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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
The U.S. Senate threatens to cancel Mars Sample Return
The House has yet to weigh in. And much can still happen before this threat is realized.
What’s going on with Mars Sample Return?
NASA's biggest science project is undergoing an unprecedented second independent review amidst growing cost estimates and daunting technical and managerial challenges.
2023 Digital Day of Action recap
The Planetary Society's all-virtual advocacy event was a success, with more than 1,500 advocacy actions taken.
The Planetary Society, American Geophysical Union, and Prominent Academic Institutions Call on Congress to Save VERITAS Mission to Venus
In a joint effort led by The Planetary Society, major organizations and academic institutions are calling on Congress to save the Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography And Spectroscopy (VERITAS) mission by establishing a 2029 launch date, a 2-year delay from the original baseline schedule.
Why we need VERITAS
NASA's first mission to Venus in decades is in danger. This is why VERITAS is worth saving.
NASA’s 2024 budget proposal is pretty good, but it faces political headwinds
The requested $27.2 billion would keep all major human and robotic initiatives going forward, though most of it would be offset by inflation.
Why we need the NEO Surveyor space telescope
A space-based solution like NEO Surveyor will find more asteroids, more quickly, than any ground-based alternative. Combined with deflection technology, this gives humanity a chance to alter its fate should a threatening asteroid be found early enough.
NEO Surveyor is confirmed
After nearly two decades of consideration, NASA made a formal commitment to NEO Surveyor, an asteroid-hunting space telescope.
NASA’s economic impact? Hundreds of thousands of jobs.
In 2021, NASA supported an estimated 339,645 jobs across the United States. A new report details the astounding economic benefits of the space agency in every state.
What the 2022 midterm elections mean for NASA
Republicans regain control of the House. The Senate remains under Democratic control. This divided governance could slow down the pace of space legislation, even for “must-pass” items like NASA's annual budget.
Why we have the SLS
The SLS rests on a secure foundation of political support, a consequence of the U.S. framework of representative democracy and discretionary funding.
Faith, Doubt, and Contact
Contact remains a unique movie due to its representation of science. It remains a great film due to the treatment of doubt and faith as a universal aspect of human existence.
A joint-letter in support of NEO Surveyor
The National Space Society and The Planetary Society jointly argue for funding the asteroid-hunting NEO Surveyor mission.
Planetary Science Decadal Survey: After the Red Planet, an Ice Giant
After completing Mars Sample Return, Uranus should be the target of NASA's next major planetary mission, according to a major new report by the National Academies of Sciences.
NASA's FY 2023 Budget Stays the Course
The Biden Administration proposed $26 billion for NASA — we break down the potential impacts to human exploration and planetary science.
Another Day in Action
115 members of The Planetary Society from 33 states met with 161 congressional offices to support space science and exploration in 2022.
Why we do the Day of Action
It's the most effective way to advocate for space. It also connects members of The Planetary Society with shared dreams for the future.
Your Guide to the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey
A massive space telescope to search for signs of life on hundreds of Earth-like exoplanets is the official recommendation of the U.S. astronomy community.
How much does the James Webb Space Telescope cost?
Find annual expenditures, charts, and comparisons for NASA's expenditures on the James Webb Space Telescope, including contributions from the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency over the same period.
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.