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![Asteroids and comets visited by spacecraft as of December 2012, in color, excepting Vesta [DEPRECATED]](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/9-small-bodies/2012/20121218_asteroids_comets_sc_0-000-100_2012_color_brightened_t233.png)
Emily Lakdawalla • December 18, 2012 • 9
My collage of all the asteroids and comets visited by spacecraft is probably the single most popular image I have ever posted on this blog. I've now updated it to be in color and to include Toutatis.
Emily Lakdawalla • December 14, 2012 • 19
The Chang'E 2 mission flyby of Toutatis succeeded in acquiring images. Oh my goodness, did they succeed. These, in combination with the incredible radar images still being acquired from Goldstone and innumerable optical observations, make Toutatis one of the best-studied asteroids in the solar system.
Emily Lakdawalla • December 06, 2012 • 6
Near-Earth asteroid 4179 Toutatis will be passing within 7 million kilometers of Earth on December 12. Both radio telescopes and the Chang'E 2 spacecraft will be acquiring images.
Bruce Betts • November 19, 2012 • 9
I am happy to announce a new call for proposals for The Planetary Society’s Gene Shoemaker Near Earth Object (NEO) grant program, which is celebrating its 15th Anniversary. Proposals are due Feb. 4, 2013.
Bruce Betts • October 30, 2012 • 3
Learn about the Planetary Society’s newest project: PlanetVac, with Honeybee Robotics, aims to prototype and test in a huge vacuum chamber a new way to sample planetary surfaces that could be used for sample return or for in situ instruments.
Emily Lakdawalla • October 24, 2012 • 7
Continuing my writeup of notes from last week's Division for Planetary Sciences meeting: presentations on the risks of future asteroid impacts. How much risk do we face, and what are the appropriate actions to take in the face of that risk?
Bruce Betts • October 02, 2012
Gary Hug used his Shoemaker NEO grant provided camera to find 2012 SY49 which flew by Earth at about two lunar distances last week. The tens of meters wide asteroid is a low-probability possible Earth impactor in the future.
Bruce Betts • September 21, 2012 • 2
The Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO grants celebrate their 15th anniversary of helping to find and track near Earth asteroids. Here's a quick review of the program, and updates on our four multiple-grant winners.
Bruce Betts • June 25, 2012 • 9
The Planetary Society Laser Bees project in Scotland is studying in the lab a potential new technique for deflecting dangerous asteroids: laser ablation.
Bruce Betts • June 15, 2012
TPS Shoemaker NEO Grant Winner Gary Hug hunts near Earth objects from his back yard in Kansas. NPR's Morning Edition picked up on this fascinating story.
Become a member of The Planetary Society and together we will create the future of space exploration.
LightSail 2 launched aboard the SpaceX Falcon Heavy. Be part of this epic point in space exploration history!
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