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Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/07/22 05:03 CDT | 3 comments
A new picture of the Earth-Moon system from MESSENGER, taken the same day we were told to "Wave at Saturn." Updated with a neat photo taken from much closer to Earth from a similar perspective.
Remembering the Pluto Campaign: A Success Story
The Society Worked for Years to Help Launch a Mission to Pluto
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/07/22 02:11 CDT | 3 comments
The New Horizons mission to Pluto survived many near-death encounters with cancellation during its development. The Planetary Society worked the whole time to ensure it would launch.
The New Cosmos Series Has a Trailer
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/07/21 06:30 CDT | 9 comments
The remake of Cosmos, starring Neil deGrasse Tyson and airing on Fox, just released its first teaser trailer at the San Diego Comic-Con.
Pretty picture: An Atlas launch and a very surprised bird
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/07/19 12:30 CDT
If you take hundreds of photos of every single spacecraft launch you can get to, you will eventually get lucky shots like this one. It was taken by Ben Cooper at today's launch of the U.S. Navy satellite MUOS-2 and features a very surprised turkey vulture in a striking pose in front of the American flag.
Field Report From Mars: Sol 3363 - July 10, 2013
Posted by Larry Crumpler on 2013/07/18 01:41 CDT | 1 comment
Opportunity is only a couple of hundred meters out and closing fast on the next mountain. A short side trip east is in the works to check out an anomaly in the terrain.
Return of the Pale Blue Dot
Join the Wave at Saturn (and Mercury)!
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2013/07/18 11:27 CDT | 4 comments
You can be part of a planetwide group photo as Cassini and MESSENGER turn their cameras Earthward on July 19.
Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month: Water tracks on Earth and Mars
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/07/18 09:57 CDT | 3 comments
The International Association of Geomorphologists' "planetary geomorphology image of the month," contributed by Joe Levy, features water tracks on Earth and compares them to recurring slope lineae on Mars.
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 comment
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.
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