Articles

Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.

Thousands of Photos by Apollo Astronauts now on Flickr

A cache of more than 8,400 unedited, high-resolution photos taken by Apollo astronauts during trips to the moon is now available for viewing and download on Flickr.

There's coffee in that nebula...or maybe that Dragon....

Welcome home, AstroSamantha

Three astronauts have returned to Earth, and while I'm happy that they landed safely, I'm very sad that astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is not in space anymore to wish us

In Pictures: Expedition 42 Crew Returns to Earth

Three International Space Station crew members are back on Earth today following a morning Soyuz landing on the snowy steppes of Kazakhstan.

Spacewalk Timelapse Makes Cable Routing Look Fun

A timelapse video shows two NASA astronauts as they became typical neighborhood cable technicians—except for the fact that they were wearing space suits.

First Look Photographs of Orion's Return to Dry Land

NASA's Orion spacecraft is back on dry land following its offloading from the USS Anchorage late Monday night. Here are some selected photographs by Kevin Baird.

In Pictures: Expedition 42 Crew Launches to Station

Three more humans are in space today following the launch of Soyuz TMA-15M from the chilly steppes of Kazakhstan.

Soyuz TMA-12M descends through the clouds

Expedition 40 Crew Returns Safely to Earth

NASA astronaut Steve Swanson and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev are safely back on Earth following a five-and-a-half month stay aboard the International Space Station.

Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight By Jay Barbree

Mat Kaplan reviews a wonderful new biography on Neil Armstrong, written with the support of Armstrong and many of the other pioneering astronauts.

The International Space Station (May 2010)

No, Russia Did Not Just Kick the U.S. Out of the Space Station

A top Russian official announced a ban on Russian engines in U.S. military launches and questioned Russia's long-term commitment to the International Space Station. We cut through the hype and try to understand what was actually said and the immediate consequences facing NASA.

Apollo 15 Commander David Scott at the ALSEP station

Commander Dave Scott's Masursky Lecture from LPSC 2014

A video of Apollo astronaut David Scott's lecture to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. His talk was an absolute treat: funny, educational, engaging, full of joy at his adventure, though at the end, a little angry that we've not sent more humans back. It's well worth 45 minutes of your time.

The Space Launch System (original concept)

Slate's Misleading Hit Piece on the Future of NASA

A response to Slate's recent piece on the future of NASA, correcting many of its myths and misconceptions about how NASA works.

Earthrise over the lunar horizon from Apollo 8

NASA re-creates the Apollo 8 Earthrise using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data

If there's one thing I've learned after decades of studying the first human voyages to another world, it's that there is always more to discover about Apollo. Case in point: The Apollo 8 Earthrise photo that became one of the iconic images of the 20th century.