Blogs
Blog Archive
Your Place In Space: On the Road at Homestead National Monument
Posted by Andrea Carroll on 2012/09/28 07:58 CDT
Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye took the stage at Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice, Nebraska to talk about sustainability and "your place in space".
Celebrate Planetary Radio's 10th Birthday!
A very special anniversary show is coming November 12, and you can join the fun.
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2012/09/28 06:09 CDT
Planetary Radio went on the air ten years ago. It's almost time to celebrate this anniversary with a special episode for the week of November 12, 2012. Learn more, including how you can join the party.
What's Up in the Solar System in October 2012
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/28 05:27 CDT | 2 comments
Welcome to my monthly survey of the activities of robots across the solar system! Tomorrow is the equinox at Mars; both Curiosity and Opportunity will be spending the month actively analyzing Martian rocks. It'll be a less active month for Cassini, as Saturn passes through solar conjunction late next month.
Curiosity Update, Sol 52: Glenelg Ho!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/28 02:28 CDT
Curiosity has pulled up to the edge of Glenelg, its first destination within Gale crater.
Dawn Journal: Five years since launch
Posted by Marc Rayman on 2012/09/27 03:37 CDT | 2 comments
On the fifth anniversary of its launch, Dawn is on the way to Ceres.
Mangalyaan, India's 2013 Mars mission, is now under construction
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/27 12:33 CDT | 10 comments
In August, India's prime minister announced the intent to build and launch a Mars orbiter in time for the November 2013 launch window, an insanely fast schedule. The structure of the spacecraft has now been delivered.
NASA's New Direction For Mars (Maybe)
Results from the MPPG
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2012/09/26 01:58 CDT
The future of the Mars Exploration Program exists as multiple mission plans straining to exist in the brutal new cost cap from the FY13 budget, pushed far into the future.
An alien moon, photographed from the surface of an alien world
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/26 12:10 CDT | 8 comments
Curiosity has successfully photographed a crescent Phobos in a bright daylit Martian sky.
Cosmoquest Science Hour, Wednesday: A virtual field trip to the hills on Curiosity's horizon
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/25 04:50 CDT | 2 comments
I'm hosting this week's Cosmoquest Science Hour, and plan to take viewers on a virtual tour of those mountains on Curiosity's horizon, and show you where Curiosity is likely to go. Join me and Fraser Cain here at 1600 PDT / 2300 UTC Wednesday.
Comet ISON: 30% chance of awesome, 60% chance of that being wrong
Posted by Bill Gray on 2012/09/25 12:15 CDT | 10 comments
A very interesting comet has recently been discovered -- interesting because it will nearly graze the Sun in August 2013 and then approach Earth closely the following December. Whether it will turn out to be a great comet is impossible to know.
SpaceX ready for return to International Space Station
Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/09/25 12:01 CDT | 1 comments
SpaceX is two weeks away from returning to the International Space Station. Following a successful demo flight in May, NASA is entrusting the private spaceflight company with a half-ton of mission-critical station cargo.
Follow the Water (to our leaking pipe)
Posted by Jennifer Vaughn on 2012/09/24 12:50 CDT | 1 comments
It's been an eventful week: Curiosity drove to its first science target, Endeavour arrived in Los Angeles, and a leaking pipe shut down Planetary Society headquarters. We continue to work but not from within our headquarters. We expect to be back on Thursday morning, putting our workspaces back together and catching up on any work that got quarantined. Until then, you can find us online.
A New Direction for Mars? CAPS Meeting 2012 Coverage
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2012/09/24 10:44 CDT | 9 comments
The Mars Program Planning Group presents its new plan for Mars exploration in lieu of recent cuts to its budget on Tuesday, Sept 25th. We also get updates on the Europa Mission study at CAPS 2012 in Irvine, CA.
Talking the Spectre of Sequester on Huffington Post Live
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2012/09/22 04:39 CDT | 5 comments
I joined a discussion on the new Huffington Post Live channel about the threats of the sequestration cuts to NASA's budget and its implications to the larger scientific community.
Video: Endeavour's final liftoff
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/21 04:41 CDT | 1 comments
I was at Edwards Air Force Base this morning for Endeavour's last takeoff, and shot video as it roared past me. Follow the link for 3D video.
Saving the World: Established 1997
The Shoemaker NEO Grants at 15
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2012/09/21 01:00 CDT | 2 comments
The Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO grants celebrate their 15th anniversary of helping to find and track near Earth asteroids. Here's a quick review of the program, and updates on our four multiple-grant winners.
The OMB Didn't See This Coming
We ran a successful campaign to influence those who create NASA's budget
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2012/09/21 09:58 CDT
In ten days, our members and supporters sent over 17,000 emails to staff members who create and influence NASA's planetary science budget. The public support is there. We're making difference but not letting up.
A 3D photo album of Endeavour at Edwards Air Force Base
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/20 11:01 CDT | 7 comments
I drove up to Edwards Air Force Base today to see the shuttle carrier aircraft NASA 905 carry in the space shuttle Endeavour, which will be delivered to Los Angeles tomorrow. I'm not a great photographer but I do have a 3D camera; here's an album.
Curiosity sol 43 update: First science stop
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/09/19 05:24 CDT | 8 comments
It's now the early hours of sol 44, and JPL held a phone briefing today with the latest news from Curiosity. She's now driven about 300 meters, and has stopped at her first science target, a rock the team has named for the late Jake Matijevic.
VIDEOS: Nye & Teens in Space as Curiosity Lands in Hi-Def!
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2012/09/19 12:06 CDT | 2 comments
Losing your enthusiasm for space exploration and science? Watch these new and terrific videos for an exhilarating shot of Vitamin S.
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