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Is Opportunity near Lunokhod's distance record? Not as close as we used to think!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/21 06:47 CDT | 2 comments
A few weeks ago, a press release from the Opportunity mission celebrated Opportunity's surpassing of the previous NASA off-world driving record. That record was set in December 1972 by the Apollo 17 astronauts aboard their Lunar Roving Vehicle. They seem very close to Lunokhod 2's stated 37-kilometer driving record, but hold your horses -- we now know Lunokhod went longer than we thought.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/20 06:14 CDT | 6 comments
Just a quick post to announce that The Planetary Society's staff is expanding! I am so excited to be able to say that.
If we started today, how long would it take to get to Mars? With this budget, never.
Analysis of the House Science Committee Hearing on the 2013 NASA Authorization Bill
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/06/19 04:38 CDT | 6 comments
The House of Representatives held a hearing today to discuss their proposed NASA authorization bill, which would fund Planetary Science, cut Earth Science, forbid asteroid retrieval, and command NASA to pursue a path to Mars via the Moon.
Enormously detailed photo of Kasei Valles from Mars Express
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/19 02:36 CDT | 7 comments
ESA celebrated the tenth anniversary of Mars Express' launch with a several-day science meeting during which they issued lots of press releases and numerous spectacular photos. My favorite of them all is this enormous image of Kasei Valles on Mars.
Posted by Bill Dunford on 2013/06/19 01:33 CDT | 1 comments
From far away, or from so near you could almost touch it, the moon is beautiful.
Woohoo! The LEGO Curiosity rover is going to be a kit!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/18 07:02 CDT | 2 comments
The awesome LEGO Curiosity rover designed by Stephen Pakbaz is going to go into production!
Goodnight, Herschel Space Observatory
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/06/18 01:29 CDT | 6 comments
The European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory received its final commands yesterday, having depleted the liquid helium required to make its infrared observations.
Favorite space images: "Many Worlds"
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/17 10:58 CDT | 1 comments
For this evening's Planetary Radio Live event, Mat Kaplan asked me to do a presentation of some favorite space images. I told him that picking favorite space images is like picking favorite children; it's not possible because they're all my favorite. To narrow things down, I decided to explore a theme: "Many Worlds."
Cosmic Concert Webcast Tonight at 7pm PDT / 10pm EDT
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2013/06/17 06:59 CDT
We've got a full house for this evening's Planetary Radio Live, but you can watch the live webcast with singer/songwriter Peter Mayer and Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Great News: New Horizons to "stay the course" at Pluto
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/17 02:47 CDT
This is extremely good news: after more than a year of analysis, the New Horizons mission and NASA have concluded and agreed that New Horizons' originally-planned trajectory past Pluto is likely safe from dust.
Exploring Ten Years' Worth of Mars Express Data
Posted by Bill Dunford on 2013/06/13 01:09 CDT | 3 comments
Mars Express has been in flight for a decade, more than enough time to send home some amazing finds.
Planetary Society Hangout: LaserBees, Asteroids, and Planet Vacuums
Thursday, Jun 13, noon PDT/1900 UTC
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/06/13 12:39 CDT | 1 comments
We check in with Dr. Bruce Betts, our Director of Projects, on the latest from our current programs funded by our members.
Planetary Defense Conference 2013 Part 3
Laser Bees
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2013/06/12 09:19 CDT | 3 comments
Part 3 of Bruce Betts' wrap up from the Planetary Defense Conference 2013 focuses on the Laser Bees (asteroid deflection method) project and Laser Bees researcher Alison Gibbings.
China launches three-person crew to visit Tiangong 1 space station
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/06/11 03:38 CDT | 2 comments
China's Shenzhou 10 spacecraft is bound for space station Tiangong 1 following a successful liftoff from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia.
Ten years since Spirit's launch
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/10 04:10 CDT | 1 comments
Ten years ago, Spirit launched on a Delta II rocket toward Mars, and I was there to see it.
Confirmed: NASA Defies the Will of Congress by Raiding Planetary Science Funding [updated]
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/06/10 03:40 CDT | 13 comments
Despite congressional rejection of massive cuts to Planetary Science this year, NASA has found a way to implement the cuts internally and use the money for other purposes.
Pretty pictures: Curiosity working late
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/07 11:47 CDT | 2 comments
Just some cool photos of Curiosity lighting up the Cumberland drill hole after sunset for a little nighttime science work.
Morpheus lander gets back off its feet
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/06/07 01:58 CDT | 4 comments
NASA's Project Morpheus lander completed a 74-second flight yesterday, marking the second tethered test of the new vehicle.
ESA launches fourth cargo spacecraft to ISS
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/06/06 11:57 CDT | 1 comments
An Ariane 5 rocket carrying the Automated Transfer Vehicle Albert Einstein lifted off from French Guiana Wednesday.
Launch is coming! LADEE arrives at Wallops
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/06 10:01 CDT | 5 comments
It's a big day for any space mission: the shipping of the spacecraft from its assembly facility to its launch facility. That happened for the next lunar mission, LADEE, on June 4, 2013.
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