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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
A rare clear day in Alaska
NASA recently shared a gloriously detailed image of an unusual clear day in Alaska as seen from the Terra satellite.
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.
Laser Bees Papers
For those wishing to bore into more details of our Laser Bees project itself, graduate student Alison Gibbings from the University of Strathclyde has sent their technical paper that resulted from the 2013 Planetary Defense Conference.
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.
Programmable Mars Watch for $50
Time is kept differently on Mars. This is because Mars itself rotates a little slower than Earth. This proves to be a pain when it comes to timekeeping.
The Goal is Mars
Today, The Planetary Society submitted our white paper to the National Research Council's call for
Scale comparisons of the solar system's major moons
A few presentation slides with pretty pictures, sized to scale, of the large moons of the solar system.
The Summer Solstice 2013 issue of The Planetary Report is out!
I’m happy to tell you that the Summer Solstice 2013 issue of The Planetary Report is hot off the presses and Is in the mail.
Uranus or Bust (and on a budget)
New plans may make a mission to Uranus affordable within NASA's new, constrained budget.
In-flight entertainment: cameras aboard the Space Launch System
When the Space Launch System lifts off on its inaugural flight in 2017, eight engineering cameras will collect crucial in-flight data while providing breathtaking views for the public.
Field Report From Mars: Sol 3355 - July 2, 2013
By Sol 3325 Opportunity has driven up onto the next
Found a Killer Asteroid? Who Ya Gonna Call?
Astronomer Timothy Spahr directs the Minor Planet Center, the global clearinghouse for asteroids, comets and other relatively small objects in the solar system, including moons. He also coordinates the Society's Shoemaker NEO grant program.
The Ice Pits of Mars
The south polar cap of Mars is riddled with strange landscapes.
Hubble captures time-lapse of comet ISON
The Hubble Space Telescope captured a series of images showing Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) plunging toward the sun.
Mars Exploration Rovers Mission Update: Opportunity Continues Sprint to Solander Point
The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission celebrated its 10th anniversary of leaving Earth in June, as Opportunity continued the sprint to its next winter haven at Endeavour Crater.
PlanetVac Moving Forward
Meet the PlanetVac team and learn their general plan and what they are doing now. PlanetVac is a newly started Planetary Society and Honeybee Robotics project to test a pneumatic system to sample planetary surfaces.
A patriotic return to space
When Space Shuttle Discovery launched on its 1988 return-to-flight mission, it was a big moment for NASA and America.
Dawn Journal: Breaking Velocity Records
The indefatigable Dawn spacecraft is continuing its extraordinary interplanetary flight on behalf of inquisitive creatures on distant Earth. Progressing ever farther from Vesta, the rocky and rugged world it so recently explored, the ship is making good progress toward its second port of call, dwarf planet Ceres.
Russian rocket crashes in spectacular explosion
A Russian Proton-M rocket veered off course and crashed in a nearby field shortly after liftoff from Baikonur, Kazahkstan.
PlanetVac Project Underway
The Planetary Society's PlanetVac project with Honeybee Robotics is now fully underway. Here we provide a just released statement by Honeybee, and an introduction to this lab test of a new planetary surface sampling system.