Eat, sleep, explore space, repeat

Starliner is grounded until 2026. Everybody needs reliable transportation — especially astronauts. Due to helium leaks, propulsion system issues, and other problems, Boeing has announced that its Starliner spacecraft won’t fly again until at least 2026, and its next mission will be uncrewed. Pictured: Starliner docked to the International Space Station during its Crew Flight Test mission in 2024. Image credit: NASA.

One-fifth of NASA’s workforce has opted for early exit. Roughly 20% of NASA’s civil servants have accepted buyouts or early retirement under a voluntary departure program launched amid proposed budget cuts and internal restructuring. This is causing concern within the agency about the loss of critical expertise, especially in science and engineering.

Scientists are continuing to study interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Ongoing observations of the comet suggest it may be a fragment of a larger body torn apart during ejection from its home system. Its unusually high speed, small size, intense outgassing, brightness, and trajectory are all clues that astronomers are using to determine its origins.

Signs of life on K2‑18 b? Probably not. Exoplanet K2‑18 b made headlines earlier this year when JWST data hinted at potential biosignature gases like dimethyl sulfide, prompting speculation about alien life. But further analyses have found that those signals were more likely noise, not real detections.

How do astronauts get a good night’s sleep in space? Erin Flynn-Evans, director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center, joined this week’s Planetary Radio to explore how her team studies sleep, fatigue, and circadian rhythms to keep astronauts healthy and mission-ready. Pictured: Astronaut Marsha Ivins taking a nap on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Image credit: NASA.

When you wish on a shooting star, you don’t usually wish for it to land on you. But there have been several documented cases of meteorites falling right onto people or their property. In some cases, these space rocks were gifts from above. But in others, they wrought terrible destruction. Read our review of some of the most noteworthy eyewitness accounts of meteorite encounters.

We’re organizing a special Day of Action to oppose the proposed NASA cuts. In response to the unprecedented attack on NASA's science activities in the FY 2026 budget proposal, The Planetary Society and nearly a dozen partner organizations are holding a joint Day of Action on Oct. 5 and 6 in Washington, D.C. Sign up today, and we’ll train you and set up your meetings with elected officials to push back against the drastic cuts proposed to NASA science.

Dava Sobel has a wonderful talent for writing about the people of science. That’s one of the reasons why The Planetary Society honored her with our 2025 Cosmos Award for the Outstanding Public Presentation of Science. Sobel will join the next meeting of the Society’s virtual, members-only book club on Aug. 5 to talk about her life’s work and answer members’ questions. Not yet a Planetary Society member? Join today.

Matching gift challenge — one week only! Did you know that you can help advance the search for near-Earth objects? With a gift of any amount, you can help power the asteroid hunters who protect our planet. Plus, for one week only, your gift will be matched up to $6,000 thanks to a group of generous Society members who have come together to issue a matching gift challenge!