Blogs
Emily Lakdawalla's blogs from 2011
What is space exploration worth?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/30 04:06 CST
Investing in NASA makes us smarter, improves our lives, and increases our capability to overcome technological challenges. Even more important, though, are the intangible benefits of pride, respect from other nations, respect for our place in the universe, and hope for a future in which we can accomplish even greater things.
What's up in the solar system in January 2012, and the rest of the year
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/29 05:57 CST
There will be no planetary launches in 2012, but there is still plenty of deep-space activity to look forward to over the coming year.
Ringing in the New Year with two new arrivals to the Moon
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/28 05:21 CST
The twin GRAIL spacecraft are nearly at the end of their three-month cruises to the Moon. Currently being discussed is an extended mission for GRAIL that would begin after the June eclipse and last through most of December 2012.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/27 10:34 CST
Just a few of the amazing photos of Comet Lovejoy that have been taken from the southern hemisphere over the last few days. Comet Lovejoy is the first Kreutz sungrazer to have been discovered from the ground in 40 years, and after its surprising survival of its passage close to the Sun, it has been putting on a spectacular show in southern skies.
Pretty pictures from Cassini's recent Dione flyby
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/22 11:52 CST
Cassini flew close by Dione on December 12 and, as usual, the close pass provided opportunities for lots of dramatic photos, not just of Dione, but of other moons wandering by in the background.
More radar images of icy moons from Cassini: Iapetus, Enceladus, and Rhea
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/21 12:10 CST
When I posted about the really cool Cassini SAR images of Enceladus a few weeks ago, I initially wrote that this was the first-ever SAR image of an icy moon other than Titan. Several people (some readers and two members of the Cassini science team!) corrected that statement: Cassini has performed SAR imaging of other icy moons (including Enceladus) before.
Separating fact from speculation about Kepler-20's Earth-sized planets
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/20 04:53 CST
A large team of researchers has announced in a Nature article the discovery of not one, but two, Earth-sized planets orbiting a star named Kepler-20. This article separates the observational facts from the quite-likely-to-be-true inferences from the downstream speculations.
Do you have an iPhone? Do you like the Mars rovers? Check out the awesome my3D viewer.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/19 06:57 CST
The Hasbro my3D viewer turns your phone into an electronic View-Master, making it easy to view color images in stereo.
MalloMars Rover: Search for S'more Data
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/16 04:55 CST
Abigail Fraeman took third place in the Washington Post's 2011 Style Invitational edible-art contest with her entry, "MalloMars Rover: Search for S'more Data".
What do we know about planetary rings? Quite a lot, actually!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/15 11:18 CST
A summary of a new article by Matt Tiscareno about planetary ring systems that reviews the known ring systems of the four giant planets and the prospects for ring systems yet to be discovered.
Video: Comet Lovejoy entered SOHO's LASCO C3 field of view this morning!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/14 09:37 CST
An animation of comet Lovejoy entering the field of view of one of SOHO's Sun-monitoring cameras.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/13 10:29 CST
Emily wakes up her 5-year-old daughter to experience her first lunar eclipse.
Pretty picture: Mimas scuttles behind Dione
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/12 06:36 CST
Images from the Cassini spacecraft's flyby of Dione.
Phobos-Grunt: all but over, a letter from IKI
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/09 07:14 CST
A letter sent by Lev Zelenyi, director of the Russian Space Research Institute (IKI) to participants in the Phobos-Soil project about the mission's failure.
Mariner 9 approaching Mars: a movie!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/09 01:32 CST
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Mariner 9's November 13, 1971 arrival at Mars, Daniel Macháček has produced a morphed animation of the images that Mars' first orbiter took while approaching the planet.
Notes on Dawn at Vesta from the 2011 American Geophysical Union meeting
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/08 03:19 CST
A report on the press briefing and talks from the Fall 2011 American Geophyisical Union meeting about the data on Vesta collected so far by Dawn.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/06 02:39 CST
Emily reports from the Fall 2011 American Geophyisical Union meeting about advancements in space weather prediction.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/05 04:13 CST
A report on a press briefing about Voyager 1 at the Fall 2011 American Geophyisical Union meeting. The spacecraft has entered a new region between our solar system and interstellar space, which scientists are calling the stagnation region.
Reviews of space-themed books for kids ages 7 and up
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/02 01:06 CST
Reviews of books about space for children ages 7 to 11 and 12 and up.
ESA is ending ground station support for Phobos-Grunt
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/02 12:04 CST
After modifying two antennas and attempting to send commands to Phobos-Grunt for weeks without success, ESA has made the decision to stop tracking support.
First-ever high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar image of Enceladus
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/01 07:22 CST
On the November 6, 2011 flyby of Enceladus -- the third such flyby in just a few weeks -- the Cassini mission elected to take a SAR swath instead of using the optical instruments for once. So here it is: the first-ever SAR swath on Enceladus. In fact, the only other places we've ever done SAR imaging are Earth, the Moon, Venus, Iapetus, and Titan.
One-astronaut game of baseball in the International Space Station
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/01 07:18 CST
A fun video of Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa playing baseball aboard the ISS.
At last, I've finished my scale solar system presentation slide/poster
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/12/01 01:22 CST
A presentation providing a correctly scaled, reasonably correctly colored view of the largest bodies in the solar system is made available for use by teachers, professors, and informal educators.
Reviews of two modular toys: Modular Robotics Cubelets and Sifteo Cubes
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/30 06:08 CST | 2 comments
Reviews of two modular toys: Modular Robotics Cubelets and Sifteo Cubes
Reviews of space-themed books & products for young children
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/30 01:13 CST
Reviews of space-themed books & products for young children
What's up in the solar system in December 2011
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/29 03:57 CST
What's up in the solar system in December 2011
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/29 09:35 CST
Bye-bye, Curiosity
The 70-meter dishes of the Deep Space Network
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/28 05:06 CST
I was inspired by my recent trip to Goldstone to put together this poster showing all three of the great 70-meter dishes of the Deep Space Network. There's one at each of the three complexes, at Goldstone, at Robledo (near Madrid, Spain), and at Tidbinbilla (near Canberra, Australia).
How did they make the nuclear power source for the Curiosity rover?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/28 03:07 CST
Maybe it's because I was a kid during the Cold War; I always assume that information about anything nuclear only comes out on that "need-to-know basis."
Curiosity is on its way to Mars!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/26 09:09 CST
It was a textbook launch for the Atlas V 541 today at 15:02 UTC, and within an hour after liftoff, the Centaur second stage had sent Curiosity on its way for an 8.5-month journey to Mars.
Mars Exploration Family Portrait
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/23 12:26 CST | 1 comments
Jason Davis put together this neat summary of the checkered history of Mars exploration.
Brief contact made with Phobos-Grunt after two weeks of silence
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/23 11:29 CST
Brief contact made with Phobos-Grunt after two weeks of silence
Curiosity in context: Not exactly "Viking on wheels," but close
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/21 06:51 CST
Curiosity in context: Not exactly "Viking on wheels," but close
Book Review: Atlas of the Galilean Satellites, by Paul Schenk
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/18 12:59 CST
Book Review: Atlas of the Galilean Satellites, by Paul Schenk
Is Europa's ice thin or thick? At chaos terrain, it's both!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/17 04:32 CST | 6 comments
Is Europa's ice thin or thick? At chaos terrain, it's both!
Our friendly neighborhood asteroid, 2005 YU55 (an animation)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/16 02:58 CST
Our friendly neighborhood asteroid, 2005 YU55 (an animation)
Book Review: A More Perfect Heaven, by Dava Sobel
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/15 10:12 CST
Book Review: A More Perfect Heaven, by Dava Sobel
Phobos-Grunt status, launch plus six days
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/14 06:37 CST
Phobos-Grunt status, launch plus six days
A little fun with Deep Impact deep-sky data
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/14 05:44 CST
Last week, the team put all of the data from Deep Impact's deep-sky imaging session online, and challenged visitors to see what they could make from it. I made some photos of M51, but there were some challenges.
How to move a shuttle across Los Angeles
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/14 04:48 CST
How to move a shuttle across Los Angeles
Phobos-Grunt summary, three days after launch
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/11 02:51 CST
Phobos-Grunt summary, three days after launch
Phobos-Grunt status, two days after launch
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/10 12:07 CST
Phobos-Grunt status, two days after launch
Goldstone: Desert outpost performs radio imaging of close-passing asteroid 2005 YU55
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/09 06:52 CST
Goldstone: Desert outpost performs radio imaging of close-passing asteroid 2005 YU55
Phobos-Grunt, the morning after
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/09 09:04 CST
Phobos-Grunt, the morning after
A serious problem on Phobos-Grunt
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/08 05:29 CST
A serious problem on Phobos-Grunt
Live feeds on asteroid 2005 YU55 as it passes Earth
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/08 03:45 CST
Live feeds on asteroid 2005 YU55 as it passes Earth
Phobos-Grunt and Phobos LIFE, with Yinghuo-1, have launched!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/08 02:12 CST
Phobos-Grunt and Phobos LIFE, with Yinghuo-1, have launched!
How radio telescopes get "images" of asteroids
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/08 10:52 CST
How radio telescopes get "images" of asteroids
Phobos-Grunt and Yinghuo-1 poised for liftoff
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/08 08:00 CST
Phobos-Grunt and Yinghuo-1 poised for liftoff
Phobos-Grunt and Yinghuo-1 now encapsulated in their fairing (lots of photos)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/04 03:24 CDT
Phobos-Grunt and Yinghuo-1 now encapsulated in their fairing (lots of photos)
Curiosity stacked for launch, still waiting for plutonium power source installation
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/04 12:43 CDT
Curiosity stacked for launch, still waiting for plutonium power source installation
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/03 05:27 CDT
Print publications galore!
Deep Impact goes for the deep sky
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/02 04:59 CDT
Deep Impact goes for the deep sky
Book Reviews: Otherworldly skies, real and imagined
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/02 02:12 CDT
Book Reviews: Otherworldly skies, real and imagined
What do Dawn's color ratio images of Vesta mean?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/11/01 07:58 CDT
What do Dawn's color ratio images of Vesta mean?
Scale solar system presentation slide, version 2
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/31 01:14 CDT
Scale solar system presentation slide, version 2
NPP Earth observatory launched successfully, and I was there!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/28 06:17 CDT
NPP Earth observatory launched successfully, and I was there!
NPP Tweetup schedule and launch timeline
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/26 04:39 CDT
NPP Tweetup schedule and launch timeline
What's up in the solar system in November 2011
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/25 04:26 CDT
What's up in the solar system in November 2011
Mars Climate Sounder confirms a Martian weather prediction
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/25 01:30 CDT
Mars Climate Sounder confirms a Martian weather prediction
Science from Vesta at the Geological Society of America meeting
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/24 05:55 CDT
Science from Vesta at the Geological Society of America meeting
NPP's launching next week, and I'll be there to see it! (Hopefully.)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/21 05:39 CDT
NPP's launching next week, and I'll be there to see it! (Hopefully.)
Pretty pictures & movies: Eye candy from two recent Cassini Enceladus flybys
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/20 12:35 CDT
Pretty pictures & movies: Eye candy from two recent Cassini Enceladus flybys
NOVA: Finding Life Beyond Earth airs tonight, with lots of planetary stars
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/19 02:10 CDT
NOVA: Finding Life Beyond Earth airs tonight, with lots of planetary stars
A new trick for IKAROS: spinning the other way
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/19 01:49 CDT
A new trick for IKAROS: spinning the other way
Book Reviews: Two books that deliver knowledge in little chunks
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/18 07:55 CDT
Book Reviews: Two books that deliver knowledge in little chunks
Phobos-Grunt unpacked! With Yinghuo-1 and LIFE!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/18 02:01 CDT | 1 comments
Phobos-Grunt unpacked! With Yinghuo-1 and LIFE!
Heads up! ROSAT is coming down this week
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/17 07:44 CDT
Heads up! ROSAT is coming down this week
Phobos-Grunt update; lots of new images and video!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/14 05:39 CDT
Phobos-Grunt update; lots of new images and video!
Eris and embargoes (or: don't fear Ingelfinger!)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/12 04:49 CDT
Eris and embargoes (or: don't fear Ingelfinger!)
Lovely pic of a recent crater on Vesta
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/11 08:28 CDT
Lovely pic of a recent crater on Vesta
Photos: Preparations for Curiosity's launch proceeding (don't show these to Blofeld!)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/11 11:27 CDT
Photos: Preparations for Curiosity's launch proceeding (don't show these to Blofeld!)
Saturnlit moon, sunlit fountains
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/07 06:00 CDT
Saturnlit moon, sunlit fountains
Notes from Day 5 of the EPSC/DPS meeting: Saturn's storm, Phobos, and Lutetia
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/07 07:09 CDT
Notes from Day 5 of the EPSC/DPS meeting: Saturn's storm, Phobos, and Lutetia
Notes from EPSC/DPS NASA Night
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/07 03:53 CDT
Notes from EPSC/DPS NASA Night
Notes from Day 3 of the EPSC/DPS meeting (all about MESSENGER)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/05 11:04 CDT
Notes from Day 3 of the EPSC/DPS meeting (all about MESSENGER)
Brief notes from Day 2 of the DPS-EPSC meeting
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/04 11:18 CDT
Brief notes from Day 2 of the DPS-EPSC meeting
Some first impressions of EPSC-DPS meeting
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/10/03 11:55 CDT
Some first impressions of EPSC-DPS meeting
Off to France! DPS-EPSC 2011 (a big planetary meeting)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/30 11:40 CDT
Off to France! DPS-EPSC 2011 (a big planetary meeting)
What's up in the solar system in October 2011
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/29 12:12 CDT
What's up in the solar system in October 2011
Pretty pictures: Dancing moons
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/28 12:28 CDT
Pretty pictures: Dancing moons
Finally, an official statement on UARS' exact reentry time and location
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/27 12:25 CDT
Finally, an official statement on UARS' exact reentry time and location
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/26 01:57 CDT
MAVEN's baby picture
Readers: Help me identify "greatest hit" blog entries?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/26 12:03 CDT
Readers: Help me identify "greatest hit" blog entries?
The latest HiRISE view of Opportunity, on Endeavour's rim
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/24 10:19 CDT
The latest HiRISE view of Opportunity, on Endeavour's rim
Tethys and Dione don't seem to be active after all
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/23 01:09 CDT
Tethys and Dione don't seem to be active after all
Professor Michael Drake, Ph.D. (1946-2011)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/21 06:25 CDT
Professor Michael Drake, Ph.D. (1946-2011)
Keeping track of UARS' reentry
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/21 01:40 CDT
Keeping track of UARS' reentry
Reading Itokawa's life history from microscopic samples
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/20 01:58 CDT
Reading Itokawa's life history from microscopic samples
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/19 12:46 CDT
Video: Soaring over Earth
Lou Friedman: Students design human asteroid mission in Caltech Space Challenge
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/19 11:55 CDT
Lou Friedman: Students design human asteroid mission in Caltech Space Challenge
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/16 08:44 CDT
Video: Zooming around Vesta
Scale solar system presentation slide, a provisional version for you to review
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/15 02:18 CDT
Scale solar system presentation slide, a provisional version for you to review
Dawn's cryptic image release titles
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/14 04:44 CDT
Dawn's cryptic image release titles
New Horizons Day 2: Liquids on Pluto's surface?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/13 01:27 CDT
Jeff Moore's presentation was cool because of the discussion it stimulated. He considered what exogenic processes might be operating on Pluto's surface. What's an exogenic process? It's something that modifies the shape of the surface from the outside, and doesn't require the body to be geologically active inside.
Pretty picture: Talking to GRAIL
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/12 07:47 CDT
Pretty picture: Talking to GRAIL
GRAIL A and B are on their way to the Moon!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/10 09:55 CDT
GRAIL A and B are on their way to the Moon!
Here we go again: GRAIL set to launch today
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/10 07:02 CDT
Here we go again: GRAIL set to launch today
Weekend watching: 3D Movie from Mars
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2011/09/09 07:07 CDT
Weekend watching: 3D Movie from Mars
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