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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Field Report from Mars: Sol 4669
Opportunity has begun driving down a long southward slope in Endeavour, heading toward Perseverance Valley.
Field Report from Mars: Sol 4662 - March 6, 2017
For nearly two years, Opportunity's world has been tilted 10–25 degrees as it drove down to the lower slopes of the wall of Endeavour Crater. Toward the end of last week, Opportunity pulled itself up and over the lip of the crater.
NASA, ISS partners quietly completing design of possible Moon-orbiting space station
Could NASA and its international partners construct a space station in orbit around the Moon? Possible designs are being finalized, but the Trump administration has yet to weigh in on the agency's human spaceflight program.
Cassini, with only a half-year to go at Saturn, just keeps dropping awesome images
Our latest roundup of Cassini goodies from Saturn includes Pan, a ravioli-shaped moon that orbits inside the planet's ring system.
This company launches balloons to the edge of space. Will the business float?
World View, a self-described “stratospheric exploration” company, recently unveiled its new headquarters in Tucson, Arizona.
MAVEN dodges Phobos, with (maybe) a little help from Curiosity
This week MAVEN had to execute a short rocket burn in order to prevent a future collision with Phobos. Curiosity (and other rovers) may have played a role in those trajectory predictions.
SpaceX plans to send tourists around the Moon in 2018. Here's why that may not happen
Two private citizens are paying SpaceX for a 2018 flight around the Moon. Is that timeline realistic?
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Reaches Top of Endeavour Rim, Wraps Cape Tribulation
Driving the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) mission further into its fourteenth year of surface operations, Opportunity continued hiking the slopes of Cape Tribulation in February and finally reached the crest of Endeavour Crater’s western rim.
Dawn Journal: Intricate Maneuvers
The Dawn mission is executing an ambitious bonus goal recently devised for its extended mission. Mission Manager and Chief Engineer Marc Rayman brings us his monthly update.
Citizen scientist spots changes on Rosetta's comet
Citizen scientist and self-described
Radar in Earth and Planetary Science: An Intro
Heather Hunter explains how radar works and what it's used for on Earth and beyond.
Wonderful potentially habitable worlds around TRAPPIST-1
Scientists have found seven, Earth-size planets orbiting a star just 40 light years away. Three lie in the habitable zone and could have water on their surfaces.
Did Voyager 1 capture an image of Enceladus' plumes erupting?
Amateur image processor Ted Stryk revisited Voyager 1 data of Enceladus and came across a surprise.
NASA's audacious Europa missions are getting closer to reality
Today, NASA announced progress on a spacecraft that would assess whether Jupiter's Moon Europa is habitable, and earlier this month, an agency-sponsored science team released a report on a separate lander mission that would directly search for signs of life.
Finding spacecraft impacts on the Moon
Over nearly 60 years of spacecraft exploration of the Moon, lots of spacecraft have crashed on the lunar surface—some accidental, some intentional. Phil Stooke hunts for their impact sites.
Everything you need to know about tomorrow's historic SpaceX launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from a former space shuttle launch pad tomorrow morning. Here's a rundown of everything you need to know about the historic event.
Solar sailing in Japan: 10 questions for LightSail engineer Barbara Plante
Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye and LightSail systems engineer Barbara Plante recently traveled to Japan for a solar sailing symposium. Our Q&A with Plante discusses everything from CubeSat attitude control systems to robotic giraffes in Tokyo.
Space, Science, and Technology Take Center Stage
The Science Line—a non-profit working to bridge the gap between science, technology and fashion by inspiring youth through STEM fashion shows, competitions, educational kits and hands-on workshops—hosted the first STEM Fashion Show in partnership with the Challenger Space Center of Arizona.
Field Report from Mars: Sol 4639 - February 10, 2017
Opportunity has successfully clawed its way to within a few meters of the crater rim after spending the last few months climbing and the last two years inside the crater.
Want NASA to pick your space mission proposal? Two winning scientists share some tips
NASA is currently accepting proposals for its next New Frontiers-class planetary science mission. What does the agency look for in a winning proposal? The two scientists behind the ORISIS-REx and Psyche missions share some tips.



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