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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Water plumes from Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus may show promising signs of life
New research says methane levels detected in the plumes of one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, might point to a habitable world.
The Icy Intrigue of Enceladus
Saturn’s icy moon invites further study, and The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 spacecraft celebrates an anniversary.
Remembering Missions And Anticipating Those To Come
Reminisce about the influential Viking missions, picture seeing your all-time favorites on your wall, and get excited for what’s to come.
The Space Advocate Newsletter, July 2021
Spaceflight is changing. Let's embrace it.
Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic: their space tourism flights explained
Though Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have similar overarching ambitions, there are some stark differences in their approaches to suborbital space tourism.
How Dragonfly will explore Saturn’s ‘bizarro Earth’ moon, Titan
NASA's Dragonfly dual-quadcopter will carry a suite of instruments designed to analyze the surface of Saturn's moon, Titan.
Cyclones and Storms and Flares, Oh My!
Jupiter’s cyclones are beautiful, and the Sun’s storms and flares are a little bit scary.
Seeing Ourselves in Space
When we look at our planet, look for life, or direct a rover to look at itself, we see ourselves in new ways.
Why NASA pays SpaceX and Boeing to fly astronauts to the International Space Station
Commercial crew is a partnership between NASA and private industry to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station and create a new market for humans in space.
The best pictures of Saturn’s rings
Here are some of our favorite pictures of Saturn's iconic rings, featuring images from Cassini, Voyager 1 and 2 and more.
Unlikely Space Travelers
Squid, mice, and stuffed animals may seem like Earthlings, but this week they’re coming to you from space.
LightSail 2 completes second year in space
Two years after launch, The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft is still solar sailing and paving the way for future missions.
Spotting Rovers From Above and Asteroids From Afar
China’s Zhurong Mars rover snaps a selfie and gets a bird’s-eye-view pic from above, and asteroid hunters of all kinds look out for dangerous rocks.
Risky business: will the world rise to the challenge of asteroid defense?
This November, NASA will launch the world’s first mission to test a method of deflecting an asteroid.
"Just Nuke 'Em!" Planetary Defense in the Movies
What two famous 1998 asteroid movies got right and wrong.
Your Impact: June Solstice 2021
Our annual Day of Action set up virtual meetings between 145 members and their congressional representatives and staffers.
Venusian Probes and UFOs
Venus is an intimidating destination for spacecraft, and we’re pretty sure Earth hasn’t yet been a destination for aliens.
Is it aliens? Three questions to evaluate UFO claims
It's important to consider explanations that don't involve large conspiracies or require our understanding of physics to be wrong.
The Space Advocate Newsletter, June 2021
NASA's new budget says "yes".
Double Venus missions: all the burning questions NASA hopes to answer
Here's what NASA's upcoming Venus missions — DAVINCI+ and VERITAS — hope to uncover.