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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
This Holiday Season, Avoid the Politics and Talk Space Instead
When coming together this holiday season, ditch the politics. Instead, here are 5 conversation topics about space that can inspire and engage everyone.
The Solar System According to Carolyn Porco
The leader of the Cassini spacecraft imaging team discusses pale blue dots, life on Enceladus, terraforming Mars, Pluto, Carl Sagan, and more.
The Best Gifts for Space Fans, According to 12 Scientists, Engineers and Educators
The Planetary Society's 2019 holiday gift guide will help you find space-themed gifts for kids and adults.
China Considers Voyager-like Mission to Interstellar Space
The mission includes a flyby of Neptune and measurements of the heliosphere, the electrically charged gas bubble surrounding our solar system
Emily Lakdawalla's Recommended Space Books for Kids, 2019
Welcome to my 11th annual list of recommended space books for kids! This year I had more than 80 books to read, and I've winnowed the list to recommend 29. There are books for all ages from 0 to 18 and beyond.
What Are Your Space Life Goals?
The Planetary Society wants your ideas for building the ultimate list of must-do space experiences.
Planetary Society Talks Europa, Planetary Defense, and Solar Sailing in Washington D.C.
Thanks to our members and donors, The Planetary Society participated in several activities at the 2019 International Astronautical Conference.
“I Talk to It Every Day”: Students are Vital Members of LightSail 2 Team
More than 50,000 people supported LightSail 2. But only one person can talk to the spacecraft at a time, and it's often a student.
In 1983, Carl Sagan Urged NASA to Send a Mission to Saturn and Titan
Long before the Cassini-Hugygens spacecraft launched in 1997 to explore Saturn and Titan, The Planetary Society urged NASA to make the mission a reality.
Tourism: Apollo's Forgotten Legacy
Americans were deeply divided over the value of the Apollo program. One member of Congress had a radical idea: open Kennedy Space Center to the public.
How the European Space Agency Does Planetary Defense
Defending the planet from the hazard of potential asteroid impacts requires investments from the whole world. In Europe, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union both support work to understand and mitigate the threats from near-Earth objects.
How NASA's Planetary Defense Budget Grew By More Than 4000% in 10 years
NASA used to spend more on travel for its employees at headquarters than it did on finding dangerous near-Earth asteroids. Now it’s building asteroid-hunting space telescopes. What changed?
NASA to Build New Asteroid-Hunting Space Telescope
The yet-to-be-named telescope would launch as soon as 2024, as part of NASA's new, multi-pronged approach to planetary defense.
Bill Nye, Planetary Society Staff Listen to LightSail 2 Signal
When LightSail 2 recently flew south of The Planetary Society's headquarters, CEO Bill Nye and other staff members stepped outside to listen.
Registration Is Now Open for the 2020 Day of Action
Join The Planetary Society and advocate for space in Washington, D.C. this 9 - 10 February 2020.
Astronomers May Have Found an Interstellar Comet. Here's Why That Matters.
Astrophysicist Karl Battams tells us what we can learn by studying objects from outside our solar system.
Here's How I'm Celebrating 53 Years of Star Trek
Star Trek Voyager Emergency Medical Hologram and Planetary Society Board member Robert Picardo uncovers rare Star Trek artifacts at The Planetary Society.
Calling All Image Processors: Help Us Create a Top-Down View of LightSail 2
We've got 2 fish-eye pictures of the spacecraft's solar sail from opposite cameras, and we're hoping they can be combined.
India's Vikram Spacecraft Apparently Crash-Lands on Moon
Communications were lost with the lander, which was carrying a small rover named Pragyan to the lunar surface.
Where We Are on 1 October 2019
We lost and gained spacecraft at the Moon last quarter. India’s Chandrayaan-2 left Earth orbit for the Moon on 13 August, and its Vikram lander aims at a 7 September touchdown. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter just celebrated its tenth launch anniversary. China’s smallsat Longjiang-2 crashed on 31 July, ending its successful mission.