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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
LightSail Completes Testing, Announcement Expected in January
The Planetary Society's LightSail spacecraft successfully completed testing to prepare it for a possible 2015 test flight.
Pretty Pictures of the Cosmos: Strange and spooky
Award-winning astrophotographer Adam Block shares his haunting images of three different types of nebulae.
InSight assembly begins
NASA's next Mars lander is becoming real, now under construction at Lockheed Martin.
Brief Venus Express update: Not quite dead yet
Venus Express is still alive and talking to Earth, but may fall into Venus' atmosphere in January.
The YORP Effect and Bennu
The YORP effect is a phenomenon that affects the rotation rate and pole orientation of an asteroid. YORP is an acronym that combines four scientist’s names: Yarkovsky, O’Keefe, Radzievskii, and Paddack.
Book Review: “The Art of Space: The History of Space Art, From the Earliest Visions to the Graphics of the Modern Era”
Mat Kaplan reviews a comprehensive new collection of historic and modern space art from author and superb space artist Ron Miller.
[Updated] The CRomnibus Comes Through for NASA and Planetary Science
The U.S. budget cycle for fiscal year 2015 is coming to an end. Should Congress pass the so-called CRomnibus bill as-is, NASA would see its highest funding level since 2011 and a great increase to its Planetary Science Division.
Revisiting Uranus with Voyager 2
Amateur image processor Björn Jónsson brings us some new views of Uranus from reprocessed Voyager 2 data.
China plans a Mars rover and orbiter for 2020 launch opportunity
China is moving forward with plans to launch an orbiter and rover to Mars in the 2020 launch opportunity. The Mars program also includes plans for sample return in 2030.
First Look Photographs of Orion's Return to Dry Land
NASA's Orion spacecraft is back on dry land following its offloading from the USS Anchorage late Monday night. Here are some selected photographs by Kevin Baird.
New Views of Ancient Martian Landscapes
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter just keeps delivering remarkable scenes from the Red Planet.
What Happens When Space Projects Go Over Budget? The Curious Case of MSL’s Overrun
Jason Callahan takes a detailed look at the effects of Curiosity's cost overruns on NASA's budget.
Onward! The Planetary Society's Strategic Plan through 2017
As 2014 comes to a close, The Planetary Society steps into our 35th anniversary year with a new strategic plan.
Ceres is round!
Okay, so the fact that Ceres is round is not news. It's still thrilling to see Ceres begin to come into focus as a round world.
Orion Returns to Earth after Successful Test Flight
NASA’s Orion spacecraft returned safely to Earth this morning after what looked like a flawless four hour, 24-minute test flight.
In Pictures: Orion's Scrub, from the Vehicle Assembly Building
Here are some scenes from launch day, shot from the unique perspective of the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Orion Scrub Report: Sticky Hydrogen Valves
Windy weather and stuck liquid hydrogen valves forced a one-day delay of the maiden voyage of NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
The New Horizons science mission to the Pluto-Charon system is about to begin
It's been a long journey, but it's nearly over: New Horizons is just about ready to begin its science mission to Pluto, Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. I'll remind you of New Horizons' capabilities and simulate how Pluto will appear in optical navigation images.
Hayabusa2 launches toward asteroid rendezvous
Hayabusa2 successfully launched on December 3, 2014 at 04:22 UTC, and embarked on its interplanetary journey about two hours later. During the launch, cameras captured video of the spacecraft fairing separation.
Orion L-1 Report: Go for Launch
The stage is set for NASA’s Orion spacecraft to launch on a two-orbit, four-hour shakedown cruise tomorrow morning. Patrick Air Force Base’s 45th Weather Squadron changed their forecast of an on-time launch to 70 percent—up from the 40 percent chances that marked the start of the week.