The Planetary Report • May/June 2009

Celebrating Hubble

On the Cover: The Cat's Eye nebula (NGC 6543) was one of the first planetary nebulae to be discovered. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) first revealed, in 1994, its intricate structures, including concentric gas shells, high-speed jets of gas, and unusual shock-induced knots of gas. This portrait of the Cat's Eye nebula, captured in September 2004, was one of our Members' favorite Hubble images. To view more Members' favorites, see page 12. "One massive star expires in a series of violent explosions, shedding veils of fusion-forged elements that races through the cosmos. When enough of these elements congregate elsewhere, they may eventually produce new stars, planets, or even organisms. We, and everything around us, are formed from the final throes of distant, long-dead stars. In our universe, death is the engine of life." —Minna Lunney

Features

4 You Spoke Up: The Planetary Society 2009 Member Survey: Jim Bell unveils the results of the annual member survey.

6 We Make it Happen! Planetary Defense: Shielding the World from Asteroids: Bruce Betts gives an update on the 1st IAA Planetary Defense Conference.

12 All Hail Hubble! Planetary Society Members Salute the Hubble Space Telescope Members explain what their favorite Hubble images mean to them.

Departments

19 World Watch The Obama administration's plans for NASA.

20 Q&A How do we plan ahead for potential problems with missions?

21 Factinos Planet-forming disks, solar magnetic activity, and exoplanets

22 Member's Dialogue Opinions on the roadmap for human space exploration

23 Planetary Sales

The Planetary Report • May/June 2009

View Table of Contents

Help advance space science and exploration! Become a member of The Planetary Society and you'll receive the full PDF and print versions of The Planetary Report.