Articles

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

Mission to a Metallic World: A Discovery Proposal to Fly to the Asteroid Psyche

Imagine flying deep within the asteroid belt to study the most unreachable location in the solar system: the deep core of a terrestrial world.

Predicting Pluto's moons and moondust

Why didn't we discover Pluto's moons until more than a decade after Hubble launched? Mark Showalter helps me answer this question.

What are Mercury's hollows?

I've been fascinated by Mercury's hollows ever since MESSENGER discovered them. Two recent papers look at where they are found to try to figure out how they form.

STEREO-B ultraviolet image of the Sun, September 18, 2012

Missions to a Star

Upcoming deep space missions will venture right to the heart of the Solar System.

Outcrop on north side of Moonlight Valley, Curiosity sol 538

Curiosity Update, sols 534-540: Over Dingo Gap, onto softer sand

After more than two months of very slow driving due to concern about the wheels and time spent choosing whether to enter

Cassini flew past Phoebe on June 11, 2004, on its way to entering Saturn orbit. The flyby was almost perfect but overexposure of some images have prevented color mosaics from being produced. Even though Phoebe's body is gray and dull in color, the absence of color images always provoked me. By using VIMS data, I have now produced color mosaics.

Possible hope for Yutu: "Situation is getting better," but no details [UPDATED]

A terse Xinhua news report posted today says there may be some sign of life from Yutu, now that the Sun has risen on the third lunar day since Chang'e 3 landed. It is frustratingly non-specific. UPDATE: Amateur radio operators have detected a radio signal from the rover.

All's well in cruise phase for Mars-bound spacecraft MAVEN and Mars Orbiter Mission

A hundred days after launch, India's Mars Orbiter Mission is doing just fine, and so is NASA's MAVEN.

Behind-the-scenes story of Yutu: Promoting space exploration in China

Promoting the story of Yutu to the Chinese public through social media: a successful case of science outreach.

New Hills, Old Secrets

Exploring a set of newly named hills on Mars reveals tantalizing clues to the planet's story.

Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Finds Mystery Rock, Mission Celebrates 10 Years

In the storied history of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) mission, January 2014 will likely be remembered as one of the most memorable months of all.

Cosmos with Cosmos Episode 12: Encyclopedia Galactica

Cosmos returns in fine form in its penultimate episode. Sagan explores the historical and scientific precedents for the search for extraterrestrial life (SETI) and our human desires to not be alone in the universe.

Looking Backward: Curiosity gazes upon the setting Earth

A few days ago, Curiosity looked westward after sunset and photographed Earth setting toward the mountainous rim of Gale crater.

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter under construction

ExoMars baby pictures: Spacecraft core module delivered to assembly site

The European Space Agency announced yesterday a significant milestone in the development of the next Mars mission: the core module of the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has been delivered.

View from the top of the Dingo Gap Dune, Curiosity sol 533

Curiosity update, sols 521-533: Assessing Dingo Gap

While continuing to perform regular wheel health assessments, Curiosity took a sharp right turn and headed for Dingo Gap. On sol 533, they performed a

An extended mission for LADEE

The LADEE team has managed their fuel frugally enough to permit a one-month mission extension; they now plan to impact the Moon on or around April 21, 2014.

Dawn Journal: Onward to Ceres

The majority of Dawn's time in the Ceres approach phase will be devoted to continuing ion-powered flight. Let’s take another look at how this remarkable technology is used to deliver the adventurer to the desired orbit around Ceres.