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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Falcon 9 ready for first flight
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is poised for its maiden flight tomorrow, Friday, June 4, between 11:00 and 15:00 Eastern time.
Lou Friedman is "our man in Japan" to watch IKAROS sail deployment
Planetary Society Executive Director Lou Friedman is now in Japan, joining the rest of the IKAROS team to watch the eagerly anticipated deployment of its solar sails.
A NEW! Impact on Jupiter
On the same day as a team of astronomers released new Hubble Space Telescope images of last year's Jupiter impact, the original discoverer of the 2009 impact scar, Anthony Wesley, reported on an amateur astronomy forum that he had observed a new impact on Jupiter.
Phoenix is dead...long live Phoenix!
The latest HiRISE images of the Phoenix polar lander, taken near Mars' northern summer solstice, show why we haven't heard from the spacecraft since it fell silent on November 2, 2008: it appears the solar panels have collapsed.
An Astronaut's-Eye View of Mars
An Astronaut's-Eye View of Mars
What's up in the solar system in June 2010
The greatest drama in June 2010 will come from two Japanese missions.
Dawn Journal: Surveying Vesta
After more than 2.5 years of spaceflight, and more than 6 months in the asteroid belt, Dawn's interplanetary journey continues smoothly.
Photo proof of good progress on IKAROS sail deployment
We have photo proof that the multi-step process of the deployment of IKAROS' square solar sail is going according to plan!
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Spirit Sleeps through Solstice, Opportunity Cruises Past Viking Record
The Mars Exploration Rovers made it through their fourth winter solstice in what is the coldest, most challenging Martian winter the twin robot field geologists have experienced.
Progress on WISE's asteroid survey
I wrote some time ago about the expectations for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)'s contributions to solar system science. A couple of days ago, JPL posted an image and movie documenting the progress to date.
Is this the eastward turn we've all been waiting for?
As I discussed on Monday, Opportunity is in the middle of a lengthy trek toward a crater named Endeavour and its tantalizing upraised smectite-bearing rim.
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.
Using Earth to Study the Moon
Exploring Earth analogues of space landscapes is a valuable activity that can help planetary scientists correctly interpret what their instruments are telling them.
Initial checkout of IKAROS complete
JAXA has posted a short update on their solar sailcraft IKAROS.
The goal of Opportunity's trek
Opportunity's kilometers-long march across the sands of Meridiani Planum is a great story, and the journey is fun to follow; but what could be worth such a long march?
Akatsuki captures goodbye shots of Earth
Three of Akatsuki's six science instruments have now checked in as operating normally, producing lovely photos of the receding homeworld.
All's well on IKAROS and Shin-en
Today JAXA posted a very brief mission status update on the IKAROS spacecraft, launched yesterday along with Akatsuki. Brief is good; all's well.
Official launch and landing dates announced for Curiosity
Yesterday the Jet Propulsion Laboratory formally announced the launch dates chosen for Curiosity, the next generation Mars rover also known as Mars Science Laboratory.
Voyager 2's flipped bit fixed
A happy ending to this story: JPL reported yesterday evening that the flipped bit in Voyager 2's flight data system software has been successfully toggled back to its correct value.
Akatsuki, IKAROS, UNITEC-1, and your names are on their way to Venus
It was a picture-perfect launch for three Venus-bound spacecraft this morning: the Akatsuki Venus orbiter, the IKAROS solar sail, and a university-built minisat named UNITEC-1.