Articles

Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.

Meet NASA's Winning Asteroid Redirect Spacecraft, and the Asteroid It May Visit

NASA has decided to pluck a small boulder off a large asteroid, instead of bagging an entire asteroid outright, the agency announced Wednesday.

Report: NASA May Be Hard-Pressed to Launch SLS by November 2018

A report released by NASA’s Office of Inspector General warns that the agency may be hard-pressed to have its Kennedy Space Center launch facilities ready by November 2018.

In Pictures: Expedition 42 Crew Returns to Earth

Three International Space Station crew members are back on Earth today following a morning Soyuz landing on the snowy steppes of Kazakhstan.

NASA and Orbital ATK Complete SLS Booster Test (Updated)

A blast of fire and smoke lit up the hills of Promontory, Utah this morning as NASA and Orbital ATK completed a test firing of a Space Launch System solid rocket booster.

Interview with an SLS Engineer: How Booster Test May Help Drive Golden Spike for Interplanetary Railroad

With NASA and Orbital ATK preparing for an important test tomorrow in Utah, an SLS engineer describes the inner workings of the vehicle's new solid rocket boosters.

Russia Moves to Support ISS through 2024, Create New Space Station

The future of the International Space Station is a little clearer this week, following a statement from Russia supporting an extension of the orbiting complex through 2024.

Spacewalk Timelapse Makes Cable Routing Look Fun

A timelapse video shows two NASA astronauts as they became typical neighborhood cable technicians—except for the fact that they were wearing space suits.

IXV, the Intermediate Experimental Vehicle

Two Days, Two Launches and Three Landings

Within a two-day span, two rocket launches and three ocean landings are scheduled—one of which involves an autonomous spaceport drone ship.

NASA Budget Lists Timelines, Costs and Risks for First SLS Flight

NASA will set the Space Launch System's inaugural flight date at the end of this year, according to the agency's 2016 budget request, which was released on Monday.

Commercial Crew Rivalries: Fun to Watch, Everybody Wins

Now that Boeing and SpaceX have won the high-profile privilege of carrying astronauts to the ISS, they must start making public appearances as reluctant equals.

Reconstructing What Happened at Sea, as Dragon Arrives at Station

Following a routine two-day voyage, SpaceX's Dragon capsule pulled in to port at the International Space Station. Meanwhile, tweets from CEO Elon Musk give clues on what happened at sea.

Dragon Reaches Orbit, but Falcon Stage Crashes on Recovery Ship

SpaceX’s ambitious attempt to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on an autonomous ocean platform was

SpaceX Set to Retry Cargo Run, Rocket Stage Landing (Updated)

SpaceX will attempt to launch a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station and land a used Falcon 9 rocket stage on an uncrewed spaceport in the Atlantic Ocean.

Get an Up-Close Look at the Lunar Surface with These 3D Apollo Images

3D images generated by the Apollo Lunar Surface Closeup Camera give you an idea of how it would look to crouch on the lunar surface with your spacesuit faceplate to the soil.

Video: Ride along with Orion as It Plummets Back to Earth

A new NASA video provides an astronaut's-eye video of the final ten minutes of Orion's test flight.

SpaceX to Attempt First-Ever Ocean Barge Rocket Landing

Early next year, SpaceX will attempt what no agency or company has done before: land a used rocket stage on a floating ocean platform.

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.