Big Rockets and Little LightSails

Digital editor Jason Davis is a lucky guy. He follows and reports on human spaceflight progress, as well as the progress of the LightSail solar sail, which is about a year from its next flight. Emily Lakdawalla shares her thoughts about the Mars depicted in The Martian, while Bill Nye has sharp words for NASA’s new plan for getting humans there.

Related Links:

• NASA “Journey to Mars”
• NASA's Journey to Mars Report: A Plan to Form a Strategy for a Concept
• Space Launch System
• Orion Spacecraft
• Jason Davis’ Commercial Crew Update
• LightSail
• Humans Orbiting Mars
• Humans Orbiting Mars Q&A With Casey Dreier and Jason Callahan
• Public Service Broadcasting's Excellent Music Video "Valentina"

This week's prizes are a lovely Planetary Radio t-shirt and a Planetary Society rubber asteroid of your very own!

This week's question:

As of 1980 AND 2015, how many worlds had either been soft-landed on or had successful atmospheric probes? No touch-and-go or fly-through sample return missions.

To submit your answer:

Complete the contest entry form at http://planetary.org/radiocontest or write to us at [email protected] no later than Tuesday, October 20th at 8am Pacific Time. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Last week's question:

As of 1980, how many planets had been orbited? And how many have been orbited by 2015?

Answer:

The answer will be revealed next week.

Question from the week before:

Who was the only woman to perform a solo space flight?

Answer:

Valentina Tereshkova is the only woman to have flown solo in space.