Some very exciting news has been coming from NASA that has gotten little or no press due to the news coverage of the upcoming presidential election.

If you would like to know more about any of these pictures or get more of them, please go to the NASA information website.

Here are some photos that highlight some of the current NASA programs.

Our first image is a Valentines greeting from Mars. Currently, the Mars global surveyor is taking pictures and analyzing Mars for scientific purposes as well as purposes related to future human exploration of the planet's surface. What you see in the picture is a heart- shaped crater on the surface of Mars.

Our second image is of the coast of New Zealand and was taken by a special radar imaging process, the current project of the space shuttle mission. It is a very exciting endeavor. The orbiter and its crew are mapping the surface of the earth in a more precise and extensive way than ever before. This not only allows for the spectacular views but also for creating 3-D models of what it can see.

The next picture is one of the results of the 3-D image processing made possible by the data collected from the current shuttle mission.

This next image is a concept drawing for future Mars exploration by man. Missions like the Mars rover and the Mars global surveyor are paving the way for manned exploration of Mars.

Of course, no photo album would be complete without a look at the space station project that is currently underway. This concept drawing gives us a glimpse at what space station "Freedom" will look like when completed. Remember, all of these projects are explained in greater detail and with bigger, more detailed pictures on the NASA site. Just go to NASA.gov

*All photographs copyright of NASA. This review is for educational purposes only.