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Press briefing schedule for Curiosity (assuming a nominal landing)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/30 07:53 CDT | 4 comments
JPL has published a schedule for press briefings in the first week of Curiosity's mission on Mars.
Pretty Panoramas: Opportunity at Whim Creek
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/30 01:11 CDT | 2 comments
I know it’s been all Curiosity, all the time on this blog for the last couple of weeks, and that’s not likely to change much for the next couple of weeks. But I don’t want people to forget that there’s another rover exploring Mars’ ancient geology. Opportunity has been taking spectacular photos of Whim Creek and Endeavour Crater this last week.
Cosmoquest Science Hangout Wednesday August 1: Mihály Horányi, lunar dust expert
Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/07/30 12:31 CDT
I'll be guest hosting this week's Cosmoquest Science Hangout on Wednesday, August 1. The show starts at 2300 UTC, and my special guest is Mihály Horányi.
Celebrate Curiosity with a “Party on Mars!” Saturday night!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/30 08:16 CDT | 1 comments
Join me and Bill Nye to blow off some steam on Saturday night as we anticipate Curiosity’s landing! In the spirit of such nerdtacular gatherings as W00tstock and LeetUp, we’re having a big party at the Paseo Colorado here in Pasadena to celebrate Curiosity!
Dawn journal: The long, slow goodbye
Posted by Marc Rayman on 2012/07/26 12:40 CDT | 1 comments
Dawn has completed the final intensive phase of its exploration of Vesta, and it has now begun its gradual departure for Ceres.
The Planetary Report, June 2012: Dark Skies?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/25 02:27 CDT
The June Solstice issue of our member magazine The Planetary Report is out! The feature article, by W. Scott Kardel of the International Dark-Sky Association, looks at the ecological, economic, and philosophical problem of light pollution. My inside-the-cover Snapshots from Space features image processing work by Gordan Ugarkovic. Bill Nye's Planetary Society Kids section shows you how to build your own MarsDial, and on its back page I share some weird and interesting facts about Mars' moons.
Can tweets recap a new media space workshop?
Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/07/24 10:01 CDT | 1 comments
Recapping the 2012 University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric Space Physics new media workshop with attendees' tweets.
Posted by Bill Nye on 2012/07/23 05:41 CDT | 5 comments
Sally Ride changed the world. We are very sorry to hear of her recent death after a nearly two-year battle with cancer. Dr. Ride was an excellent astronaut, a remarkable educator, and a longtime Planetary Society friend and adviser.
When will we see Curiosity's first images?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/23 03:37 CDT | 5 comments
Enough people have asked me when we'll see Curiosity's first images from the surface of Mars that I sought out an answer. The short version: it depends.
Curiosity's seventeenth camera: MARDI
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/20 02:21 CDT | 4 comments
Curiosity is equipped with seventeen cameras. One of them, the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) will capture a movie as the rover descends to the surface.
Got questions about Curiosity? I've got answers for you
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/19 02:35 CDT | 18 comments
Whether you are a scientist or a layman, if you have ever asked yourself any question about Curiosity, I strongly suggest that you read the newly published press kit!
Posted by Andrew Chaikin on 2012/07/18 04:11 CDT | 3 comments
Chaikin interviews Mars scientist Nathalie Cabrol who talks about her passion for exploration and urges America to explore even in tough economic times.
Cosmoquest Science Hangout Wednesday July 18 2300 UTC: Jeff Foust, space industry analyst
Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/07/18 11:50 CDT
I hosted this week's Cosmoquest Science Hangout for Emily, and my guest was space industry analyst Jeff Foust, editor of The Space Review.
A plea to Mars Science Laboratory team members: write your experiences down
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/17 10:04 CDT | 2 comments
In which I beg the people working on Curiosity to write about what happens in the coming weeks, even if you never share those writings publicly.
A fifth moon for Pluto, and a possible hazard for New Horizons
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/16 02:55 CDT | 7 comments
Pluto is now known to have at least five moons (Charon, Nix, Hydra, P4, and the newly discovered P5), and its burgeoning population might pose a risk to New Horizons during its flyby, three years from now.
Checking in on NASA's Space Launch System
Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/07/11 01:32 CDT | 6 comments
Work continues on the Space Launch System, NASA's next-generation deep space vehicle slated to take humans beyond Earth for the first time since 1972.
A blog that started out as a product review, but turned into something else entirely
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/10 12:02 CDT | 11 comments
A review of the Aeromax "NASA Junior Astronaut Suit Child Costume," with bonus review of a backyard airplane teeter-totter. But the review took a turn that I was not prepared for.
Dawn journal: seeing Vesta in a new light
Posted by Marc Rayman on 2012/07/06 02:33 CDT | 1 comments
Once again Dawn is diligently mapping Vesta, circling the ancient protoplanet about twice a day, observing the signatures of Vesta's tortured history.
How Curiosity Will Land on Mars, Part 3: Skycrane and landing
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/06 07:01 CDT | 6 comments
The final phase of Curiosity's landing on Mars involves the "skycrane maneuver" and will leave the rover on its wheels ready for its mission on Mars to begin.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/07/05 12:01 CDT
As astronaut Don Pettit prepared for his return to Earth, he tweeted several beautiful shots from the Space Station.
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