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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Remembering our journey
Planetary Society members share their stories from the Mars Pathfinder landing
Your impact: March Equinox 2022
We've announced the winners of this year's Shoemaker NEO Grants and look back on an impactful year.
Why you should advocate for planetary defense
People like you need to take action to defend our planet from asteroid impacts.
Your impact: December solstice 2021
Our members sent LightSail to the Smithsonian and suggested space gifts for the holiday season.
SpaceX Inspiration4 mission: Your questions, answered
SpaceX is preparing to launch the first-ever entirely civilian mission — Inspiration4 — into Earth orbit.
Your impact: September equinox 2021
Members helped us send letters to the U.S. Congress asking for increased funding for NASA's planetary defense efforts.
Why space exploration is always worthwhile
A toolkit to help you advocate for the value of exploring space even when there are important problems to be solved here on Earth.
Planetary protection: How to explore Mars and other worlds responsibly
Planetary protection means protecting other worlds from Earthly microbes and containing possible microbes that sample return missions might bring back to Earth.
Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic: their space tourism flights explained
Though Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have similar overarching ambitions, there are some stark differences in their approaches to suborbital space tourism.
Why NASA pays SpaceX and Boeing to fly astronauts to the International Space Station
Commercial crew is a partnership between NASA and private industry to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station and create a new market for humans in space.
Your Impact: June Solstice 2021
Our annual Day of Action set up virtual meetings between 145 members and their congressional representatives and staffers.
Is it aliens? Three questions to evaluate UFO claims
It's important to consider explanations that don't involve large conspiracies or require our understanding of physics to be wrong.
The Space Shuttle Turns 40
The Planetary Society is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle launch with exclusive resources, interviews, and personal stories.
Space Shuttle Astronaut Bob Crippen Describes Columbia's First Flight: "A Moment of Pure Excitement"
NASA astronaut Bob Crippen joins Mat Kaplan on Planetary Radio to look back at the Space Shuttle's first flight.
Your Impact: March Equinox 2021
Thanks to our members, we hosted Planetfest '21, advocated for space, and took a big STEP forward with our new sci-tech grants program.
Your Impact: December Solstice 2020
We're celebrating a congressional nod, PlanetVac's upcoming trip to the Moon and Mars, and more.
The Year 2020 in Pictures
These pictures helped us find hope and perseverance during a tough year on planet Earth.
Why do we need NASA when we have SpaceX?
Watching SpaceX's incredible feats, you might wonder whether we need NASA. But in reality the organizations do very different things and rely on each other for success.
A Planetary Society Retrospective
Look back at the remarkable achievements our members have made over the past 4 decades, alongside other space milestones and events.
Your Impact: September Equinox 2020
We’ve made some big changes to planetary.org, as we continue to advance advocacy, defend Earth, and chart the future of space exploration.