this week as we explore how USGS science bridges other worlds and our own.

📸Image of the lunar south pole with potential Artemis landing sites highlighted as of 2022.

From Mars rovers to volcanoes, USGS scientists in Flagstaff are bringing their science to the community. 🚀🌋As part of th...
09/25/2026

From Mars rovers to volcanoes, USGS scientists in Flagstaff are bringing their science to the community. 🚀🌋

As part of the annual Flagstaff Festival of Science, USGS Astrogeology and other USGS science centers in Flagstaff are inviting the community to explore space, planets and Earth science through hands-on activities, talks and an open house at the USGS Flagstaff Science Campus. Perfect for curious minds of all ages!

Here’s where you can find us:

🚀 Snook’s Science in the Park
📅 September 26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
📍 Wheeler Park, Flagstaff, Arizona

🌋 Volcanoes Update talk
📅 October 3, 5 p.m.
📍 USGS Flagstaff Science Campus, Building 6
2255 N Gemini Drive, Flagstaff

🛰️ USGS Open House
📅 October 4, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
📍 USGS Flagstaff Science Campus, Building 6
2255 N Gemini Drive, Flagstaff

Hope to see you there!

📸: Photos from various events during the Festival of Science (titles and locations described in this post).

On this day in 1974, the Mariner-10 spacecraft made its closest approach to Mercury, providing a new view of the innermo...
09/21/2026

On this day in 1974, the Mariner-10 spacecraft made its closest approach to Mercury, providing a new view of the innermost planet.

Mariner-10 was the first spacecraft to visit Mercury and the first to fly by multiple planets. Its images gave scientists new views of Mercury's surface, and USGS Astrogeology helped turn those observations into maps.

Astrogeology produced maps showing Mercury's relief and surface markings using data from the Mariner-10 mission, including this 1979 map available through the USGS Publications Warehouse: https://ow.ly/7z0050ZOWsI

We're making your planetary science work easier with improved workflow integration!The Imaging Software for Imagers and ...
07/27/2026

We're making your planetary science work easier with improved workflow integration!

The Imaging Software for Imagers and Spectrometers has been used for decades to support planetary data and image processing and we're ready to unveil the next generation of support:

🛰️Cloud-optimized data support: Enables faster, seamless streaming of massive planetary datasets directly from cloud storage, eliminating the need for heavy local file downloads.
🛰️Modernized interface for seamless integration: Features a clean, updated user interface and streamlined backend connectivity for a smoother experience across your tools.
🛰️New support for Chandrayaan-2 cameras: Introduces compatibility for processing data from India's lunar orbiter, specifically targeting the Terrain Mapping Camera-2 (TMC2) and the Orbiter High Resolution Camera (OHRC).
🛰️Modern architecture to meet you at your operating system: Built from the ground up to run natively across modern environments, providing native binary support for both Linux and Mac setups.

Find the new release, trainings, tools, and tutorials at this link: https://isis.astrogeology.usgs.gov/10.0.0/

📸1: Collage of planets and moons in the center with icons on the outside representing major updates to the next major version release of the software.
📸2: Earth's moon with text at the top describing "Cloud-ready" architecture
📸3: Mars with text at the top describing expanded support for operating systems
📸4: Jupiter's moon, Europa, with text at the top describing added spacecraft instruments
📸5: Pluto with text at the top describing enhanced backend interface with SPICE

Happy International Moon Day! Today we commemorate the first humans landing on the Moon and celebrate ongoing lunar expl...
07/20/2026

Happy International Moon Day! Today we commemorate the first humans landing on the Moon and celebrate ongoing lunar exploration. 🌝

Lunar mapping and exploration have been part of USGS Astrogeology’s story from the beginning. Today, we continue that legacy through projects focused on mapping, landing site characterization, resource utilization, and fundamental research. From the footsteps that that first mapped the Moon to the instruments that reveal it in sharper detail than ever, Astrogeology’s research continues to advance our understanding of this world beyond Earth.

📸1: Photo of the lunar limb with text highlighting "Old data, new views" Image Credit: NASA
📸2: Unified Geologic Map of the Moon, produced using information from six Apollo-era regional maps and updated information from recent missions. Image Credit: USGS/LPI/SDSM
📸3: Oblique image of the central peak of Tycho crater taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite. Image Credit: LRO/Intuitive Machines
📸4: Simulated image of the JAXA SELENE Kaguya mission orbiting the Moon. Image Credit: JAXA

From footprints into the future 🥾Astronaut training is a big part of the lunar legacy at USGS Astrogeology, and Jim Skin...
07/10/2026

From footprints into the future 🥾

Astronaut training is a big part of the lunar legacy at USGS Astrogeology, and Jim Skinner (pictured, right) continues building our geology program. Jim is leading USGS’s ongoing geology training contributions for NASA’s astronaut program and reconnected with some "old friends!"

Jack Schmitt (pictured, center) was a geologist with Astrogeology until being selected as an Apollo astronaut and a member of the elite few who have walked on the Moon. The first scientist to do so, Jack is being followed by many more scientists, doctors, and engineers joining the astronaut corps to get their own view of the Moon.

Lauren Edgar (pictured, left) has recently joined the astronaut candidate class, becoming the second Astrogeologist to join the astronaut corps. A Mars scientist, Lauren already has a strong background in planetary geology, having been a former astronaut trainer with Astrogeology herself!

Learn from yesterday. Explore today. Shape tomorrow.

📸1: Photo of three Astrogeologists reconnecting: Lauren Edgar (left), current astronaut candidate class, Harrison (Jack) Schmitt (center), Apollo astronaut, and Jim Skinner (right), geologic mapper and USGS astronaut trainer! (Image credit: USGS)

📸2: Photo of astronaut candidate Dr. Lauren Edgar (Image credit: NASA)

📸3: Photo of Apollo astronaut Dr. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt (Image credit: NASA)

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