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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
The Space Advocate Newsletter, October 2021
Lucy kicks off a beefier era of Discovery.
Some good old-fashioned space mysteries
Exploration is teaching us a lot about the cosmos, and a lot about how much we still don’t know.
For every world, there is a season
When we explore space we see familiar things: seasons, ice caps, and maybe someday even plants.
Jaw-Dropping Jupiter
10 years after launching, Juno is still showing us Jupiter’s stunning beauty.
Seeking Small Worlds
A spacecraft leaves one asteroid as planetary defense experts turn to others.
A galaxy that spins in more ways than one
Listen to the sounds of the Whirlpool Galaxy and look back at our earliest picture of it.
Martian Ingenuity and Venusian imagination
Get a peek at the Martian moon and catch up on what the newest Mars explorer has been up to.
A cosmic bowling ball spinning through space
Jupiter is a world of extremes, and Venus hints at some mysteries. You can take action to help learn more about these worlds and others.
Making our mark on other worlds
Perseverance’s tracks show where it’s been. You can help decide where we’re going.
Cosmic streaks, smudges, and fuzz
See images of the cosmos that reflect fascinating features of worlds and stars, and take action to advance exploration.
A Perseverance extravaganza!
Witness the Mars rover’s dramatic landing from every angle, and help make more exploration like this happen.
NASA solar sails build on LightSail 2
NEA Scout will visit a near-Earth asteroid and Solar Cruiser will test the largest solar sail yet.
The great conjunction! (And how it functions)
Everything you need to know about Saturn and Jupiter’s upcoming conjunction, and more from this week in space exploration.
Wish upon a shooting star (or a descending asteroid sample)
Hayabusa2 brings its sample safely to Earth, and the Geminids meteor shower approaches.
Carl Sagan’s wisdom and vision, and how far we’ve come since his time
Even Sagan would be amazed by multitudes we now know our cosmos may hold. Learn more, plus get your scoop on the week’s space news.
A space spookfest
Catch up on news from across the ghoul-axy and beyond.
Sample acquired! And: is your name in space?
Get the full scoop on Bennu and Venus, and get yourself the most cosmic face mask out there.
High-fiving Bennu and slingshotting Venus
Get ready for OSIRIS-REx’s upcoming sample collection and share your gift ideas for space lovers.
Your Guide to the OSIRIS-REx sample collection
NASA's OSIRIS-REx successfully collected a sample from asteroid Bennu on 20 October 2020.
Sample Return Roundup
It's a banner year for sample return missions. In 2020, China, Japan, and the United States are all scheduled to have sample return missions in flight, seeking to retrieve material from near-Earth asteroids, the Moon, and eventually Mars.