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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
LightSail team learns from IKAROS
While we were in New York for the International Solar Sailing Symposium last week, we held a meeting with the Japanese IKAROS team to discuss technical results and issues in our two projects.
From the Solar Sail Symposium in New York
This week, Bill Nye and I are attending the International Solar Sail Symposium at the New York College of Technology.
Observing the Martian Atmosphere for Two Mars Years
June 29, 2010 was the second Martian anniversary of the start of Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) observations at Mars.
Bill Takes a Job
Bill gives an introduction about his feelings on his new position here at The Planetary Society.
LightSail 1 Passes Critical Design Review
LightSail 1, the Planetary Society's new ultra-light Cubesat-based solar sail spacecraft, has passed its Critical Design Review.
U.S. Citizens: Please write your elected representatives about restarting plutonium-238 production!
I'm hereby posting a request that was sent earlier today to members of the Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society by its chair, Candy Hansen.
Apply for a Shoemaker NEO Grant! Deadline extended to June 24
Amateur astronomers, get your proposals in for this year's round of Shoemaker NEO Grants!
Bill Nye Signs on as Planetary Society's New Executive Director
Bill Nye the Science Guy® will take the helm as the new Executive Director of the Planetary Society.
Planetary Society Hails Falcon 9 Test as Great Achievement
The Planetary Society today issued this statement congratulating SpaceX on the test flight of Falcon 9.
Lou Friedman is "our man in Japan" to watch IKAROS sail deployment
Planetary Society Executive Director Lou Friedman is now in Japan, joining the rest of the IKAROS team to watch the eagerly anticipated deployment of its solar sails.
Firming Up the Spacecraft Design
The LightSail 1 spacecraft development is proceeding well. Our engineering team has completed crucial milestones to building the vehicle that will demonstrate the value and potential of using sunlight alone to propel exploratory craft through space.
Science and Hollywood -- The Two Cultures Meet in Jim Cameron's Avatar
Hollywood and Science are not congenial colleagues. When their paths cross, as they so often do in science-fiction films, each feels the other must give way to the cultural absolutes of their different tribes.
Photos of your names on the IKAROS spacecraft
IKAROS, Japan's solar sail, is nearly ready for launch, piggybacked behind the Venus orbiter Akatsuki.
Planetary Society Tells Congress "Reassert Optimism, Inspire Future Generations"
Two weeks ago, The Planetary Society submitted a statement to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee considering the fiscal year 2011 budget request for NASA.
Akatsuki and IKAROS getting ready for launch, with your names aboard
I've been so focused on the dramatic return of
A moment in time
On Mars, at 15:00 local true solar time on May 2, a solitary rover gazed southward across her own dusty deck and snapped three photos, actually three sets of three photos, which were combined to make this view.
Snapshots from the move, part 1
Here are a few photos taken on Friday, April 30, 2010, The Planetary Society's very last day in our old headquarters at 65 North Catalina Avenue in Pasadena.
The Planetary Society is moving on up
After 25 years in our big brown house at 65 North Catalina Avenue in Pasadena, The Planetary Society is moving on Monday to new headquarters at 85 South Grand Avenue, still in Pasadena.
From the Executive Director: Space Exploration is Non-partisan
I've been getting a tremendous amount of e-mail (and old-fashioned postal mail, too) in response to the new plan for human space exploration announced by the Obama Administration.
Bill Nye on Planetary Radio, and Space Carnival #150
This week on Planetary Radio, Mat Kaplan talks with Bill Nye, who was one of the 200 invited to hear President Obama's speech on space at Kennedy Space Center last week.