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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Carnival of Space #146
Wander on over to Simostronomy for the 146th Carnival of Space!
Opportunity at Concepción from orbit
I saw this image at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference so am happy they released it: a view of Opportunity sitting on the north rim of the little, fresh Concepción crater, taken on sol 2153 (February 13, 2010).
What planet is THIS?
Check out this watery world! It's clearly a computer simulation of something, but of what? Can you guess?
Hayabusa update: Last modifications to Earth return trajectory
An update on Hayabusa posted to the JAXA website by project manager Junichiro Kawaguchi.
Buzz Aldrin on Dancing with the Stars: Week 1
This past Monday night Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin appeared as a contestant on the ABC television program
Where neon falls like rain
As if Titan's methane rain weren't weird enough, Jupiter's now thought to have helium-neon rain.
A new view of Callisto
Here's a lovely amateur-produced color image of Jupiter's moon Callisto, or, as its artist Daniel Macháček calls it,
"He walked on the Moon. Now let's see what those feet can do on Earth."
Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin is about to add another line to his resume when he appears on the television program,
A trio of pretty Cassini pics
It's been a little while since I posted any Cassini pictures just because they were pretty, so here's a few recent ones, produced by amateurs from the images available on the Cassini raw images website.
Akatsuki arrives at Tanegashima Space Center
The Akatsuki spacecraft (also known as PLANET-C or Venus Climate Orbiter) arrived this evening, Japanese time, at the Tanegashima Space Center.
LROC spots Russian "monument" to International Women's Day
There was a piece of the Lunar-Reconnaissance-Orbiter-spots-the-Lunokhods story that I was intrigued by but just didn't have the time this week to investigate properly.
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.
And now for Luna 17 and Lunokhod 1
I am delighted to report that within a day of the first view of Luna 21 and Lunokhod 2 since the end of that mission in 1973, the sister mission, Luna 17 and Lunokhod 1, has also been found.
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?
Lunokhod found on the Moon -- and on Earth, too
Yesterday I posted a bit of a Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera image showing the tracks of the Russian Lunokhod 2 rover. Today, I can post for you an image showing the rover's final resting place
Charlie Bolden Addresses Misconceptions of NASA's New Plan
There's been wide-spread confusion in the media about what NASA's FY 2011 would actually mean for the space agency. Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator, addressed the misconceptions in a speech on March 16 to the Washington Space Business Roundtable's Satellite 2010 Conference.
Titan: Callisto with weather
It's the second time I've posted with this provocative title. This time, it's in response to a new paper published last week in Science.
The far side of Phobos
Now here is an unusual image of Phobos, Mars' moon.
Soviet landers Luna 20, 23, and 24, plus the tracks of Lunokhod 2
Today is the bonanza day for Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: the first formal release of orbiter data happened this morning, including 10 Terabytes (that is 10 million Megabytes!) of camera data.