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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
The case for Venus
NASA is about to pick finalists for its next New Frontiers mission. Will Venus make the cut?
Clipper Slipper
Will NASA's Space Launch System be ready to launch a Europa mission in 2022?
This newly discovered Earth-sized planet could harbor life
And it's only 11 light-years away.
Reminder: The Giant Magellan Telescope is going to be awesome
The GMT will characterize Earth-size exoplanets' atmospheres, looking for compounds that indicate the presence of life.
Planetary Society asteroid hunter snags picture of interstellar visitor ʻOumuamua
Asteroid hunters named the first-known interstellar asteroid ʻOumuamua as a nod to its scout-like traits.
Bridenstine makes his case for NASA administrator job
Republicans and Democrats spent nearly 3 hours showering Bridenstine with both praise and criticism.
Here's how engineers closed out LightSail 2 for flight
The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft is in a flight-ready state, marking a major milestone for the program.
Is There Anybody out There?
The Planetary Society has supported SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, practically since our founding in 1980. Learn the past, present, and future of SETI.
Planetary Society-funded telescopes help find ring around Haumea, a distant dwarf planet
Haumea has a ring! Two telescopes used in the discovery—one in Slovenia, and one in Italy—received funding from The Planetary Society's Shoemaker Near Earth Object (NEO) Grant program, which helps amateur astronomers find, track and characterize near-Earth asteroids.
We choose to go to the Moon and do the other things
Vice President Mike Pence kicked off the National Space Council's first meeting today by declaring Americans will return to the Moon. Casey Dreier and Jason Davis analyze this new direction for NASA's human spaceflight program.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk updates Mars colonization plans
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk presented an updated version of his Mars colonization plans today, during a widely anticipated talk at the 68th International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia.
Review: 'Discovery' is a bold, new addition to the Star Trek franchise
In a review of Star Trek: Discovery, Jason Davis says he expected Discovery to be a cross between Enterprise and the new reboot movies. Instead, the show turned out to be something else entirely.
Meet two astronaut candidates who can help NASA do science on other worlds
Two of NASA's new astronaut candidates are particularly suited to conduct scientific research on other worlds: Zena Cardman, a geobiologist, and Jessica Watkins, a geologist.
And then there was one
The end of the Cassini mission is a harbinger for a looming gap in outer planets exploration missions.
Your guide to Jim Bridenstine, the new nominee for NASA administrator
The White House announced it will nominate Jim Bridenstine to become NASA's next administrator.
NASA considers kicking Mars sample return into high gear
Thus far, no plan has solidified on how to get soil and rock samples from the upcoming Mars 2020 rover back to Earth. That is starting to change.
A good time for solar sailing: LightSail 2 finds itself among friends
Is the quest for flight by light approaching a tipping point? Representatives from the NEA Scout, CubeSail and StarChip missions discuss how their spacecraft are advancing the art of solar sailing.
Function over form: NASA's Space Launch System gets a new paint job
Last week, NASA revealed an updated design for the Space Launch System, featuring black-and-white checkerboards streaking down each of the vehicle's solid rocket boosters.
LightSail 2 updates: Prox-1 mission changes, new launch date
LightSail 2 and Prox-1 are expected to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy no earlier than April 30, 2018.
Congress gives NASA's planetary science division some love (and a Mars orbiter)
The House of Representatives proposed $2.1 billion for NASA's planetary science budget, which would be an all-time high. Part of the increase would be used to start work on a new reconnaissance and communications orbiter.