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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
The Science of “Bennu’s Journey”
The OSIRIS-REx project released Bennu’s Journey, a movie describing one possible history of our target asteroid – Bennu. The animation is among the most highly detailed productions created by Goddard’s Conceptual Image Laboratory.
Field Report from Mars: Sol 3848 — November 20, 2014
Larry Crumpler returns with an update on Opportunity's recent activities, and its road ahead.
Close to the end for Venus Express
Venus Express is nearly out of fuel. Any day could be the last of its long mission to Venus.
Lunar Polar Volatile Puzzle
Deepak Dhingra gives an exciting update from the recent Lunar Exploration and Analysis Group (LEAG) meeting at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHU-APL) in Baltimore.
A Mission to Europa Just Got a Whole Lot More Likely
Rep. John Culberson, an outspoken supporter of Europa exploration, will assume leadership of an influential congressional committee that funds NASA.
Remember Comet Siding Spring? Mars Orbiter Mission got photos, too
A set of photos released by Mars Orbiter Mission last week completes the set of Mars spacecraft observations of the comet. Now we wait for science results!
Curiosity update, sols 782-813: Walking the outcrop at Pahrump Hills
At Pahrump Hills, Curiosity is becoming the field geologist she was intended to be.
Rosetta imaged Philae during its descent -- and after its bounce
This morning ESA released a set of images of the Philae lander taken by the Rosetta orbiter during -- and after -- the lander's first touchdown. The images contain evidence for the spot Philae first touched the comet, and a crucial photo of Philae's position several minutes into its first long bounce.
Now Philae down to sleep
My last post on the drama in Darmstadt, where ground controllers believe Philae may have fell asleep for good.
With New Horizons Ready to Wake Up, Scientists Prepare for Pluto Encounter
When New Horizons wakes up for the final time on Dec. 6, scientists will spend six weeks preparing for the start of the spacecraft's Pluto encounter.
Philae update: My last day in Darmstadt, possibly Philae's last day of operations
Emily Lakdawalla gives a status report on Philae from the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt.
Brief Philae "Morning After" update: First ÇIVA panorama from the surface
I'm just getting up to speed on the news from overnight, which is mostly good: Philae remained in contact with the orbiter (which means the CONSERT radar sounding experiment was working), and it's sitting stably on the surface, although it's not anchored in any way. And they released the first ÇIVA image from the ground!
Philae status, a day later
The Philae team scrambled all morning to comprehend the initially confusing status of the lander, and the picture is much clearer today. Speaking of which, there are lots more pictures!
Philae update: Photo documentation of Philae's separation!
Here it is. We knew hours ago that Philae separation happened, but there's nothing like seeing a photo, seeing Philae's mothership receding into the distance.
PHILAE HAS LANDED! [UPDATED]
The landing happened on time just after 16:02 UT today! Philae mission manager Stephan Ulamec said:
Report from Darmstadt: Philae status and early Rosetta results from DPS
I'm reporting live from the press room at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. There's little news on Philae yet except that its status is good. Meanwhile, Rosetta scientists presented their first early comet results at the Division for Planetary Sciences meeting in Tucson, Arizona, which I watched from afar using Twitter.
Philae update: First of four "go-no-go" decisions is a GO!
It's been a day of calm before the storm here at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, as we get ready for the big event tomorrow: Philae's hoped-for landing on a comet. The first of four
Philae landing preview: What to expect on landing day
Earth's first-ever landing on a comet is a week away. On November 12 at 8:35 UT, Philae will separate from Rosetta. Seven hours later, it will arrive at the surface of the comet. Hopefully, Philae will survive the landing, and begin to return data.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Images Comet, Ducks Storm, Departs Ulysses
As winds whirled and converged to the west of Endeavour Crater, Opportunity's power dropped dramatically in October, but the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) pressed on. By month's end, the robot field geologist had completed her assignments – including capturing the first close-in shot of a comet from the surface of the Red Planet – and was roving onward through the darkness, driving the mission into the 130th month of what started out more than 10-and-a-half years ago to be a 3-month tour.