The next generation

The spacesuits that Artemis astronauts will wear on the Moon are getting streamlined. NASA announced that it is paring back requirements for the AxEMU suits, which are being built by Axiom Space, amid concerns that the project is moving too slowly and the final product will be too heavy. This could mean the first lunar landings of the Artemis program involve shorter moonwalks, with later missions using a more fully kitted-out suit. Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky.

Congress held off a harmful rewrite to how the U.S. government funds scientific research — for now. A new bill to temporarily fund the government became law, carrying with it a mandatory pause on proposed changes to how agencies like NASA and the National Science Foundation offer grants to researchers. The changes would have been devastating for science, allowing political appointees to decide which grants are approved regardless of their scientific merit. The pause expires on Dec. 11.

Artemis II’s heat shield fix worked. After the heat shield  — the coating that protects a crew capsule from the extreme heat of reentry — showed unexpected damage during Artemis I, NASA decided to keep the same heat shield on Artemis II but fly the mission on a different reentry trajectory. An independent panel has now reported that this solution worked, with Artemis II showing around 90% less damage to its heat shield than Artemis I.

Celebrate Star Trek’s 60th anniversary with Robert Picardo. On this week’s Planetary Radio, join host Sarah al-Ahmed and Robert Picardo, actor on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and member of the Planetary Society board of directors. Their conversation spans the Star Trek franchise’s meaning, its passionate fanbase, and its long history with The Planetary Society. Image credit: The Planetary Society.

From The Planetary Report: The next chapter in Mars and exoplanet exploration. The September issue of our quarterly magazine focuses on new and upcoming missions, with Jason Rhodes, one of the scientists behind the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, giving readers an inside look at what the observatory might discover. Ari Koeppel, The Planetary Society’s space policy fellow, also outlines Mars missions being planned by space agencies around the world.

What role should private funding play in space exploration? Our chief of space policy, Casey Dreier, delves into this question with Alex MacDonald, former Chief Economist at NASA, in the latest episode of Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition. Their discussion of MacDonald’s book, "The Long Space Age,” takes a historical perspective on a question that may be more relevant now than ever.

Catch up on a book club with an astronaut. Watch NASA astronaut and former International Space Station commander Leroy Chiao join Planetary Society book club members for a virtual discussion of his memoir, “Dinner with an Astronaut.” This coming month’s book club will host Jim Bell, professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University and member of the board of directors of The Planetary Society, as he shares his book, “The Art of the Cosmos.” Not yet a member? Join today.

Your support can power the next great discovery. Building on their earlier STEP Grant-funded research into hypersaline lakes that mirror past conditions on Mars, Dr. Buffo and his team are now developing techniques to better study these environments and planning expeditions to test those techniques. These efforts could help future spacecraft more efficiently spot the most promising places to look for signs of past life. Your support will help fund this next phase. Make your gift today!