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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
In pictures: Russian cargo ship shuffle underway
Russian ISS controllers are in the process of swapping out a trash-filled cargo ship for a new one bearing fresh supplies, following the successful launch of a Progress spacecraft from Kazakhstan today.
Selfies, messages and names delivered for LightSail 2 flight
A miniature DVD containing images of space fans and names of Planetary Society members and supporters is ready to fly in space.
In pictures: Beautiful night launch sends Cygnus on its way
Here's a photo roundup from last night's Atlas V launch, which sent a Cygnus cargo craft on its way to the International Space Station.
Tonight's Cygnus launch kicks off three ISS cargo runs in three weeks
Just days after receiving three new crew members, the ISS is about to become a veritable shipping hub, as three cargo ships launch to the orbital laboratory in as little as three weeks.
Expedition 47 preview: Astronaut Jeff Williams' career spans history of ISS
NASA astronaut Jeff Williams embarks on his fourth trip to the ISS tomorrow. He launches aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur with cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka at 5:26 p.m. EDT (21:26 UTC).
Rulers in space! LightSail 2 equipped with boom fiducials
How will we tell if LightSail 2's booms are fully deployed? With fiducials—visual reference guides that feature our signature Planetary Society logo.
First SLS flight engine test goes the distance in Mississippi
A rocket engine that once blasted space shuttles into orbit was test-fired today in Mississippi, in preparation for its upcoming duty launching an astronaut crew to the moon.
Veteran space shuttle engine to be test-fired for SLS in Mississippi
An veteran engine from the space shuttle program will be test-fired tomorrow at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, kicking off the next round of Space Launch System flight preparations.
A tribute to Scott Kelly, astronaut and human being
Thanks to social media, we get to know individual astronauts better than we have at any other time in the history of spaceflight.
One-year crew all smiles after safe landing in Kazakhstan
Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko are safely back on Earth today after 340 days in space. The one-year crew duo, along with Sergey Volkov, touched down in Kazahkstan Wednesday morning.
Meet LightSail 2, The Planetary Society's new solar sailing CubeSat
The Planetary Society's solar sailing CubeSat has a new designation: LightSail 2. To celebrate the name change, we're releasing a new video showing footage from a late January sail deployment at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
One-year ISS mission draws to a close
Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko are set to return to Earth next week after their record-breaking, year-long mission aboard the International Space Station.
Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly alert: SpaceX doesn't expect to stick upcoming rocket landing
SpaceX is launching the SES-9 communications satellite to geostationary transfer orbit. But the company says a successful first stage drone ship landing is
Virgin Galactic Unveils New SpaceShipTwo
Nearly 16 months after Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo was destroyed in a fatal accident, the company is getting ready to fly again.
In Pictures: Cygnus Takes out the Trash
Early this morning, Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra released a trash-filled Cygnus cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station. Orbital ATK flight controllers will send Cygnus into Earth's atmosphere for a controlled reentry Saturday morning.
SLS Mockup Finds Path through Southern U.S.
The SLS core stage pathfinder is a 65-meter-long, full-size mockup of the actual rocket's main section. Just like SLS, building, assembling and utilizing the pathfinder involves multiple contractors and NASA centers around the southern U.S.
SLS CubeSats to Set Sail for Deep Space
When SLS launches Orion to the moon in 2018, a fleet of deep space CubeSats will come along for the ride, including a solar sailing spacecraft similar to LightSail.
In Pictures: Orion Assembled and Shipped to Kennedy Space Center
The shell of NASA's next Orion spacecraft has been welded together and shipped to Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Here's a photo recap of the assembly and transport process.
First Look: Newest LightSail Spacecraft Unfurls Solar Sails
The Planetary Society's LightSail spacecraft successfully deployed its solar sails Thursday, wrapping up an initial round of system-level tests to prepare the CubeSat for flight.
NASA Stays on Course for Asteroid Redirect Target
NASA still plans to pluck a boulder off the surface of asteroid 2008 EV5, return it to lunar orbit and send a crew of astronauts for a visit in about ten years.