Earth looks best when we explore the rest

More than 170 advocates joined our Day of Action to fight for NASA science. On Monday, April 20, The Planetary Society’s annual advocacy event brought people from across the United States to meet with their representatives in Congress and urge them to reject the extreme cuts to NASA science proposed by the White House. Learn more about the Day of Action and what we’re fighting for. Image credit: Stephen Bobb for The Planetary Society.

Now playing: Science! “Project Hail Mary” hit theatres last month, bringing the book written by Andy Weir to audiences around the world. On this week’s Planetary Radio, we dive into the real science behind the sci-fi blockbuster with award-winning Nature correspondent Alexandra Witze, Virginia Tech astrophysicist Nahum Arav, and Planetary Society chief scientist Bruce Betts.

Planetary Society HQ just got a little more artsy. Our headquarters in Pasadena, CA, has undergone a landscaping revamp. The new design, created by Arturo Jimenez in collaboration with Green Splendor Designs, combines the red rocks and sands of Mars with the vibrancy of Earth and the intrigue of the unknown. Learn more about the new look.

Saving NASA Science starts with you! It could not be a more important time to advocate for space! Right now, the FY 2027 budget proposal would slash space science funding by 46% and terminate more than 50 missions. We need your help today to push back on these cuts, again. Will you make a gift today to support this important advocacy work?

NASA is moving forward with its role in ESA’s Rosalind Franklin mission to Mars. Scheduled to launch in 2028, the Rosalind Franklin rover will search for signs of past or present life under the surface of Mars. NASA’s contribution to the mission includes a launch vehicle, the propulsion system for the rover’s lander platform, radioisotope heater units for the rover’s internal systems, and portions of the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer scientific instrument. Pictured: Artist's impression of the Rosalind Franklin rover on Mars. Image credit: ESA/ATG medialab.

How ready is NASA for crewed lunar landings? In their first press conference since completing their mission around the Moon, the Artemis II crew expressed their confidence in the rest of the Artemis program, which aims for a lunar landing in 2028. A recent report from NASA’s Inspector General, though, is less certain.

NASA has been accused of prematurely implementing Trump’s last budget cuts. A report from members of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology argues that in 2025, NASA began shutting down and defunding programs targeted in the FY2026 budget proposal, despite receiving no direction to do so from Congress. Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren said in the statement, “A President’s Budget Request is not law. It cannot supersede the laws enacted by Congress. NASA must heed the warning of this report and prevent what happened in 2025 from happening again.”

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is ahead of schedule. NASA said this week that the telescope, which will study dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets, will launch in September, eight months ahead of schedule and under budget.