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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
More from the Ozma@50 Workshop
Today's sessions at the Ozma@50 conference stretched the mind as these multidisciplinary gatherings usually do.
Report from SETI workshop marking 50 years since Project Ozma
Jon Lomberg repots from NRAO--the National Radio Astronomy Observatory-- in Greenbank, West Virginia on a SETI workshop marking the 50th anniversary of Project Ozma.
Successor to Mars Climate Orbiter will fly aboard ExoMars
Congratulations to the Mars Climate Sounder team on winning a spot for a successor instrument aboard the next Mars orbiter, the joint NASA-ESA ExoMars, set to launch in 2016.
The Potential to Destroy Civilization? Now on YouTube
Visualization can help the brain comprehend what words and numbers can struggle to covey. There's a YouTube video posted by
Tracing the Big Picture of Mars' Atmosphere
One of the instruments on a 2016 mission to orbit Mars will provide daily maps of global, pole-to-pole, vertical distributions of the temperature, dust, water vapor and ice clouds in the Martian atmosphere.
New Pulsar Discovery Shows Power of Citizen Scientists and Planetary Society Members
Planetary Society members have reason to celebrate today, with the on-line publication in Science of the discovery of a new pulsar by three citizen-scientists working with Einstein@home, a descendant of the SETI@home project.
LightSail team learns from IKAROS
While we were in New York for the International Solar Sailing Symposium last week, we held a meeting with the Japanese IKAROS team to discuss technical results and issues in our two projects.
From the Solar Sail Symposium in New York
This week, Bill Nye and I are attending the International Solar Sail Symposium at the New York College of Technology.
Observing the Martian Atmosphere for Two Mars Years
June 29, 2010 was the second Martian anniversary of the start of Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) observations at Mars.
LightSail 1 Passes Critical Design Review
LightSail 1, the Planetary Society's new ultra-light Cubesat-based solar sail spacecraft, has passed its Critical Design Review.
Apply for a Shoemaker NEO Grant! Deadline extended to June 24
Amateur astronomers, get your proposals in for this year's round of Shoemaker NEO Grants!
Firming Up the Spacecraft Design
The LightSail 1 spacecraft development is proceeding well. Our engineering team has completed crucial milestones to building the vehicle that will demonstrate the value and potential of using sunlight alone to propel exploratory craft through space.
Photos of your names on the IKAROS spacecraft
IKAROS, Japan's solar sail, is nearly ready for launch, piggybacked behind the Venus orbiter Akatsuki.
Akatsuki and IKAROS getting ready for launch, with your names aboard
I've been so focused on the dramatic return of
Updates on Shoemaker NEO Grant Recipients (18 March 2010)
Our past Shoemaker NEO grant recipients have once again shown themselves to be a hardworking and enterprising group.
Making a difference through the Shoemaker NEO Grants
Amir Alexander has just posted an update on the activities of the most recent winners of the Shoemaker NEO Grants.
Propose for a Shoemaker Near Earth Object Grant
Are you a serious amateur astronomer who enjoys the challenge of following up on the discoveries of faint near-Earth objects?
Planetary Society Researcher Max Rocca Discovers Largest Impact Crater in South America
It was January of 2004 when the elegant curve of the Vichada first caught the attention of geologist Max Rocca of Buenos Aires. Could the course of the river have been shaped by the circular outlines of an impact crater? Rocca decided to find out.
WISE has found its first comet, P/2010 B2 (WISE)
Having discovered its first asteroid on January 12, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has now officially discovered its first comet, P/2010 B2 (WISE).
What Will Be the Top Space Story in 2010?
What do you think will be the top trend in space in 2010? In his Cosmic Log on MSNBC, Alan Boyle suggests that The Planetary Society's solar sailing project may be a contender.