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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
How we test spacecraft before launch
The array of space-simulating test facilities a spacecraft tours through before it can blast off of Earth.
Mind-blowing space volcanoes
Taking a look at volcanic worlds in our solar system and exoplanets that might crack under pressure.
Why we need plutonium power for space missions
Spacecraft need power to reach the dark, dusty, distant locales of our solar system. Safe, non-weapons-grade plutonium-238 provides that power when solar energy can't cut it.
The far reaches of the solar system and beyond
Take a look at distant worlds, far-out views of the cosmos, and even some remote possibilities with this week’s scoop on space news and solar system history.
Imaging and imagination in space
Learn about The Planetary Society’s vision for the next decade of exploration and get up to speed on space news.
LightSail Launch Event
LightSail 2’s launch window opens on June 22, and we are finalizing plans for our launch viewing celebrations. Once we have finished coordinating the details with the Air Force’s STP-2 mission team and the Kennedy Space Center, we will share them with all of our members and backers so that you can join us in person or remotely via the internet.
NEA Scout unfurls solar sail for full-scale test
The next time its solar sail is deployed, NEA Scout will be out near the Moon.
NASA, international partners consider solar sail for Deep Space Gateway
A Canadian Space Agency proposal would install a solar sail on the outside of the Deep Space Gateway, a miniature space station in lunar orbit.
SLS CubeSats to Set Sail for Deep Space
When SLS launches Orion to the moon in 2018, a fleet of deep space CubeSats will come along for the ride, including a solar sailing spacecraft similar to LightSail.
Can nuclear waste help humanity reach for the stars?
With the shortage of plutonium-238 to power space missions, Europe has decided to focus on an accessible alternative material that could power future spacecraft: americium-241.
Planetary CubeSats Begin to Come of Age
Van Kane rounds up some recent planetary mission concepts based on CubeSat technology.
LightSail update: Launch dates
I’m excited to report some big news on The Planetary Society’s LightSail project: actual launch dates on actual launch vehicles!
Spacecraft phone home: Cool Deep Space Network data visualization
Check out the awesome new
The ASRG Cancellation in Context
ASRGs could have stretched NASA's limited supply of plutonium to potentially enable missions to the perpetually-shadowed polar craters on our moon, to flyby Uranus, or to float for months on a Titan lake.
NASA Just Cancelled its Advanced Spacecraft Power Program
The Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Program (ASRG) was just cancelled by NASA. This was to be the saving grace for Plutonium-238 availability, as it was a much more efficient way to generate electricity than classic RTG systems.
Mars Needs Plutonium! (And so do Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Points Beyond)
Society Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator Casey Dreier visits Planetary Radio with the tale of an element that is essential to exploration of deep space.
Power From the Isotopes
We report on the current state of Plutonium-238 production in the United States, a crucial fuel source for planetary exploration spacecraft.
Plutonium-238 is Crucial for Space Exploration – and it's Running Out
Plutonium-238 provides electricity to deep space missions, but NASA only has a little bit left. A new article in Wired highlights the disastrous consequences of no plutonium for use in space, something the Planetary Society is currently fighting for in Washington, D.C.
Say "hi!" to asteroid -- actually, asteroids -- (285263) 1998 QE2
A large asteroid is passing reasonably close to Earth in a few hours, and astronomers at the great radio telescopes at Goldstone and Arecibo are zapping it. The latest discovery: QE2, like many asteroids, is a binary.
