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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Automating Science on Mars
Since 2016, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has had the ability to choose its own science targets using an onboard intelligent targeting system called AEGIS.
The 2018 Gene Shoemaker NEO Grant Recipients
In 2018, The Planetary Society awarded $59,300 as part of its Gene Shoemaker Near Earth Object (NEO) Grant Program. The grants were made to a group of international researchers to find, track, and characterize potentially hazardous NEOs.
Announcing the 2018 Shoemaker NEO Grant Winners
Seven very advanced amateur astronomers will help find, track, and characterize near Earth asteroids.
Moon Monday: Tethys from Voyager
To start the week, Voyager 2's best image of Tethys.
If you come at the Space Launch System, you best not miss
Getting NASA out of the rocket business is more complicated than you think.
Throwback Thursday Funpost! A spacewalk in deep space
Only three humans have ever been on a spacewalk in the void between the Earth and Moon.
Image processing trick: How to open PDS-formatted images in Photoshop
Emily explains to amateur image processors how to open archival NASA science data directly in Photoshop without needing to use any other software tools.
InSight delivered to Vandenberg launch site
InSight, NASA's next Mars mission, has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in preparation for a May 5 launch.
What does the 2018 Canadian federal budget mean for space?
After more than a year of high hopes, there is no daring new vision for Canada in space.
The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Logs 5000th Day, Snaps Selfie, and Roves On
When Opportunity’s 5000th day dawned in February, it was a meaningful milestone for the team, and it led to a personal first for the veteran robot field geologist that has chalked up so many firsts she’s set the standard for Mars rovers.
Sketching a science meeting
The Planetary Society has always enjoyed the connections between science and art, so when I saw Leila Qışın's sketches pop up on her Twitter feed during the recent New Horizons team meeting, I knew I had to share them with you.
LightSail 2 launch update
The Planetary Society's solar sailing CubeSat is scheduled to head to space during a 60-day period starting on June 13.
Hayabusa2 has detected Ryugu!
In a milestone for the mission, JAXA's Hayabusa2 sample return spacecraft has sighted its destination, asteroid Ryugu.
NASA has a Moon landing plan—sort of
It's a gradual, stepped approach, envisioning human spaceflight, planetary science, and commercial partners all working together.
Luciana, Chilean-American Girl of the Year: Inspire the future with role models from the world's global south
Inspired by the American Girl company's choice of a Chilean-American space fan girl named Luciana for 2018's Girl of the Year, Bárbara Núñez invites you to meet some real-life Chilean woman scientist role models!
Yoshihide Kozai (1928 - 2018)
Caltech planetary scientist Konstantin Batygin pays tribute to a pioneer in celestial mechanics.
Some snark (and details!) about NASA's proposed lunar space station
So long, Deep Space Gateway. You've been replaced with the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway.
Go for GOLD, SES-14!
While we can measure properties of these upper layers using ground-based instruments, satellite-borne remote sensing instruments can give us a more frequent, global, and often higher spatial resolution perspective. And that is precisely what NASA’s Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission will deliver.
Curiosity update, sols 1927-1971: Ready to resume drilling
After a hiatus of nearly 500 sols, Curiosity is ready to attempt drilling into a Mars rock again.
Opportunity's sol 5000 self-portrait
Last week the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity celebrated its 5000th sol on Mars, and it celebrated by taking the first complete Mars Exploration Rover self-portrait.