Snapshots from Space

5...4...3...2...1...1...Happy New Year!

Emily Lakdawalla • December 31, 2005

Read that title aloud. Yes, the last minute of 2005 is actually 61 seconds long.

A debate in Meridiani Planum

Emily Lakdawalla • December 24, 2005

There was a big news splash about two articles that appeared in Nature about Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site. The articles suggest two theories for the formation of the layered sulfur-rich deposits at Meridiani Planum that do not involve standing liquid water.

A nap for Venus Express

Emily Lakdawalla • December 22, 2005

According to the latest Venus Express Status Reporton ESA's website, the Near Earth Commissioning Phase of the mission has been completed successfully, and the spacecraft is going to be napping for a few weeks as it continues to cruise toward Venus.

Vote for Cassini!

Emily Lakdawalla • December 16, 2005

Time Magazine is running an Image of the Year contest, and at the moment, a Cassini image is in 2nd place!

MESSENGER's first big deep space maneuver was successful

Emily Lakdawalla • December 12, 2005

The Applied Physics Laboratory announced today that MESSENGER's first "Deep Space Manuever" was successful, putting the Mercury orbiter on track for an October 24, 2006 flyby of Venus.

Pretty Cassini pictures from near the ring plane

Emily Lakdawalla • December 09, 2005

It's been a while since I posted some Cassini pictures here just because they were pretty.

Analyzing the first published Huygens results

Emily Lakdawalla • December 02, 2005

I am working my way steadily through the seven Huygens papers that were released by Nature magazine Wednesday on their "Advance online publication" website.

Discovery image of Enceladus' plumes (4 of 7)

Cassini Photographs the Fountains of Enceladus (and gets pics of Tethys, Janus, Epimetheus, and the G ring too)

Emily Lakdawalla • November 30, 2005

Emily tackles this morning's ESA press conference about Huygens.

Thruster trouble for Hayabusa

Emily Lakdawalla • November 29, 2005

Hayabusa has been riding an incredible wave of luck lately, resulting in the dramatic success of the sample grab last week. But it looks as though Hayabusa's luck may be running out.

Big News for Hayabusa: It wasn't hovering, it landed!!

Emily Lakdawalla • November 23, 2005

Remember how Hayabusa was virtually still for 30 minutes? JAXA is now saying that Hayabusa actually touched down -- and more than that, they may even have a sample.

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