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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
NASA's Europa Mission Concept Rejects ASRGs -- May Use Solar Panels at Jupiter Instead
The Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) is no longer an option for powering a potential Europa mission. The ASRG uses Plutonium-238 to generate electricity, but is far more efficient than past RTGs.
NASA Backs Off From Additional Planetary Cuts in 2013
The final operating plan for the space agency provided $75 million more to planetary exploration than initially proposed.
SpaceNews Highlights the Planetary Society's Advocacy Work
The Planetary Society is
August Advocacy Update: Where We Stand
Planetary exploration sees strong support from both parties in the current budget process, but we have a long way to go before a budget is passed this year.
One Year on Mars: My Favorite Moments from Planetfest 2012
It seems like it was just yesterday that 2000 people gathered in the Pasadena Convention Center to celebrate Curiosity's landing on Mars. All of Planetfest 2012 is online for your enjoyment.
Civil Servant Responsible for Government STEM Restructuring Identified
The government employee responsible for the proposed restructuring of all STEM programs in 2014 has been identified by the journal Science. The initiative faces resistance from both Congress and the scientific community, who feel that they were not consulted during the decision making process.
"NASA non-concurs"
NASA responds to its advisory council's recommendations from April of this year.
Remembering the Pluto Campaign: A Success Story
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.
Congress Rejects NASA's First Operating Plan
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
This budget, if enacted, would be the smallest budget NASA has seen since the mid '80s, when adjusted for inflation.
Dueling Op-Eds on NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission
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.
We Need Space-Based Detection of Threats, but NASA Shouldn't Pay for It
Early detection is a crucial step in preventing or mitigating threats from space, but it's not NASA's job.
If we started today, how long would it take to get to Mars? With this budget, never.
The House of Representatives held a hearing today to discuss their proposed NASA authorization bill, which would fund Planetary Science, cut Earth Science, forbid asteroid retrieval, and command NASA to pursue a path to Mars via the Moon.
Confirmed: NASA Defies the Will of Congress by Raiding Planetary Science Funding [updated]
Despite congressional rejection of massive cuts to Planetary Science this year, NASA has found a way to implement the cuts internally and use the money for other purposes.
Download This One-Page Summary on the Threat to Planetary Science
When we visit Congress, this is what we leave them with. This one page summarizes the entire threat to continued planetary exploration at NASA in the proposed 2014 budget.
Planetary Science Echoes Through the Halls of Congress
The Planetary Society just returned from a big trip to Washington, D.C. to advocate for continued planetary exploration. Here's what happened.
NASA Robs Planetary Science
NASA's leaked operating plan suggests that the agency is raiding money restored to the planetary program this year by Congress.
CEO Bill Nye Joins NASA Advisory Council on Education and Public Outreach
Planetary Society CEO, Bill Nye, just joined the NASA Advisory Council for Education.
House NASA Budget Hearing Live-blog
Live blog of comments and analysis from the House Science Committee's hearing on NASA's 2014 Budget.
Planetary Science Is Fading to Black, Claims New Op-Ed
A powerful new op-ed in SpaceNews traces the inevitable decline of NASA's Planetary Science missions if the current cuts to the program are implemented.



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