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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
International Postcards from Space
A collection of pretty pictures by cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, who currently serves as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station.
Radio Problems Scrub LightSail's Day-in-the-Life Test
A pesky radio problem that has occasionally stymied LightSail has returned, scrubbing the mission's day-in-the-life test.
LightSail Prepares for Its Day-in-the-Life Test
LightSail-A's radio system has been fixed, and the spacecraft is now preparing for its August 20 day-in-the-life test.
Watch a Recap of LightSail's Live LightSail Launch Announcement
Watch a recap of The Planetary Society's live LightSail Launch Announcement, which took place July 9 at the KPCC Crawford Family Forum.
Buzz Mercury's North Polar Region in This New MESSENGER Video
A new video shows what a traveler aboard Mercury's MESSENGER spacecraft would see as they zipped over the planet's north polar region.
Watch "Lunar Bridgehead," a Wonderfully Campy 1964 Film about Ranger 7
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has released a 1964 documentary on Ranger 7 in honor of the spacecraft's fiftieth anniversary.
Landsat 8 Looks at the Supermoon
Why did Landsat 8, an Earth-observing spacecraft, turn its unblinking eyes toward the July 12 supermoon?
LightSail 1 Has a Blown Radio Amplifier. Now What?
LightSail 1's blown radio amplifier doesn't affect the 2016 SpaceX Falcon Heavy mission, but it adds an unwelcome obstacle to the 2015 test mission's ever-shortening timetable.
45 Years after Apollo 11, NASA Prepares for Another Big Splashdown
A new version of Apollo 11's splashdown will play out when the first astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft return to Earth.
LightSail update: Launch dates
I’m excited to report some big news on The Planetary Society’s LightSail project: actual launch dates on actual launch vehicles!
Rosetta’s comet is starting to take shape
A new animation of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko captured by the Rosetta spacecraft shows the comet rotating.
LightSail update: Of booms and pretty pictures
The latest series of LightSail boom deployment tests went smoothly, paving the way for a full system test later in July.
The latest on NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission
During televised updates on June 18 and 19, NASA showcased its progress on Orion and ARM. Here's the latest news.
LightSail update: Three steps forward, one step back
The LightSail team has found potential workarounds to solve the spacecraft’s boom deployment problems, but more analysis lies ahead.
Is Mainstream Space News Adrift?
The Houston Chronicle has a new, interactive web series on America’s space program. Why don’t we see more space coverage in this format?
LightSail Update: Boom Deployment Diagnosis Continues
The LightSail team continues to investigate problems with the spacecraft’s boom deployment system that postponed a flight system test earlier this month.
After decades of silence, a vintage spacecraft says hello to Earth
The ISEE-3 Reboot Project has established two-way communication with a 36-year-old spacecraft, but more challenges lie ahead.
LightSail update: Flight system test delayed
LightSail's flight system test has been delayed pending resolution of problems that cropped up during deployment of the spacecraft’s solar sail booms.
LightSail is happening, and I'll be your new guide
Today, I'm joining The Planetary Society full-time as a media producer. My first task is to become an embedded reporter for LightSail, the Society's solar sailing spacecraft.