Articles

Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.

Philae science results: Comet 67P is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside

What is the surface of a comet like? That's one of the main questions that motivated Philae's mission to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. We now know the comet has a rigid crust about 10 to 50 centimeters thick, below which the comet is much more fluffy.

Refreshing the Viking Orbiter views of Mars

Justin Cowart reprocesses Viking Orbiter images from the 1970s and 1980s to reveal their unique and beautiful perspectives on the planet.

Go Atlas, go Centaur, go InSight!

NASA’s next Mars mission launched successfully from Vandenberg Air Force Base today!

The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Studies Mystery Rock, Mission Officials Seek 2019 Extension

Opportunity spent April further exploring the area about halfway down Perseverance Valley, checking out unusual, vesicular or pitted rocks the likes of which she has never seen, while officials prepared the mission’s bid to keep the robot field geologist roving through 2019.

A brief history of Resource Prospector, NASA's cancelled lunar mission

The mission survived NASA's Journey to Mars era, only to be axed once short-term goals shifted back to the Moon.

A Comet or Titan: The Next New Frontiers Mission

Both would do compelling science in the mid-2030s. Otherwise the two missions could not be more different.

MarCO: CubeSats to Mars!

MarCO or Mars Cube One is an experimental mission that is sending two tiny spacecraft along with InSight to Mars. If successful, they will relay real-time telemetry from InSight to Earth during the landing.

TRAPPIST-1 System Artist Concept with Star

An update on the potential habitability of TRAPPIST-1

One year ago, Franck Marchis wrote an article about the remarkable discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system. Here's an update.

The Mars Exploration Rovers Update Special Report: Perseverance Science So Far, New View of Endeavour at LPSC 2018

For the 15th year in a row, Opportunity drove into the spotlight during an afternoon session at the 49th Lunar & Planetary Science Conference.

‘SuperCam’ Update: Multi-purpose Instrument Coming Together for 2020 Launch to Mars

Excitement is building within the SuperCam team as the instrument enters the final stages of assembly and testing toward an anticipated launch aboard NASA’s Mars 2020 rover.

Space Policy & Advocacy Program Quarterly Report - April 2018

The Planetary Society's Space Policy and Advocacy team publishes quarterly reports on their activities, actions, priorities, and goals in service of their efforts to promote space science and exploration in Washington, D.C.

Funpost! I do solemnly swear

A far-from-comprehensive look at the oath of office.

Introducing Space Advocacy 101

Space Advocacy 101 is a new online course to help space fans become empowered space advocates.

Pew pew! Lasers will help determine where LightSail 2 is

The International Laser Ranging Service, or ILRS, will lend its services to the LightSail 2 mission.

What kind of asteroid is Ryugu?

What do we already know about Ryugu, and why is it so hard to know what it looks like? Hayabusa2 Mission Manger Makoto Yoshikawa

Moon Monday: Prometheus

Happy Monday! Here's a picture of Prometheus. You may think it's a picture of Saturn. Look hard, toward the bottom, and you'll see Prometheus, doing its part to keep the F ring in line.