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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Meet Scott Pace, the National Space Council's new executive secretary
Pace will help develop policies that affect the future of NASA. Here's a guide to this influential new member of the Trump administration.
Back to Mercury! Europe and Japan's BepiColombo mission moves closer to launch
Next year, a pair of probes head to Mercury to answer outstanding questions about our innermost planet, as well as the formation of the solar system.
President Trump formed a national space council. Now it needs a NASA administrator
Tomorrow, NASA acting administrator Robert Lightfoot will have served longer than any other temporary head of NASA without having a successor nominated to fill the position.
Revisiting the ice giants: NASA study considers Uranus and Neptune missions
Only one spacecraft has ever visited Uranus and Neptune: Voyager 2, in the late 1980s. A new NASA report explores the reasons to go back, and what type of mission might take us there.
Did a Planetary Society citizen scientist help find one of Earth’s biggest impact craters?
Scientists have found what appears to be a 250-kilometer-wide crater near the Falkland Islands. Is it ground zero for Earth's largest-ever extinction event?
Despite setbacks, SpaceX continues to gain momentum
SpaceX lost rockets in both 2015 and 2016. But an analysis of Falcon 9 launch data shows the company continues to gain momentum, while making giant strides forward in reusability.
LightSail 2 partner spacecraft ships safely to New Mexico
Georgia Tech's Prox-1 spacecraft has arrived at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where it will be integrated with LightSail 2. The SmallSats will ride to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in December 2017 or later.
Parker Solar Probe: NASA renames upcoming mission to touch the Sun
NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft will repeatedly dive through the Sun's corona, giving scientists their first-ever up-close look at our star.
NASA's 2018 budget request is here, and we broke down the details
The White House's 2018 federal budget request includes $19.1 billion for NASA, which is a 3 percent drop from 2017. We broke down the details.
Orbital ATK discusses Antares rocket's future, confirms new NASA cargo mission
Company officials say they have no plans to retire Antares, which has secured its first mission order under the second round of NASA's commercial cargo flights, known as CRS-2.
Here's what you need to know about the Electron rocket, which is set to launch from New Zealand
Rocket Lab's Electron, a light-lift launcher for small satellites, is ready to make its debut test flight from a peninsula in New Zealand.
The anatomy of a delay: Here's a timeline of twists and turns for NASA's SLS and Orion programs
The Space Launch System and Orion won't fly until 2019, and NASA is sticking with its original plan not to include astronauts for the maiden mission. Here is a timeline of some of the programs' major twists and turns over the years.
Does NASA get its money's worth for Antares-Cygnus flights?
Despite being funded to fill a perceived gap in U.S. launch capabilities, Orbital ATK's Antares rocket has yet to find a customer besides NASA. Did the space agency get its money's worth?
Old documents shine new light on NASA's plan to send a solar sail to Halley's Comet
The Planetary Society's LightSail project has roots in a late-1970s NASA plan to send a giant solar sail spacecraft to Halley's Comet. Now, a cache of archival documents adds new depth to the audacious plan.
The first Space Launch System flight will probably be delayed
NASA's new heavy lift rocket is currently scheduled to launch the Orion spacecraft on a test flight next year. But all signs are pointing to a probable delay.
This weekend, it's the beginning of the end for Cassini
NASA's long-lived Cassini spacecraft is about to buzz Titan for the final time, putting it on course for a spectacular mission finale that concludes in September.
Our asteroid hunters are trying to save the world. Here’s what they’ve been up to
Here are some recent reports from our NEO Shoemaker Grant program asteroid observers, who are quite literally trying to save the world.
Expedition 50 had a fun and good ISS crew
I believe Expedition 50 had a fun and good ISS crew. I base this declaration solely on the moments they shared on social media. This logic is completely bulletproof and there's no point trying to prove otherwise.
NASA unveiled new plans for getting humans to Mars, and hardly anyone noticed
NASA revealed its most concrete plan yet for sending humans back into deep space, centered around a small lunar space station and a reusable transport ship to carry astronauts to Mars and back.
Your hypothetical questions, answered: SpaceX prepares to refly rocket booster
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster recovered by a drone ship last year will be reflown later this week, marking what could be a new milestone in the quest for affordable spaceflight.