Planetary Society Blog

SpaceX Dragon flight to ISS draws near

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:40:29 -0500

SpaceX and NASA have completed a successful flight readiness review (FRR) for the Dragon's upcoming visit to the International Space Station.

Cool video: Jupiter, its moons, a comet, and...the Sun?

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:45:51 -0500

No description available

Third Martian Anniversary for Mars Climate Sounder

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:34:59 -0500

May 16, 2012 is the third martian anniversary of the start of Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) observations from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. MCS started measuring the atmosphere of Mars three Mars years ago, on September 24, 2006. We can now compare the weather and behavior of the atmosphere in three different years, and find the temperature differences to be surprisingly large.

Earth’s toughest life could survive on Mars

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:22:14 -0500

The surface of Mars is a tough place to survive, but researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) found some lichens and cyanobacteria tough enough to handle those conditions.

Night Sky Guide for Summer 2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:44:14 -0500

This summer should provide great opportunities for stargazers to view planets, meteor showers, the transit of Venus, and for some, the annular solar eclipse. Check out these highlights of what you can look forward to this summer.

Rovers in the desert

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:02:17 -0500

I took a field trip to watch scientists and engineers play in the sand with Mars rover models, and got a bonus tour of some evidence for the "Snowball Earth" hypothesis.

Opportunity is a ROVER again!

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:42:59 -0500

After driving off Greeley Haven – where she stood patiently for 19 long weeks – Opportunity is now driving again. Not just turning, not just bumping, but driving.

In which I sit in a Soyuz capsule with a Real Live Astronaut

Wed, 09 May 2012 22:50:05 -0500

Emily Lakdawalla is ready to launch to space with Shuttle astronaut Mike Massimino, who guest-starred (as an astronaut, of course) on the fifth season finale of the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory.

Bringing a little star power to Capitol Hill

Wed, 09 May 2012 20:15:22 -0500

On May 8, 2012, Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson brought their unique brand of motivational speaking to Capitol Hill. In a standing-room-only lunch discussion in one of the meeting rooms for the Committee on Space, Science, Technology, these two space superstars, along with planetary scientist Louise Prockter, explained to members of Congress, staffers, and media why we must continue to invest in planetary exploration.

Space Hangout with Britney Schmidt

Wed, 09 May 2012 19:51:02 -0500

Watch a conversation I had with planetary astronomer Britney Schmidt about Europa and the current state of outer planets exploration! Also, bonus video of an earlier hangout with Robbie Herrick.