Blogs
Blog Archive
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/03/14 02:00 CDT
This week I'll be talking with NEOWISE principal investigator Amy Mainzer about moving objects that the WISE mission has spotted both inside and outside our solar system.
Yes, it was once a Martian lake: Curiosity has been sent to the right place
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/03/12 05:36 CDT | 7 comments
The news from the Curiosity mission today is this: Curiosity has found, at the site called John Klein, a rock that contains evidence for a past environment that would have been suitable for Earth-like microorganisms.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/03/12 01:57 CDT | 2 comments
We don't have any spacecraft at Jupiter right now, which is a pity. Until we do, we have to rely upon Earth-based astronomers to monitor the changing face of the largest planet.
Posted by Bill Dunford on 2013/03/11 10:53 CDT | 3 comments
Nearly four decades before Curiosity, we dug into Mars for the first time. The pictures are still amazing.
Atacama Diary for March 10, 2013--Pisco Sours and Liquid Helium
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2013/03/10 11:10 CDT
Great dinner and great conversation with staff of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, topped by Chile's national drink.
Atacama Diary for March 8, 2013-Noon at LAX
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2013/03/09 05:32 CST
Another audio blog post, with excerpts from the National Science Foundation briefing on the ALMA Observatory, edited while I was waiting for my planet to Chile at LAX.
Rep. Adam Schiff Responds to Questions on Planetary Science Funding
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/03/08 12:43 CST | 2 comments
Rep. Adam Schiff's response to the state of Planetary Science funding from his recent online town hall.
A post about International Women's Day
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/03/08 11:22 CST | 7 comments
Today, March 8, is International Women's Day, about which I have conflicting feelings.
Planetary Society Hangout: March 7th, 2013 - What's Going On With Curiosity and a NASA Budget Update
Thursday at noon PST/3pm EST/20:00 UT
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/03/07 12:35 CST | 3 comments
Thursday at noon PST/3pm EST/20:00 UT we check in with Emily Lakdawalla to bring us up to speed with Curiosity's computer problems and we check in on NASA's budget status.
Instruments for the JUICE Jovian Mission
Posted by Van Kane on 2013/03/07 12:20 CST | 6 comments
The European Space Agency (ESA) announced the list of instruments selected for its JUICE mission to explore the Jovian system for three years starting in the 2030 following a 2022 launch.
VIDEO: Watch Jim Bell's Public Lecture at Caltech
Exploring Mars, the Moon, Asteroids, and Comets with Rovers and Landers
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2013/03/06 06:00 CST | 1 comments
The Planetary Society President wows his audience with this presentation that is chock full of beautiful space images.
Meteor showers on Titan: an example of why Twitter is awesome for scientists and the public
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/03/06 12:48 CST | 5 comments
I use a variety of social networking tools to perform my job, but there's one that's more important and valuable to me than all the rest combined: Twitter. Yesterday afternoon there was a discussion on Twitter that exemplifies its value and fun: are there visible meteors on Titan?
Posted by Mike Brown on 2013/03/06 10:41 CST | 3 comments
Ever wonder what it would taste like if you could lick the icy surface of Jupiter’s Europa? The answer may be that it would taste a lot like that last mouthful of water that you accidentally drank when you were swimming at the beach on your last vacation.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Begins Wrapping Science on Matijevic Hill
Sols 3209 - 3235
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2013/03/06 01:03 CST | 1 comments
As February turned to March, Opportunity was conducting some of its final science investigations on Matijevic Hill, the MER team was making preparations for the robot field geologist's trek south for the next winter, and the Mars Exploration Rovers mission was checking off another month of exploration.
Ask Rep. Adam Schiff About Planetary Science
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/03/05 06:53 CST
Rep. Adam Schiff is holding an online town hall on Wednesday, March 6th at 2:30pm PST. If you live in his district, it is a great time to ask about the status of Planetary Science funding on Twitter or his Facebook page.
Will comet Siding Spring make a meteor shower on Mars?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/03/05 04:34 CST | 6 comments
JPL's Solar System Dynamics group shows that there is still a possibility that C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) could hit Mars. But the uncertainty in its position at that time is large -- the closest approach could happen an hour earlier, or an hour later -- so we're a long way from knowing yet whether it will or (more likely) won't impact.
Browse Curiosity's data in the Analyst's notebook
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/03/05 01:29 CST
Last week the Curiosity mission made its first data delivery to the Planetary Data System. The bad news: none of the science camera image data is there yet. The good news: there are lots and lots of other goodies to explore.
Proposed House Budget Increases NASA Funding for SLS and Commercial Crew, Leaves Science Untouched
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/03/04 07:54 CST
The U.S. House of Representatives unveiled their new funding bill for the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, which funds NASA at 2012 levels with the exception of its SLS and Commercial Crew programs.
Very brief Curiosity update, sol 205: Memory anomaly and a swap to the "B-side"
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/03/04 06:48 CST | 2 comments
Over the last few days the mission has been working its way through its first major (not life-threatening, just really inconvenient) anomaly: a memory problem in its main computer.
Posted by Bill Dunford on 2013/03/04 12:25 CST | 2 comments
Look past the rings, and Saturn is even stranger--and more breathtaking.
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