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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
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.
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: Understanding early Mars through fluvial features
One of the ways we understand Mars' early climatic and geologic history is through preserved fluvial features.
Moon Monday: Galileo's Galileans
This week it seems fitting to feature a portrait of the Galilean moons by Galileo.
#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.
Thursday Funpost! Excerpts from the new book Rocket Billionaires
Did you know NASA required SpaceX to carry life insurance for Elon Musk?
#LPSC2018: Collaborative notes from conference sessions
At last week's Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, I tried a new experiment: collaborating with other attendees to take a shared set of notes.
How the heck did NASA (and science) get such a good 2018 budget?
Congress outright rejected most of the Trump administration's controversial science cuts.
JWST heads once more unto the breach, dear friends
The James Webb Space Telescope will miss its target launch date and cost more money than expected, NASA announced.
Tiangong-1: How to follow the space lab's decaying orbit and reentry
With the space station likely to fall on April Fool's Day, it's important to know whom to follow for reliable information.
#LPSC2018: An Apollo 17 session with moonwalker Jack Schmitt
The only geoscientist to walk on the Moon attended a conference session presenting results from the rocks he collected.