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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Dawn Journal: More Bad Weather
Just after the previous log was posted, further predictions of poor weather at Cape Canaveral and difficulties with a downrange launch vehicle tracking system required a launch postponement.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Spirit Detours in Silica Valley, Opportunity Returns to Duck Bay to Enter Victoria
The Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) spent the month of June finishing work and clearing their agendas at their respective locales at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum in preparation for highly anticipated new assignments in July.
Bedtime for New Horizons
According to the mission website, the New Horizons spacecraft has drifted off to sleep, entering its
Dawn Journal: What to Expect After the Launch
Now only two weeks away from its planned launch, Dawn is eagerly awaiting the beginning of its cosmic adventure.
Mars Science Laboratory is going to be HUGE
Yesterday I deposited the baby with her grandmother and went to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for a press junket to the opening of their new Mars Yard.
Spirit gets brushed off
There was great news last night from Mars Exploration Rover mission operations: Spirit seems to have enjoyed another
The original "Puddles on Mars" story has been retracted
Today, New Scientist and researcher Ron Levin retracted the
...and MESSENGER's flyby was successful!
The Applied Physics Lab issued a press release this evening stating that the MESSENGER mission's second flyby of Venus was successful.
Flyby of Venus Speeds MESSENGER Onward to Mercury
The MESSENGER spacecraft is zeroing in on Venus for the most significant gravity assist maneuver of its long journey to Mercury.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Spirit Finds "Explosive" Evidence of Past Water, Opportunity Revs Up, Revisits Cape of Good Hope
The Mars Exploration Rovers sent home field reports this past month -- some 1,200 days into their missions -- that drew gasps of amazement from both the science and engineering teams.
Mimas, Dione, Rhea
There's been quite a lot of Mars on this page for the last week; it's time to remind ourselves that there are other places besides Mars in the solar system.
Windows Onto the Abyss: Cave Skylights on Mars
Today's set of image releases from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE team included this one, of a fairly bland-looking lava plain to the northeast of Arsia Mons. Bland, that is, except for a black spot in the center.
New territory on Titan
The other day I posted a global view of Titan featuring new territory near the north pole. Now the imaging team has released a much higher resolution version of this view.
Many Cassini views of Tethys
Here we bring you fifteen different Cassini views of the same world, a cratered ball of ice called Tethys.
Twilit (probable) lakes near Titan's north pole
This is a cool picture that was released a couple of weeks ago by Cassini's camera team.
Tvashtar erupting -- the movie
I practically fell out of my chair when I saw this movie.
MESSENGER aims for Venus
The MESSENGER team announced today that they accomplished the penultimate trajectory correction maneuver necessary to line the spacecraft up for its second gravity-assist flyby of Venus.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Spirit Finds Past Water at Home, Opportunity Takes in Tierra del Fuego
The Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) traveled to new targets and made discoveries ranging from the magnificent to the mundane in April, four fast weeks that essentially led both of the twin robot field geologists to the next phase of their explorations.
Cassini observes a new face of Iapetus
Cassini has just begun its 44th orbit of Saturn (called Rev 43), and is starting it off with lots of views of famously two-faced Iapetus.
Dione's south pole
Cassini got a nice