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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Field Report from Mars: Sol 4782
With the latest drive on sol 4782, Opportunity began the long drive down the floor of Perseverance Valley here on Endeavour Crater.
A guide to Cassini's remaining orbits
Sadly, the Cassini mission ends soon. We're halfway through the
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Sprains ‘Ankle’ but Perseveres on Walkabout
The autumn skies over Endeavour Crater remained hazy as dust from the summer storms continued to rain down, but Opportunity encountered some unexpected and serious June gloom when her right front steering wheel jammed during the walkabout atop Perseverance Valley.
Field Report from Mars: Sol 4766
Opportunity is doing a geologic walkabout at the entrance to Perseverance Valley, an ancient and potentially water-carved feature.
When New Horizons' next target passed in front of a star, this scientist was watching from Argentina
A team of scientists recently traveled to rural Argentina in the hopes of catching New Horizons' next target—Kuiper Belt object MU 69—crossing in front of a distant star.
Curiosity update, sols 1675-1725: Traverse to Vera Rubin Ridge
Curiosity has had a busy eight weeks, driving south from the Bagnold Dunes toward Vera Rubin Ridge. The path has steepened and the rover is now rapidly climbing upward with every meter traveled. It's been a productive time for arm instruments, but the drill is still not working.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Shoots the Moon on Arrival at Perseverance Valley
In another dynamic demonstration of what can be achieved when a team works together, Opportunity cruised to the top of Perseverance Valley, shot the moon, and drove into her 160th month of surface operations in May.
Parker Solar Probe: NASA renames upcoming mission to touch the Sun
NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft will repeatedly dive through the Sun's corona, giving scientists their first-ever up-close look at our star.
Dawn Journal: Adaptations
On the other side of the solar system, invisible by virtue both of the blinding glare of the sun and by the vastness of the distance, Dawn is continuing its remarkable cosmic adventure.
Pretty Pictures of the Cosmos: Waltzing Through the Universe
Award-winning astrophotographer Adam Block brings us more of his stunning images of the universe—this time of cosmic dances through space.
Field Report from Mars: Sol 4734
Opportunity has arrived at the head of Perseverance Valley—a possible water-cut valley.
Saturn's small satellites, to scale
Emily shares another of her popular size comparisons of solar system bodies, taking advantage of Cassini's recent views of Saturn's tiniest moons.
Cassini's 'Grand Finale' Portrait of Saturn
Amateur image processor Ian Regan shares a stunning mosaic of Saturn in all its ringed glory.
Jupiter from New Horizons
Using new image processing techniques, Alex Parker brings new life to an old image of Jupiter captured by the New Horizons mission on its way to Pluto over a decade ago.
Geology on Mars: Using stratigraphic columns to tell the story of Gale Crater
Stratigraphic columns are a basic tool in geology, used on both Earth and Mars to tell the story of a location. But what are they really?
Radar in Earth and Planetary Science, Part 2
Heather Hunter brings us the next installment in her series on radio detection and ranging.
A journey to Jupiter: Amateur astronomers create 1,000-image video of planet in motion
Peter Rosén shares an amazing animation of Jupiter made from more than 1,000 images taken by 91 amateurs from around the world.
Saturn and Titan in the Milky Way
An unusual photo of Saturn by astrophotographer Damian Peach shows the planet and its largest moon nestled among the star-filled lane of the Milky Way.
Planetary Science Just Got Its Best Budget in Years
The President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017, funding the U.S. government for the remainder of the fiscal year. NASA got a boost to $19.65 billion, and its Planetary Science Division saw a budget increase to $1.846 billion—its best budget in more than ten years.
Learn the rocket equation, part 2
In the second and final chapter of our series, we’ll explore what the rocket equation has to say about travel through the solar system, using the example of launching a rocket to Pluto.



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