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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
HiRISE's best view of Curiosity yet
HiRISE's best opportunity to view Curiosity so far came 12 days after landing, when the orbiter passed nearly directly overhead. The photo resolves amazing detail on the huge rover.
Optical SETI Gets a Major Upgrade
The Planetary Society Optical SETI Telescope in Harvard, Massachusetts just got a major upgrade of its electronics.
An unheralded anniversary
Yesterday, August 27th, 2012, was, in a sense, the 50th anniversary of interplanetary travel. Fifty years ago yesterday, Mariner 2 launched toward Venus, and became the first object to leave Earth and travel to another world.
NITARP seeks educators for NASA astronomy research
NITARP seeks educators interested in teaming up with NASA astronomers to perform genuine astronomical research.
Chang'e 2: The Full Story
An update on China's second lunar orbiter, Chang'e 2, which is now heading for asteroid Toutatis.
Explaining the new black-and-white Mastcam and MARDI raw images
If you've been obsessively checking the Curiosity raw images websites for new pictures from Mars, you might have noticed something weird: a bunch of Mastcam images and a few from MARDI that are black-and-white instead of color, and which have a peculiar checkerboard pattern.
The definitive version of Curiosity's first color panorama
The top of the mountain has finally been filled in, and Damien Bouic has produced what I think is the definitive version of Curiosity's first color panorama.
Sampling Mars, Part 4: Commissioning the Rover and Sampling System
Completing a multi-part guest blog series by Curiosity systems engineering team lead for the Surface Sampling and Science system. Part 4 explains the lengthy process of testing and using the system for the first time.
Curiosity's landing site named for Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury explored Mars, and the future of humanity, through words and ideas--vehicles of the imagination. He was a visionary author and, through his writings and lectures, was a direct or indirect mentor to so many of us involved with designing, building, and operating the actual space vehicles of today. I think it is so fitting, then, that the MSL team has memorialized Ray's contributions to the exploration of the planets -- and especially Mars -- by naming Curiosity's landing site in his honor.
New spots on Uranus
New Hubble photos show that Uranus has both dark and bright spots!
Saturn's still there
A pretty picture of Cassini's current view of Saturn.
Curiosity sol 15 update: Wheel wiggles, arm flexes, and bad news about REMS
Notes from this morning's press conference. Curiosity has successfully steered the corner wheels and deployed and restowed the robotic arm. ChemCam tests went well over the weekend. But one of the two wind speed sensors in REMS appears to have suffered permanent damage during landing.
August 22, 2012 officially proclaimed "Space Day" in California
Governor Brown has declared August 22, 2012
Sampling Mars, Part 3: Key Challenges in Drilling for Samples
Continuing a multi-part guest blog series by Curiosity systems engineering team lead for the Surface Sampling and Science system. Part 3 explains why drilling is hard, and what the team is doing to prevent things from going wrong.
NASA Selects InSight Mars 2016 Lander
NASA has selected JPL's InSight mission to Mars as its next Discovery mission. The first geophysics mission to Mars, InSight will use a Phoenix-like lander to deploy a seismometer and a heat probe and give us our first detailed insights into the interior of the Red Planet.
A Bittersweet Day for Planetary Exploration
A new Mars mission was announced today, which is cause for celebration. But two other exciting missions where not selected, why? Money, or lack thereof. All we need is a little bit more, and we could be exploring the solar system, not just Mars.
Sampling Mars, Part 2: Science Instruments SAM and Chemin
Continuing a multi-part guest blog series by Curiosity systems engineering team lead for the Surface Sampling and Science system. Part 2 explains the science instruments SAM and Chemin.
The first Curiosity 360-degree panorama including the mountain
Damien Bouic took Curiosity's Hazcam images of Aeolis Mons / Mount Sharp and merged them with a beautiful 360-degree Navcam panorama to give us our first look at what the view will look like once the mission finally gets higher-resolution images that include the mountain's peak.
Curiosity sol 11 update: Decision to drive to "the high thermal inertia unit" and what that means
Some notes from this morning's Curiosity press briefing: the rover will be driving to
Let NASA Dare Mighty Things Again
In the space Olympics, the U.S. just won gold. So what, in the scheme of things, is the justification for the draconian budget cuts to NASA’s planetary program that threaten scientists’ carefully thought out plans for exploring the solar system in the coming decade?