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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
3QD Finalist!
It looks like my MSL: Mars Action Hero post is a finalist in the 3 Quarks Daily science blogging contest. The winners will be chosen by none other than Richard Dawkins.
Preparing for Hayabusa's return
Only about 40 hours remain for the Hayabusa mission. Its dramatic entry will take place at 14:00 UTC on Sunday, June 13.
Titan's rivers are square
There's a new
IKAROS: Successful sail deployment and solar power generation! Hooray!!
JAXA finally issued the formal announcement: they successfully expanded IKAROS' square sail!
Big hunks of carbonate rock on Mars at last
Carbonate rocks should be all over Mars. But it's been hard to find carbonates—surprisingly so.
Hayabusa: Waiting
We're in the final days of the Hayabusa mission, but until Sunday I think we're in a state of
U.S. Citizens: Please write your elected representatives about restarting plutonium-238 production!
I'm hereby posting a request that was sent earlier today to members of the Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society by its chair, Candy Hansen.
Hayabusa's final approach on target; Japan's ready to receive samples
Hayabusa's final maneuver, a three-hour
Progress -- with pictures! -- on IKAROS' sail deployment
Several pictures from the sail deployment monitoring cameras showed up on the IKAROS blog overnight.
Hayabusa: "I did my best!"
While he was in Japan to observe IKAROS' sail deployment, Lou Friedman couldn't help but notice the country's excitement over the impending return of Hayabusa.
Full Triple-J Laser Interview
Hey, remember when I was randomly interviewed by the Australian radio station triple j a few weeks ago as part of their feature on the 50th anniversary of the laser?
IKAROS team proceeds with final stage of sail deployment!
Just a brief update on IKAROS: According to their blog, JAXA has decided to proceed with the final stage of IKAROS' sail deployment.
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!
A brief history of Hayabusa
For those of you who found my Hayabusa mission recap too long, here's a graphical version of the history of the Hayabusa mission.
Bill Nye Signs on as Planetary Society's New Executive Director
Bill Nye the Science Guy® will take the helm as the new Executive Director of the Planetary Society.
Six days left for Hayabusa: A recap of the mission
The Hayabusa spacecraft is about to die. On Sunday, June 13, at 14:00 UTC, Hayabusa will burn up in Earth's atmosphere, bringing its dramatic seven-year mission to an end.
IKAROS update: Rotation rate inexplicably increasing
JAXA's end-of-Sunday update on IKAROS' status gives more details about an issue they are working on the spacecraft. The spacecraft itself is in perfect health, but its dynamics are different from what was expected.
IKAROS sail deployment delayed until at least Tuesday
This is just a brief update to yesterday's post to add a few sentences that Lou wanted to hold until JAXA had had a chance to issue an official statement.
Taking things slowly with IKAROS sail deployment
Planetary Society Executive Director Lou Friedman was at JAXA's Japanese Space Exploration Center to observe the deployment of IKAROS' solar sails.
Planetary Society Hails Falcon 9 Test as Great Achievement
The Planetary Society today issued this statement congratulating SpaceX on the test flight of Falcon 9.