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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Another smoking gun in the search for life in Enceladus’ ocean
NASA's Cassini spacecraft sniffed out molecular hydrogen spewing from Enceladus' subsurface ocean. The discovery means Saturn's moon has all the basic ingredients needed to support life.
Fossils or good-looking rocks? Why searching for life on other worlds is hard
If you find a structure that looks like ancient life, can you be really sure that it is ancient life?
Extraterrestrial culture: How we express ourselves through space exploration
Planetary Performance scholar Felipe Cervera brings a perspective on
Expedition 50 had a fun and good ISS crew
I believe Expedition 50 had a fun and good ISS crew. I base this declaration solely on the moments they shared on social media. This logic is completely bulletproof and there's no point trying to prove otherwise.
NASA unveiled new plans for getting humans to Mars, and hardly anyone noticed
NASA revealed its most concrete plan yet for sending humans back into deep space, centered around a small lunar space station and a reusable transport ship to carry astronauts to Mars and back.
China's lunar sample return mission will pave way for future ambitions
Later this year, China is launching the Change'5 spacecraft to return a sample from the Moon. The mission will pave the way for future ambitions, including crewed trips to the lunar surface.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Dodges Dust Storms, Makes Tracks to Perseverance Valley
After wrapping the final science investigations on the slopes of Cape Tribulation, Opportunity climbed up and over the rim of Endeavour Crater in March and embarked on the journey south toward its next science target: Perseverance Valley.
Daring mighty things: Pathways to careers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Arizona State University graduate student Nathan Barba talks with some of JPL’s finest to get guidance and advice on how to join this illustrious group of space explorers.
Dawn Journal: Bonus Plans
Now in its third year of orbiting a distant dwarf planet, a spacecraft from Earth is as active as ever. Like a master artist, Dawn is working hard to add fine details to its stunning portrait of Ceres.
A letter from Bill Nye: Why we're marching for science
The Planetary Society is joining the March for Science. Bill Nye is serving as an honorary co-chair, and our organization is an official partner. Here's why we're marching, and how to join us.
Your hypothetical questions, answered: SpaceX prepares to refly rocket booster
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster recovered by a drone ship last year will be reflown later this week, marking what could be a new milestone in the quest for affordable spaceflight.
Juno just flew past Jupiter for the fifth time. What have we learned from the mission so far?
There's no verdict quite yet on the giant planet's core, and scientists are still gathering clues about the accuracy of our current solar system formation models.
New treasures from Juno: Jupiter dazzles during fourth close approach
Image processor Björn Jónsson shares some of his latest stunning images of Jupiter, created using data from NASA's Juno spacecraft.
Here's our exhaustive guide to Trump's 392-word NASA budget
We break down every sentence from Trump's new NASA budget, so you don't have to.
A repeat of the space shuttle's bold test flight? NASA considers crew aboard first SLS mission
NASA has only flown astronauts aboard a rocket's first flight once, when John Young and Bob Crippen took space shuttle Columbia on the boldest test flight in history. What are the risks of repeating the feat for SLS?
Unraveling a Martian enigma: The hidden rivers of Arabia Terra
Arabia Terra has always been a bit of a martian enigma. Planetary scientist Joel Davis takes us on a tour of its valley networks and their significance in telling the story of water on Mars.
Signed, sealed but not delivered: LightSail 2 awaits ship date
Following a pre-ship review at Planetary Society headquarters, LightSail 2 is ready to be integrated with its Prox-1 partner spacecraft. The final shipping schedule, however, has yet to be determined.
Postcard from Kentucky: Space in the Bluegrass State
In Kentucky, some very driven people are writing their own chapter of space exploration based on vision, entrepreneurial risk, and scientific and engineering know-how. Wayne Hall shares their stories.
Trump's first budget proposal is out. Here's how NASA fared
NASA escaped a large-scale budget slash, and planetary science fared well. ARM is canceled, the Moon-versus-Mars debate is not mentioned, and Earth science stands to lose some missions.
You’ve met Saturn’s ravioli-shaped moon, Pan. Now learn how it was discovered
Planetary astronomer Mark Showalter tells the story of when he became the first human to ever set eyes on Saturn's strange moon Pan in 1990.



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