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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Space grade electronics: How NASA’s Juno survives near Jupiter
Take a look at how electronics of spacecraft are built to survive the harshness of space environments.
Curiosity Update, sols 1972-2026: Completing the Vera Rubin Ridge Walkabout
The Curiosity team has completed its initial survey of the top of Vera Rubin Ridge, and is ready to make another attempt at drilling after the rock at Lake Orcadie proved to be too hard.
Moon Monday: Deimos
Digging into the Viking archives to produce a new old composite of Mars' smaller moon.
Pretty Pictures of the Cosmos: Hidden in Plain Sight
Award-winning astrophotographer Adam Block shares of his latest work.
Funpost! A funny thing happened on the way to the Moon
A few ripping good yarns from 1969. And a truly terrifying cartoon.
Diving into Juno JIRAM data archives
The Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument can obtain images in two infrared bands. JIRAM can see the nightside of Jupiter (including the winter pole) and takes spectacular animations.
The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Presses On in Perseverance, Pace Picks Up
In the west rim of Endeavour Crater, Opportunity continued her exploration of Perseverance Valley in March.
Seeing InSight
Last week, I received a golden ticket that gave me rare access to a sacred space: the cleanroom facility where NASA's next Mars lander, InSight, is undergoing final preparations for launch.
The March Equinox 2018 issue of The Planetary Report is here!
The March Equinox 2018 issue of The Planetary Report has mailed and Planetary Society members can download their digital copy.
Preview: NASA's TESS prepares for 2-year exoplanet hunting mission
The spacecraft is expected to discover 50 new Earth-sized planets and as many as 500 planets smaller than twice the size of Earth.
#LPSC2018: What the Moon's craters tell us about Earth's past climate
You might be surprised to learn that studying craters on the Moon can tell us about ancient Earth.
Preview of the InSight Mars launch
NASA’s next planetary launch is coming up, as soon as May 5, 2018. This post is your one-stop shop for information about InSight’s launch, cruise, and expected mission to Mars.
Funpost! A milk commercial in space
That time the Russians filmed a milk commercial aboard the Mir space station.
A new storm on Saturn!
On March 29, vigilant astronomer Maciel Bassani Sparrenberger discovered that a new bright spot had broken out in Saturn's high northern latitudes.
Moon Monday: Galileo's Galileans
This week it seems fitting to feature a portrait of the Galilean moons by Galileo.
#LPSC2018: Understanding early Mars through fluvial features
One of the ways we understand Mars' early climatic and geologic history is through preserved fluvial features.
Dawn Journal: The Final Countdown
The Dawn mission has only one revolution to go before the spacecraft begins the final campaign of its long and rewarding deep-space adventure.
#LPSC2018: Groovy Galilean satellites
The Jovian system is a busy place. The Groovy Galilean Satellites session at last week's Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) covered analysis of past mission data, testable hypotheses for future missions, and discussion of the use of ground-based data.
#LPSC2018: Fungi in the lab, hot springs frozen cold, and exploding lakes
The first astrobiology session at last week's Lunar and Planetary Science Conference featured talks on a huge variety of interesting topics, and was one of my favorite sessions at the meeting.
ISS partners consider ambitious lunar sample return mission
The plan involves NASA's proposed Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, and a return to Earth via the Orion spacecraft.