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Posted by Ted Stryk on 2011/09/26 01:19 CDT
Ted Stryk reminisces on how he was turned on to astronomy.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/05/02 11:26 CDT
Space.com has taken advantage of the infinitely scrollable nature of Web pages to produce a really cool infographic on the scales of orbital distances in the solar system.
Historical PDF: "The Voyager Flights to Jupiter and Saturn"
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/04/20 05:03 CDT
A while ago I posted all 99 issues of the Voyager Mission Status Bulletins in PDF format, and now I have another cool item to add to that collection: NASA EP-191, "The Voyager Flights to Jupiter and Saturn."
What's up in the solar system in April 2011
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/03/31 03:59 CDT
April 2011 will see MESSENGER begin the science phase of its orbital mission at Mercury, and should, I think, also see the start of Dawn's approach observations of Vesta. At Mars, Opportunity is back on the road again, rolling inexorably toward Endeavour. At Saturn, Cassini will continue its focus on Saturn and Titan science.
What's up in the solar system in March 2011
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/02/28 02:43 CST
I don't think there's any question what the big event of this month will be: MESSENGER is finally, finally entering orbit at Mercury on March 18 at 00:45 UTC (March 17 at 16:45 for me).
The Solar System from the Inside Out - and the Outside In
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/02/18 02:27 CST
Space probes grant us perspective, the ability to see our place within the vastness of the solar system. But opportunities to see all of the solar system's planets in one observation are rare. In fact, there's only been one opportunity on one mission to see the whole solar system at once, until now.
Snapshots from Space: Voyager views of the Great Red Spot, Björn Jónsson
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/02/10 02:38 CST
I've got a new column in the Planetary Society's member magazine, The Planetary Report, called "Snapshots from Space," highlighting really cool amateur-processed images. I'm excited to have the opportunity to help these people get their work published!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/01/31 03:14 CST
Here's an image I've been meaning to post for months, a new mosaic from Voyager 1 by Ted Stryk of Io crossing Jupiter's terminator as it neared closest approach.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/01/28 09:21 CST
In the past week there have been 25th anniversaries of two events in 1986, one great, one terrible: the closest approach of Voyager 2 to Uranus on January 24, and the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger upon liftoff on January 28.
The August 20, 2010 Jupiter fireball -- and the March 5, 1979 one
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/08/24 11:36 CDT
Following up on the story I first posted on August 22, the Jupiter impact fireball first noticed by Japanese amateur astronomer Masayuki Tachikawa has been independently confirmed by two other Japanese astronomers.
Posted by Jason Perry on 2010/08/20 05:15 CDT
Thanks to its active volcanic activity and sulfur-rich surface, Io is one of the most colorful worlds yet seen in the Solar System, save the Earth of course
What's up in the solar system in January 2010
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/04 01:29 CST
While we don't have Moon bases, we do have plenty of spacecraft. Before I get into my more detailed look at the activities of the 20-odd spacecraft wandering about the solar system, I thought I'd look ahead to 2010 more generally and see what the year has in store for us.
What do we know about Uranus' moons? Part 2
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2009/02/19 06:07 CST
Here is every single image of the last two moons discovered prior to the Voyager 2 encounter, Titania and Umbriel.
What do we know about Uranus' moons? Part 1
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2009/01/20 06:26 CST
I got an urge to dive in to the Voyager image archives and see what exactly we have here on Earth to base our understanding of the Uranian moons on.
The Stories Behind the Voyager Mission: Charles Kohlhase
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2002/09/05 12:00 CDT
Charles Kohlhase served as Mission Design Manager for Voyager from 1974 to 1989. He brought more than a decade's worth of experience working on the Mariner and Viking missions to the position.
The Stories Behind the Voyager Mission: Bruce Murray
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2002/09/05 12:00 CDT
Bruce C. Murray served as the only geologist on the team planning the Grand Tour, which was cancelled by NASA in 1972, but which led to Voyager the same year. He later became the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a position he held from 1976 to 1982, the early glory years of the mission.
The Stories Behind the Voyager Mission: Bud Schurmeier
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2002/09/05 12:00 CDT
Harris 'Bud' Schurmeier served as the first Project Manager for the Voyager mission. In 1976, just before the twin spacecraft launched, he became Assistant Lab Director at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
The Stories Behind the Voyager Mission: Linda Morabito Kelly
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2002/09/05 12:00 CDT
Linda Morabito Kelly began working at Jet Propulsion Laboratories while still a student at the University of Southern California. In 1974, she accepted a fulltime position as an engineer in the Satellite Ephemeris Development and Orbit Determination section JPL.
The Stories Behind the Voyager Mission: Jurrie van der Woude
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2002/09/05 12:00 CDT
Jurrie van der Woude worked for 25 years in the Jet Propulsion's Laboratory's Public Affairs Office as Image Coordinator. It was Jurrie who, working closely with the Voyager imaging team, chose the best images to release to the press.
The Stories Behind the Voyager Mission: Ed Stone
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2002/09/05 12:00 CDT
Edward C. Stone, an internationally renowned physicist, signed on as Project Scientist of the Voyager mission in 1972, responsible for coordinating the efforts of 11 teams of researchers.
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