NASA Citizen Scientists

Students can help make scientific discoveries by participating in citizen science opportunities. These projects get students involved in academic research and share in the excitement of discovery.

Stardust@home Students can help scientists find the tiny particles collected by the Stardust spacecraft when it encountered the comet Wild 2. The comet particles are extremely small and are dispersed in aerogel. Students will see microscope scans of the aerogel to help them find the tiny pieces of interstellar dust. Find out how to get involved at http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/

SETI@home SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data. Find out how to get involved at http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/

Galaxy Zoo Students can help classify galaxies based on their shapes and help scientists understand how galaxies are formed. Find out how to get involved at https://www.galaxyzoo.org/

Planet Hunters Help search for extrasolar planets (exoplanets) and planets orbiting stars outside of our own solar system. These discoveries continue to revolutionize the understanding of how planetary systems grow and evolve. Find out how to get involved at https://www.planethunters.org

HiWish: Public Suggestion Page Make suggestions for the next places that HiWish will photograph on Mars. Find out how to get involved at http://www.uahirise.org/hiwish/

Milky Way Project Students can help scientists look through tens of thousands of images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. By telling us what you see in this infrared data, we can better understand how stars form. Find out how to get involved at https://www.milkywayproject.org/ * *Image credit: NASA/Lockheed Martin

Globe at Night Students measure their night sky brightness and report their observations to a Web site from a computer or smartphone. Through their efforts, they will help raise awareness of the impact of light pollution. Find out how to get involved at http://www.globeatnight.org/

Rock Around the World Mars scientists are asking students from around the world to help them understand the Red Planet. Send in a rock collected from your region of the world and scientists will tell you what it is made of by using tools like the ones on the Mars Exploration rovers. Find out how to get involved at http://ratw.asu.edu/

Lunar Impacts Students monitor the rates and sizes of large meteoroids striking the Moon’s dark side. Student data will help scientists to better understand the meteoroid environment. Lunar impact monitoring enables measurement of meteoroids in the 10s of grams to kilograms size range, which are difficult to measure with other techniques. Find out how to get involved at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/lunar/

Disk Detective Students search for other stars that harbor planet-forming disks. Our solar system used to be a massive disk of dust and debris. Participants look at animated images from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope and other telescopes to assist astronomers in the hunt for good disk candidates among galaxies, asteroids, and interstellar dust. Find out how to get involved at http://www.diskdetective.org/

Planet Four: Terrains Students help map the exotic terrains of Mars’ South Pole, which has forms unlike anything on Earth. Students map where impacts occur in images taken by the Context Camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA will use the locations identified as targets for a detailed study with the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera—the highest resolution camera ever sent to a planet. Find out how to get involved at https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/mschwamb/planet-four-terrains

Be a Martian Students help to improve Martian maps, take part in research tasks, and assist Mars science teams that are studying data about the Red Planet. Find out how to get involved at http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov/welcome