Winter 2016 Issue of The Planetary Report is Here!

The winter issue of The Planetary Report is at the printer and will be in your mailbox soon. All Planetary Society members can start reading now by downloading the magazine here.

Although 2015 had no shortage of bad news, we denizens of Earth also continued to accomplish great things; not least among them were our advances in understanding the cosmos and our place within it. Acknowledgment of our progress and thoughts about—and evidence of—our inspiration, are the themes of this issue.

And what better way to celebrate than with pretty photos? Once again, it’s time for “The Year in Pictures,” where Emily Lakdawalla handpicks a collection of images that showcase the milestones of exploration we’ve crossed, from a very long-awaited visit to the Pluto Charon system to our first global map of Ceres.

Nadia Drake is a science journalist whose blog No Place Like Home is hosted by National Geographic. When I read her eloquent “How Can We Write About Science When People Are Dying?” I knew it would strike a chord with our readers and obtained permission to reprint it here.

Planetary Society members are a dedicated and effective group of people. Congress listens. In “More Important Than Ever,” Casey Dreier lists the impressive strides we made in increasing funding for planetary exploration in 2016. He also looks forward to the (now released) President’s budget request for 2017 and reminds us of space exploration’s power to take us past partisan politics toward something much larger than ourselves.

The Planetary Deep Drill traveled from its home in Honeybee Robotics’ laboratory to a gypsum mine in California’s desert for its first field test, sponsored in part by The Planetary Society. Director of Science and Technology Bruce Betts and Society colleagues took a road trip to document this important step toward understanding ices on other worlds.

Plus, Bill Nye recognizes Neil deGrasse Tyson and Robert Picardo; Society members share their awe-inspiring photos; the Volunteer Network encourages tomorrow’s explorers; and more.

For 35 years, The Planetary Society has worked hard to ensure that we have a vibrant future in space. If you are not a member and you’d like to have a role in this adventure, join us here.

Donna Stevens
Editor
The Planetary Report