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Blog Archive
J-2X: A Distant Dot Lights Up the Night
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/07/18 09:51 CDT | 3 comments
On Tuesday, NASA released new high-definition video of a June 26 nighttime J-2X engine test at Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi.
A new HiRISE view of Opportunity (sol 3361)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/07/17 06:14 CDT
The HiRISE camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has snapped a lovely color photo of the rim of Endeavour crater, catching Opportunity midway between Nobby's Head and Solander Point.
Posted by Ralph Lorenz on 2013/07/17 01:13 CDT
The fictional world Tatooine, scene of action in the Star Wars movies, is named after a town in Tunisia, where parts of the movies were filmed. The desert backdrops against which the movies were filmed are real terrestrial landscapes, which prove to be perhaps unexpectedly dynamic.
The Peak of Discovery
Touring the Mount Wilson Observatory with the Hale Family
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2013/07/16 04:20 CDT
This week's Planetary Radio goes on tour at the Mount Wilson Observatory with descendants of its founder.
Spacewalk ends early following helmet water leak
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/07/16 12:09 CDT
A spacewalk outside the International Space Station Tuesday ended early after a water leak inside astronaut Luca Parmitano’s helmet created a potentially dangerous situation.
Posted by Bill Dunford on 2013/07/15 01:42 CDT | 3 comments
There's a cool new way to explore the first planet.
New names for Pluto's little moons Kerberos and Styx; and a new moon for Neptune
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/07/15 01:37 CDT | 4 comments
Pluto's moons, formerly known as "P4" and "P5," are now named Kerberos and Styx; I thought I'd help place them into context with a little help from Cassini. Also, Neptune now has a 14th known moon.
Congress Rejects NASA's First Operating Plan
Attempt to Raid Planetary Science Funding Stopped
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/07/15 11:33 CDT | 1 comments
NASA's plan to raid Planetary Science funding to pay for sequester cuts in other science programs was rejected by Congress earlier this month. NASA is now working on a new plan that has yet to be submitted for approval.
House Committee Approves Smallest NASA Budget Since 1986
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/07/12 12:40 CDT | 8 comments
This budget, if enacted, would be the smallest budget NASA has seen since the mid '80s, when adjusted for inflation.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/07/12 06:00 CDT | 3 comments
NASA recently shared a gloriously detailed image of an unusual clear day in Alaska as seen from the Terra satellite.
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2013/07/11 06:17 CDT | 4 comments
For those wishing to bore into more details of our Laser Bees project itself, graduate student Alison Gibbings from the University of Strathclyde has sent their technical paper that resulted from the 2013 Planetary Defense Conference.
Dueling Op-Eds on NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/07/11 01:29 CDT | 9 comments
NASA Administrator Bolden and the Chairman of the House Science Committee published opposing op-eds in The Hill newspaper today, illustrating the uphill battle NASA faces to sell Congress on this mission.
Programmable Mars Watch for $50
Posted by Ara Kourchians on 2013/07/11 06:00 CDT
Time is kept differently on Mars. This is because Mars itself rotates a little slower than Earth. This proves to be a pain when it comes to timekeeping.
Scale comparisons of the solar system's major moons
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/07/10 06:05 CDT | 12 comments
A few presentation slides with pretty pictures, sized to scale, of the large moons of the solar system.
Posted by Bill Nye on 2013/07/10 12:18 CDT | 21 comments
Today, The Planetary Society submitted our white paper to the National Research Council's call for "input" on human spaceflight. It's derived from work we did back in 2008 brought up to date.
The Summer Solstice 2013 issue of The Planetary Report is out!
Posted by Donna Stevens on 2013/07/09 06:30 CDT | 4 comments
I’m happy to tell you that the Summer Solstice 2013 issue of The Planetary Report is hot off the presses and Is in the mail.
Mars 2020 Science Announcement Live-blog
NASA's next Mars rover now has a mission
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/07/09 01:57 CDT | 6 comments
Follow along as NASA reacts to the recommendations of the science definition team for the next Mars rover.
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/07/09 12:44 CDT
Follow along as scientists work through the possibilities and problems of NASA's asteroid retrieval mission.
Uranus or Bust (and on a budget)
Posted by Van Kane on 2013/07/09 12:38 CDT | 2 comments
New plans may make a mission to Uranus affordable within NASA's new, constrained budget.
In-flight entertainment: cameras aboard the Space Launch System
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/07/09 06:04 CDT | 1 comments
When the Space Launch System lifts off on its inaugural flight in 2017, eight engineering cameras will collect crucial in-flight data while providing breathtaking views for the public.
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