"If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

— Carl Sagan

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The Telescope That Will Study Our Nearest Exoplanet

Universe Today - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 8:54am

Scientists at the University of Geneva have successfully tested key components of RISTRETTO, a new spectrograph designed to analyse light from Proxima b, the nearest exoplanet to Earth. The instrument uses coronagraphic techniques and extreme adaptive optics to block a star's overwhelming glare and detect planets that shine 10 million times fainter. Simulations suggest RISTRETTO could not only spot Proxima b with just 55 hours of observation time but potentially identify oxygen or water in its atmosphere, offering our first chance to study the conditions on an Earth sized world orbiting our nearest stellar neighbour.

Categories: Astronomy

A New Technique Reveals the Hidden Physics of the Universe's Giants

Universe Today - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 8:52am

Astronomers have developed a new technique called "X-arithmetic" that reveals the hidden physics inside galaxy clusters. By analysing Chandra X-ray Observatory data at different energy levels and painting the results in vibrant colours, researchers can now distinguish between sound waves, black hole inflated bubbles, and cooling gas, enabling them to classify structures by what they are rather than how they look. The method has already exposed striking differences between galaxy clusters and galaxy groups, showing that supermassive black holes wield dramatically different influence on their surroundings.

Categories: Astronomy

The journey of Juice – episode 2

ESO Top News - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 8:00am
Video: 00:12:24

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is on an epic eight-year journey to Jupiter. It left Earth in April 2023 and is due to arrive at the gas giant in 2031. 

2025 has been another big year for Juice. It made its closest approach to the Sun and flew close by Venus for a gravity boost to help it on its way. This second episode of ‘The journey of Juice’ takes us on a journey of our own, discovering what Juice – and the humans behind it – have experienced this year. 

In a clean room at ESA’s technical centre, thermal engineer Romain Peyrou-Lauge shows us the technologies that protect Juice from the intense heat of the Sun during this period. 

In Uppsala, Sweden, scientists get together for a ‘science working team’ meeting to discuss the scientific aspects of the mission. Juice Project Scientist Olivier Witasse talks about how important it is to continue working as a team to prepare for Juice’s precious time spent collecting data at Jupiter. 

The video culminates with operations engineer Marc Costa taking us to the Cebreros station in Madrid for the Venus flyby. There we meet deputy station manager Jorge Fauste, Juice intern Charlotte Bergot and Juice Mission Manager Nicolas Altobelli. 

This series follows on from ‘The making of Juice’ series, which covered the planning, testing and launch of this once-in-a-generation mission.

Categories: Astronomy

Reading the "Light Fingerprints" of Dead Satellites

Universe Today - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 7:25am

There are already tens of thousands of pieces of large debris in orbit, some of which pose a threat to functional satellites. Various agencies and organizations have been developing novel solutions to this problem, before it turns into full-blown Kessler Syndrome. But many of them are reliant on understanding what is going on with the debris before attempting to deal with it. Gaining that understanding is hard, and failure to do so can cause satellites attempting to remove the debris to contribute to the problem rather than alleviating it. To help solve that conundrum, a new paper from researchers at GMV, a major player in the orbital tracking market in Europe, showcases a new algorithm that can use ground-based telescopes to try figure out how the debris is moving before a deorbiter gets anywhere near it.

Categories: Astronomy

The Primordial Black Hole Saga: Part 4 - Hidden Singularities

Universe Today - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 7:11am

The challenge is that nothing in this universe is simple. And if there’s one thing you take away from today’s episode, then let it be that. Don’t ever let yourself fall into the trap of simple answers for difficult questions. We’re cosmologists, we study the universe as it is, not as we wish it would be.

Categories: Astronomy

Teen AI Chatbot Usage Sparks Mental Health and Regulation Concerns

Scientific American.com - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 7:00am

A new survey offers the clearest national snapshot yet of how U.S. teens are using artificial intelligence

Categories: Astronomy

People Are Using TikTok to Sell Endangered Animals to Eat

Scientific American.com - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 6:30am

TikTok is rapidly growing in Africa and is being used to sell bushmeat, underscoring the role of social media in the global illegal wildlife trade

Categories: Astronomy

Supposedly distinct psychiatric conditions may have same root causes

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 6:20am
People are often diagnosed with multiple neurodivergencies and mental health conditions, but the biggest genetic analysis so far suggests many have shared biological causes
Categories: Astronomy

Supposedly distinct psychiatric conditions may have same root causes

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 6:20am
People are often diagnosed with multiple neurodivergencies and mental health conditions, but the biggest genetic analysis so far suggests many have shared biological causes
Categories: Astronomy

Beeple’s Art Basel Robot Dogs Satirize Musk, Zuckerberg and Our AI Future

Scientific American.com - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 6:00am

Billionaire-headed machines lampoon tech power and the way our images quietly become fuel for AI

Categories: Astronomy

ESA Highlights 2025

ESO Top News - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 5:30am

ESA Highlights 2025

Categories: Astronomy

Earth and solar system may have been shaped by nearby exploding star

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 5:00am
A new explanation for the solar system's radioactive elements suggests Earth-like planets might be found orbiting up to 50 per cent of sun-like stars
Categories: Astronomy

Earth and solar system may have been shaped by nearby exploding star

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 5:00am
A new explanation for the solar system's radioactive elements suggests Earth-like planets might be found orbiting up to 50 per cent of sun-like stars
Categories: Astronomy

Swarm detects rare proton spike during solar storm

ESO Top News - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 4:00am

The European Space Agency’s Swarm mission detected a large but temporary spike of high-energy protons at Earth’s poles during a geomagnetic storm in November. It did this not with the scientific instruments for measuring Earth’s magnetic field, but with its ‘star tracker’ positioning instruments – a first for the Swarm mission.

Categories: Astronomy

Space-enabled air traffic control takes flight globally

ESO Top News - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 3:58am

Air travellers will shrink their carbon footprint while reducing flight delays worldwide, thanks to a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA), satellite operator Viasat and aerospace company Boeing. Flights to test the space-based technology with new aviation standards from and to the USA and Europe took place in late October and early November.

Categories: Astronomy

An Unrelenting Tule Fog

NASA News - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 12:01am
EO

  1. Science
  2. Earth Observatory
  3. An Unrelenting Tule Fog
 

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that
supports HTML5 video

November 24 – December 9, 2025

An atmospheric phenomenon occurring over much of California was unmistakable in satellite imagery in late autumn 2025. Fog stretching some 400 miles (640 kilometers) across the state’s Central Valley appeared day after day for more than two weeks in late November and early December. Known as tule (TOO-lee) fog, named after a sedge that grows in the area’s marshes, these low clouds tend to form in the valley in colder months when winds are light and soils are moist.  

This animation shows a sprawling blanket of white fog filling most or all of the valley from Redding to Bakersfield between November 24 and December 9, 2025. While the fog mostly remained hemmed in by the Coastal Range and the Sierra Nevada, it sometimes spilled through the Carquinez Strait toward San Francisco Bay. These images were acquired with the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite and the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP satellites.

The Central Valley is fertile ground for the formation of tule fog, a persistent radiation fog, in late autumn and winter. It occurs when air near the surface, laden with moisture from evaporation, cools and the water saturates the air. If winds are calm, water droplets accumulate into fog clouds near the ground.

Plenty of water was present in the valley’s soils following a very wet autumn. Across nearly all of central and southern California, precipitation totals from September through November 2025 were among the top 10 percent on record, California Institute for Water Resources climate scientist Daniel Swain noted on his Weather West blog. In late November, a very stable high-pressure system developed over the state, which acted like a lid that trapped moist air and confined the fog layer to the valley. With no major storms moving through to disrupt the stratification, the tule fog endured.

Temperatures have been notably cooler in the valley under the fog layer, in sharp contrast to the rest of the state, which was mostly warmer than normal. Despite the contrast, however, the ambient air mass has been warmer overall, Swain wrote. This may be due in part to warm ocean water offshore and a low Sierra Nevada snowpack sending less cold air downslope, he added.

The warmer overall temperatures could explain why fog has lingered at a slightly higher level—more like stratus clouds—at certain times and locations, said Swain. Colder temperatures would be necessary to produce the densest fog near the surface. The somewhat higher cloud in 2025 has differed from past events, when low visibility at ground level has caused major traffic incidents.

Central California has seen long stretches of cold, socked-in days in the past. In 1985, for example, Fresno experienced 16 consecutive days of dense fog, and Sacramento endured 17, according to news reports. Researchers have found, however, that tule fog has been forming less often in California in recent decades. Foggy days are beneficial for the valley’s fruit and nut trees, which need sufficient rest between growing seasons to be most productive. The fog typically comes with chilly weather that brings on a dormant period; it also shields trees from direct sunlight that would otherwise warm the plant buds.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview, and VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Lindsey Doermann.

References & Resources You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.

Cloud Streets Over the Laptev Sea

3 min read

The striking cloud formation developed over Arctic waters north of Siberia in July 2025 as frigid air met warmer open…

Article

Summer Heat Lingers in the West

3 min read

A prolonged high-pressure weather system brought unusually warm September temperatures to British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.

Article

Fleeting Glimpse of Rare Snow

3 min read

A short-lived storm dropped some of the largest accumulations in decades on Australia’s Northern Tablelands.

Article


1

2


3


4


Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science

Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters

Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox.


Earth Observatory Image of the Day

NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery.


Explore Earth Science


Earth Science Data

Categories: NASA

An Unrelenting Tule Fog

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 12/11/2025 - 12:01am
EO

  1. Science
  2. Earth Observatory
  3. An Unrelenting Tule Fog
 

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that
supports HTML5 video

November 24 – December 9, 2025

An atmospheric phenomenon occurring over much of California was unmistakable in satellite imagery in late autumn 2025. Fog stretching some 400 miles (640 kilometers) across the state’s Central Valley appeared day after day for more than two weeks in late November and early December. Known as tule (TOO-lee) fog, named after a sedge that grows in the area’s marshes, these low clouds tend to form in the valley in colder months when winds are light and soils are moist.  

This animation shows a sprawling blanket of white fog filling most or all of the valley from Redding to Bakersfield between November 24 and December 9, 2025. While the fog mostly remained hemmed in by the Coastal Range and the Sierra Nevada, it sometimes spilled through the Carquinez Strait toward San Francisco Bay. These images were acquired with the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite and the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP satellites.

The Central Valley is fertile ground for the formation of tule fog, a persistent radiation fog, in late autumn and winter. It occurs when air near the surface, laden with moisture from evaporation, cools and the water saturates the air. If winds are calm, water droplets accumulate into fog clouds near the ground.

Plenty of water was present in the valley’s soils following a very wet autumn. Across nearly all of central and southern California, precipitation totals from September through November 2025 were among the top 10 percent on record, California Institute for Water Resources climate scientist Daniel Swain noted on his Weather West blog. In late November, a very stable high-pressure system developed over the state, which acted like a lid that trapped moist air and confined the fog layer to the valley. With no major storms moving through to disrupt the stratification, the tule fog endured.

Temperatures have been notably cooler in the valley under the fog layer, in sharp contrast to the rest of the state, which was mostly warmer than normal. Despite the contrast, however, the ambient air mass has been warmer overall, Swain wrote. This may be due in part to warm ocean water offshore and a low Sierra Nevada snowpack sending less cold air downslope, he added.

The warmer overall temperatures could explain why fog has lingered at a slightly higher level—more like stratus clouds—at certain times and locations, said Swain. Colder temperatures would be necessary to produce the densest fog near the surface. The somewhat higher cloud in 2025 has differed from past events, when low visibility at ground level has caused major traffic incidents.

Central California has seen long stretches of cold, socked-in days in the past. In 1985, for example, Fresno experienced 16 consecutive days of dense fog, and Sacramento endured 17, according to news reports. Researchers have found, however, that tule fog has been forming less often in California in recent decades. Foggy days are beneficial for the valley’s fruit and nut trees, which need sufficient rest between growing seasons to be most productive. The fog typically comes with chilly weather that brings on a dormant period; it also shields trees from direct sunlight that would otherwise warm the plant buds.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview, and VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Lindsey Doermann.

References & Resources You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.

Cloud Streets Over the Laptev Sea

3 min read

The striking cloud formation developed over Arctic waters north of Siberia in July 2025 as frigid air met warmer open…

Article

Summer Heat Lingers in the West

3 min read

A prolonged high-pressure weather system brought unusually warm September temperatures to British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.

Article

Fleeting Glimpse of Rare Snow

3 min read

A short-lived storm dropped some of the largest accumulations in decades on Australia’s Northern Tablelands.

Article


1

2


3


4


Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science

Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters

Subscribe to the Earth Observatory and get the Earth in your inbox.


Earth Observatory Image of the Day

NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery.


Explore Earth Science


Earth Science Data

Categories: NASA

Galaxies in the Furnace

APOD - Wed, 12/10/2025 - 8:00pm

An example of violence on a cosmic scale, enormous


Categories: Astronomy, NASA

NASA JPL Unveils Rover Operations Center for Moon, Mars Missions

NASA News - Wed, 12/10/2025 - 7:47pm

5 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This video highlights the Rover Operations Center at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A center of excellence for current and future rover, aerial, and other surface missions, the ROC will support partnerships and technology transfer to catalyze the next generation of Moon and Mars surface missions. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The center leverages AI along with JPL’s unique infrastructure, unrivaled tools, and years of operations expertise to support industry partners developing future planetary surface missions.  

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Wednesday inaugurated its Rover Operations Center (ROC), a center of excellence for current and future surface missions to the Moon and Mars. During the launch event, leaders from the commercial space and AI industries toured the facilities, participated in working sessions with JPL mission teams, and learned more about the first-ever use of generative AI by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover team to create future routes for the robotic explorer. 

The center was established to integrate and innovate across JPL’s planetary surface missions while simultaneously forging strategic partnerships with industry and academia to advance U.S. interests in the burgeoning space economy. The center builds on JPL’s 30-plus years of experience developing and operating Mars surface missions, including humanity’s only helicopter to fly at Mars as well as the only two active planetary surface missions. 

“The Rover Operations Center is a force multiplier,” said JPL Director Dave Gallagher. “It integrates decades of specialized knowledge with powerful new tools, and exports that knowledge through partnerships to catalyze the next generation of Moon and Mars surface missions. As NASA’s federally funded research and development center, we are chartered to do exactly this type of work — to increase the cadence, the efficiency, and the impact for our transformative NASA missions and to support the commercial space market as they take their own giant leaps.” 

Rover prototype ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain) demonstrates some of its advanced mobility and autonomy capabilities in JPL’s Mars Yard. NASA/JPL-Caltech Genesis of ROC 

Through decades of successful Mars rover missions, JPL has continuously improved the unique autonomy, robotic capabilities, and best practices that have been demanded by increasingly complex robotic explorers. The ROC offers an accessible centralized structure to facilitate future exploration efforts. 

“Our rovers are lasting longer and are more sophisticated than ever before. The scientific stakes are high, as we have just witnessed with the discovery of a potential biosignature in Jezero Crater by the Perseverance mission. We are starting down a decade of unprecedented civil and commercial exploration at the Moon, which will require robotic systems to assist astronauts and support lunar infrastructure,” said Matt Wallace, who heads JPL’s Exploration Systems Office. “Mobile vehicles like rovers, helicopters, and drones are the most dynamic and challenging assets we operate. It’s time to take our game up a notch and bring everybody we can with us.”  

Michael Thelen of JPL’s Exploration Systems Office discusses the newly inaugurated Rover Operations Center in JPL’s historic Space Flight Operations Facility on Dec. 10.NASA/JPL-Caltech Future forward  

A key focus of the ROC is on the more rapid infusion of higher-level autonomy into surface missions through partnerships with the AI and commercial space industries. The objective is to catalyze change to deliver next-generation science and exploration capabilities for the nation and NASA. 

As NASA’s only federally funded research and development center, JPL has been evolving vehicle autonomy since the 1990s, when JPL began developing Sojourner, the first rover on another planet. Improvements to vehicle independence over the years have included the evolution of autonomy in sampling activities, driving, and science-target selection. Most recently, those improvements have extended to the development of Perseverance’s ability to autonomously schedule and execute many commanded energy-intensive activities, like keeping warm at night, as it sees fit. This capability allows the rover to conserve power, which it can reallocate in real time to perform more science or longer drives. 

With the explosion of AI capabilities, the ROC rover team is leaving no Mars stone unturned in the hunt for future efficiencies.  

“We had a small team complete a ‘three-week challenge,’ applying generative AI to a few of our operational use cases. During this challenge, it became clear there are many opportunities for AI infusion that can supercharge our capabilities,” said Jennifer Trosper, ROC program manager at JPL. “With these new partnerships, together we will infuse AI into operations to path-find the next generation of capabilities for science and exploration.”  

Håvard Grip, chief pilot of NASA’s Mars Ingenuity Helicopter — the only aircraft to fly on another planet — offers insights into aerial exploration of the Red Planet at the lab’s 25-Foot Space Simulator, which subjects spacecraft to the harsh conditions of space.

During the ROC’s inauguration, attendees toured JPL operations facilities, including where the rover drivers plan their next routes. They also visited JPL’s historic Mars Yard, which reproduces Martian terrain to test rover capabilities, and the massive 25-Foot Space Simulator that has tested spacecraft from Voyagers 1 and 2 to Perseverance to America’s next generation of lunar landers. A panel discussion explored the historical value of rovers and aerial systems like the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in planetary surface exploration. Also discussed was the promise of a new public-private partnership opportunity across a virtual network of operational missions.  

Attendees were briefed on tiered engagement options for partners, from mission architecture support to autonomy integration, testing, and operations. These opportunities extend to science and human precursor robotic missions, as well as to human-robotic interaction and spacewalks for astronauts on the Moon and Mars. 

A highlight for event participants came when the Perseverance team showcased how the ROC’s generative AI can assist rover planners in creating future routes for the rover. The AI analyzed high-resolution orbital images of Jezero Crater and other relevant data and then generated waypoints that kept Perseverance away from hazardous terrain. 

Managed for NASA by Caltech, JPL is the home of the Rover Operations Center (ROC).  

To learn more about the ROC, visit:

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/roc

News Media Contact

DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov

2025-137

Share Details Last Updated Dec 10, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 4 min read NASA Selects 2 Instruments for Artemis IV Lunar Surface Science

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Categories: NASA

NASA JPL Unveils Rover Operations Center for Moon, Mars Missions

NASA - Breaking News - Wed, 12/10/2025 - 7:47pm

5 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This video highlights the Rover Operations Center at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A center of excellence for current and future rover, aerial, and other surface missions, the ROC will support partnerships and technology transfer to catalyze the next generation of Moon and Mars surface missions. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The center leverages AI along with JPL’s unique infrastructure, unrivaled tools, and years of operations expertise to support industry partners developing future planetary surface missions.  

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Wednesday inaugurated its Rover Operations Center (ROC), a center of excellence for current and future surface missions to the Moon and Mars. During the launch event, leaders from the commercial space and AI industries toured the facilities, participated in working sessions with JPL mission teams, and learned more about the first-ever use of generative AI by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover team to create future routes for the robotic explorer. 

The center was established to integrate and innovate across JPL’s planetary surface missions while simultaneously forging strategic partnerships with industry and academia to advance U.S. interests in the burgeoning space economy. The center builds on JPL’s 30-plus years of experience developing and operating Mars surface missions, including humanity’s only helicopter to fly at Mars as well as the only two active planetary surface missions. 

“The Rover Operations Center is a force multiplier,” said JPL Director Dave Gallagher. “It integrates decades of specialized knowledge with powerful new tools, and exports that knowledge through partnerships to catalyze the next generation of Moon and Mars surface missions. As NASA’s federally funded research and development center, we are chartered to do exactly this type of work — to increase the cadence, the efficiency, and the impact for our transformative NASA missions and to support the commercial space market as they take their own giant leaps.” 

Rover prototype ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain) demonstrates some of its advanced mobility and autonomy capabilities in JPL’s Mars Yard. NASA/JPL-Caltech Genesis of ROC 

Through decades of successful Mars rover missions, JPL has continuously improved the unique autonomy, robotic capabilities, and best practices that have been demanded by increasingly complex robotic explorers. The ROC offers an accessible centralized structure to facilitate future exploration efforts. 

“Our rovers are lasting longer and are more sophisticated than ever before. The scientific stakes are high, as we have just witnessed with the discovery of a potential biosignature in Jezero Crater by the Perseverance mission. We are starting down a decade of unprecedented civil and commercial exploration at the Moon, which will require robotic systems to assist astronauts and support lunar infrastructure,” said Matt Wallace, who heads JPL’s Exploration Systems Office. “Mobile vehicles like rovers, helicopters, and drones are the most dynamic and challenging assets we operate. It’s time to take our game up a notch and bring everybody we can with us.”  

Michael Thelen of JPL’s Exploration Systems Office discusses the newly inaugurated Rover Operations Center in JPL’s historic Space Flight Operations Facility on Dec. 10.NASA/JPL-Caltech Future forward  

A key focus of the ROC is on the more rapid infusion of higher-level autonomy into surface missions through partnerships with the AI and commercial space industries. The objective is to catalyze change to deliver next-generation science and exploration capabilities for the nation and NASA. 

As NASA’s only federally funded research and development center, JPL has been evolving vehicle autonomy since the 1990s, when JPL began developing Sojourner, the first rover on another planet. Improvements to vehicle independence over the years have included the evolution of autonomy in sampling activities, driving, and science-target selection. Most recently, those improvements have extended to the development of Perseverance’s ability to autonomously schedule and execute many commanded energy-intensive activities, like keeping warm at night, as it sees fit. This capability allows the rover to conserve power, which it can reallocate in real time to perform more science or longer drives. 

With the explosion of AI capabilities, the ROC rover team is leaving no Mars stone unturned in the hunt for future efficiencies.  

“We had a small team complete a ‘three-week challenge,’ applying generative AI to a few of our operational use cases. During this challenge, it became clear there are many opportunities for AI infusion that can supercharge our capabilities,” said Jennifer Trosper, ROC program manager at JPL. “With these new partnerships, together we will infuse AI into operations to path-find the next generation of capabilities for science and exploration.”  

Håvard Grip, chief pilot of NASA’s Mars Ingenuity Helicopter — the only aircraft to fly on another planet — offers insights into aerial exploration of the Red Planet at the lab’s 25-Foot Space Simulator, which subjects spacecraft to the harsh conditions of space.

During the ROC’s inauguration, attendees toured JPL operations facilities, including where the rover drivers plan their next routes. They also visited JPL’s historic Mars Yard, which reproduces Martian terrain to test rover capabilities, and the massive 25-Foot Space Simulator that has tested spacecraft from Voyagers 1 and 2 to Perseverance to America’s next generation of lunar landers. A panel discussion explored the historical value of rovers and aerial systems like the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in planetary surface exploration. Also discussed was the promise of a new public-private partnership opportunity across a virtual network of operational missions.  

Attendees were briefed on tiered engagement options for partners, from mission architecture support to autonomy integration, testing, and operations. These opportunities extend to science and human precursor robotic missions, as well as to human-robotic interaction and spacewalks for astronauts on the Moon and Mars. 

A highlight for event participants came when the Perseverance team showcased how the ROC’s generative AI can assist rover planners in creating future routes for the rover. The AI analyzed high-resolution orbital images of Jezero Crater and other relevant data and then generated waypoints that kept Perseverance away from hazardous terrain. 

Managed for NASA by Caltech, JPL is the home of the Rover Operations Center (ROC).  

To learn more about the ROC, visit:

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/roc

News Media Contact

DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov

2025-137

Share Details Last Updated Dec 10, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 4 min read NASA Selects 2 Instruments for Artemis IV Lunar Surface Science

NASA has selected two science instruments designed for astronauts to deploy on the surface of…

Article 7 days ago
6 min read NASA Rover Detects Electric Sparks in Mars Dust Devils, Storms Article 1 week ago 6 min read NASA Tests Drones in Death Valley, Preps for Martian Sands and Skies Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Mars Exploration

Mars is the only planet we know of inhabited entirely by robots. Learn more about the Mars Missions.

How We Land on Mars

How does NASA get its Mars rovers and landers safely to the surface of the Red Planet? Parachutes, airbags, a…

Mars 2020: Perseverance Rover

NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover seeks signs of ancient life and collects samples of rock and regolith for possible Earth return.

Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity

NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers were identical twin robots who helped rewrite our understanding of the early history of Mars.

Categories: NASA