The right stuff

Space Snapshot

Living in space is no easy feat. The systems required to keep a crew alive in orbit are extraordinarily complex, as evident in this view of the International Space Station’s Destiny module from the perspective of ESA astronaut Marcus Wandt. Humans are constantly working to advance our capabilities and venture deeper into space. You’ll read all about this endeavor in the latest issue of The Planetary Report, where we unpack the technologies that got Artemis II to the Moon, the hurdles facing human exploration of Mars, and the policy nuances that underlie it all. Image credit: ESA/M. Wandt

Fact Worth Sharing

NASA’s Artemis program aims to advance lunar exploration in many ways, including by generating resources on the Moon. Instead of bringing everything from Earth, future Artemis crews will try to harvest rocket fuel components, water, and metal from the lunar surface.

Mission Briefings

Meet the crew of Artemis III. This week, NASA announced the crew that will carry out the third mission in the Artemis lunar program. Pictured here are mission specialist Andre Douglas (NASA), pilot Luca Parmitano (ESA), commander Randy Bresnik (NASA), and mission specialist Frank Rubio (NASA). In 2027, the mission will launch astronauts into orbit around Earth, where they will test one (or possibly two) lunar landing spacecraft. This dress rehearsal will set up Artemis IV to land people on the Moon as early as 2028. Image credit: NASA.

ISS crew members had to take shelter due to a leak. On June 5, five of the seven crew members aboard the International Space Station temporarily sheltered in the Crew Dragon spacecraft while two cosmonauts prepared to make extensive repairs to pervasive air leaks in one portion of the Russian segment. Ultimately, Roscosmos decided to postpone the repairs and use sealant as they have in the past, and the crew returned to regular duties.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has a launch date. NASA announced that the next-generation space telescope will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Aug. 30, 2026, ahead of schedule. Roman will study dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets.

Space Advocate Update

The White House's Office of Management and Budget recently released a proposed rule change that would fundamentally alter how the U.S. federal government manages grants, replacing merit-based peer review with partisan political review. Hear from Jack Kiraly, The Planetary Society's director of government relations, about how this could affect NASA’s scientific endeavors and more. If you live in the United States, you can also take action to oppose this change.

From The Planetary Society

For humans to live in space, we’ll need some space tomatoes. Or at least, the ability to grow food of some kind. This is the research focus of Dr. Andrew Palmer, who studies deep-space agriculture with the help of funding from The Planetary Society’s Science and Technology Empowered by the Public (STEP) Grant program. Learn more about how crowdfunding is helping to address the challenge of feeding astronauts on long-duration missions. Pictured: Andrew Palmer with the tomato plants in his lab. Image credit: Andrew Palmer.

What's Up

In the early evening western sky, look for the two brightest planets very near each other: super-bright Venus with very bright Jupiter lower down. Mercury shines much more dimly below them, near the western horizon. The crescent Moon will line up with the evening planets on June 16 and 17. In the predawn, yellowish Saturn shines near the eastern horizon, with reddish Mars lower down. Learn more in our guide to June's night skies.

Carl Sagan. Bill Nye. You.

The Planetary Society was co-founded by Carl Sagan to give you an essential role in space exploration. Not already a member? Join today! When you become a member, you join a global community of space advocates who make a critical difference in supporting a future full of space exploration. Join Chief Ambassador Bill Nye and become part of the world's most effective independent space advocacy nonprofit!

Wow of the Week

While human spaceflight makes incremental advances and the occasional leap, our imaginations can extend much farther. Planetary Society charter member Mike Mackowski created this mural depicting the Rockhopper, a spacecraft he imagined carrying astronauts to a moon of Saturn. Using pastel chalk on poster paper, Mike created this 50 years ago to decorate his dorm room while attending the University of Arizona in Tucson. In the years following the Apollo program’s successful exploration of the Moon, many people like Mike had faith that humanity would soon extend its presence deeper into the Solar System. Mike kept this mural as decoration in subsequent apartments and his home today to remind himself of that forward-looking vision of continuing exploration. Image credit: Mike Mackowski.

Send us your artwork!

We love to feature space artwork in the Downlink. If you create any kind of space-related art, we invite you to send it to us by replying to any Downlink email or writing to [email protected]. Please let us know in your email if you’re a Planetary Society member!