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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
SLS updates: tower crawl, engine burn and flight test
A few updates on the Space Launch System, NASA's next-generation deep exploration vehicle.
NASA's Budget for 2012 Is Set--Worry About 2013 Budget Begins
It's done. The U.S. President has signed the Appropriations bill for NASA's fiscal year 2012 budget. The fight on the FY12 budget is over.
NASA On Verge of Getting a Budget -- Congress Will Vote This Week
Here's a quick wrap-up of the
Planetary Society statement entered into testimony for House hearing on future of planetary science
Today, The Planetary Society entered the following statement into testimony for the hearing
U.S. House of Representatives Hearing Next Week; Show Up to Show Your Support for Space Exploration
If want to demonstrate your support for planetary exploration -- and you're planning to be in the Washington, D.C. area next Tuesday, November 15, 2011 -- please consider adding your presence to the congressional hearing on
Checking in with NASA's Commercial Partners
Checking in with SpaceX's launch abort system progress, Boeing's CST-100 drop tests, and a recent Space, Science and Technology Committee meeting on Capitol Hill.
While the U.S. Stalls, Europe Moves On to Mars
The European Space Agency (ESA) seems to have gotten tired of waiting for NASA to commit to its share of the joint 2016/2018 Mars missions that were planned to lay the groundwork for an eventual delivery of samples of Mars to Earth.
Mars Missions Supported, Planetary Voices Heard
It looks like we rattled a few cages in Washington, D.C. this week. White House staffers in the Office of Science and Technology Policy returned from their holiday weekend to find more than 1500 messages from Planetary Society Members waiting for them.
Decoding SpaceX's re-usable spacecraft concept
Breaking down the futuristic technologies for SpaceX's reusable Grasshopper spacecraft, as shown in a recent promotional video.
Mars Exploration Endangered by Bureaucratic (In)Action
The road to Mars just seems to get longer and harder every day. The Planetary Society has just asked its Members to contact the White House and ask John Holdren, the President's Science Advisor, to make sure that NASA and ESA are allowed to work together on the 2016 and 2018 missions to Mars.
Notes from EPSC/DPS NASA Night
It's already the last day of the DPS/EPSC meeting in Nantes, France, and I've fallen seriously behind on writing up my notes. I thought I'd get some less pleasant notes out of the way before I returned to science.
Russia's Venera-D mission (DPS-EPSC 2011)
During the afternoon poster session at the Division of Planetary Sciences / European Planetary Science Congress meeting, I had a long talk with Ludmila Zasova (IKI) about Russia's Venera-D mission to Venus.
A Skirmish Won, the Battle Will Continue
In this latest skirmish over NASA's budget, the numbers are in -- and it looks like we won!
NASA unveils Space Launch System
After months of political wrangling, NASA has finally unveiled the design of the Space Launch System, America's next deep space transportation system.
Everybody says we need a NEO survey telescope
The next thing needed by both the small bodies science community and people interested in human exploration is a space-based telescope capable of surveying (and following up on) near-Earth space for asteroids that, for a variety of reasons, haven't been found yet.
Meeting today: The infelicitously named "SBAG"
NASA funds regular meetings of scientists who work on different parts of the solar system to provide scientific input into NASA's future plans. These
PAMELA finds some antimatter
A team of international scientists has discovered an antiproton belt around the Earth, using data obtained from PAMELA, a particle identification instrument aboard a Russian Earth observation satellite.
What's up in human spaceflight: the gas station edition
An update on human spaceflight, including orbital propellant depots, suborbital test flights and an Orion crew capsule test aboard a Delta IV Heavy.
August Means Summer Recess for Congress But Let's Keep Up the Pressure for Space
Is this the time to forget about political action? No! It's time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards) and write to your local newspaper proclaiming your support for space exploration.
House Committee Votes the Wrong Way? JWST to be Canceled
Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representative's Appropriations Committee marked up the bill covering NASA's budget that was sent to it by the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Subcommittee, and the results will not make Planetary Society supporters happy.