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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
LightSail 2 team completes key mission review and dress rehearsal
The LightSail 2 team gathered in Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for a Mission Readiness Review (MRR) and Operational Readiness Test (ORT).
Liquid Water on Mars! Really for Real This Time (Probably)
A radar instrument on one of the oldest operational Mars orbiters has discovered possible evidence of present-day liquid water on Mars.
Hayabusa2 descends from Home Position to take its first close look at Ryugu
Last week, Hayabusa2 approached to within 6000 meters of the surface of Ryugu, taking new photos. The team has developed a set of terminology to describe Hayabusa2's navigational positions around the asteroid.
Planetary Society asteroid hunters help find rare type of double asteroid
A global team of astronomers has found a rare type of asteroid, where two equal-mass objects circle each other in a never-ending dance as they hurtle through the solar system.
Hello from the new editor of The Planetary Report
I'm honored to be the new editor of The Planetary Society's flagship magazine, The Planetary Report.
The June solstice issue of The Planetary Report has arrived
The June solstice 2018 issue of The Planetary Report is about to mail and will arrive at Planetary Society members’ homes within days. Members who want to read it sooner can access the magazine online.
Boldly advocating for more space science
Board member Robert Picardo burns some shoe leather on Capitol Hill with our advocacy team.
How the Apollo missions transformed our understanding of the Moon’s origin
Where did the Moon come from? The origin of our cosmic neighbor is a fundamental question in planetary science.
Dawn Journal: Going Out on a High...Or Maybe a Low
Rapidly nearing the end of a unique decade-long interplanetary expedition, Dawn is taking phenomenal pictures of dwarf planet Ceres as it swoops closer to the ground than ever before.
How India built NavIC, the country's own GPS network
The country's satellite navigation system faced a long and difficult road, but it's finally operational.
Pretty Pictures of the Cosmos: The Cosmic Ocean
Award-winning astrophotographer Adam Block shares some of his most recent images of our amazing and beautiful universe.
NEA Scout unfurls solar sail for full-scale test
The next time its solar sail is deployed, NEA Scout will be out near the Moon.
Generation Zero of JPL Planetary Rovers
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has a fabled history of planetary rovers. But how do you start such a program?
New goodies from asteroid Ryugu!
Two new global views of Ryugu from Hayabusa2, plus a 3-D animation.
The Bounty of Iron Meteorites Found on Mars
Something new and wonderful appeared in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database—an entire listing of meteorites found on Mars by robotic rovers and their science teams from the years 2005–2017.
Walking on Mars: Bringing the Red Planet Down to Earth
What happens when you print a map of Mars the size of a basketball court?
What's the benefit of sample return?
With Hayabusa2 at Ryugu and OSIRIS-REx closing on Bennu, it's the summer of sample return. Why do scientists go to so much trouble for a piece of a another world?
The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Sleeps as Storm Chasers Study Planet-Encircling Dust Cloud
As a monster dust storm grew to encircle the Red Planet in June, Opportunity spent most of the month in the dark, presumably sleeping in a hibernation mode as the skies over Endeavour Crater became darker and darker.
Planetary Defense in the Moroccan Mountains
A little-known observatory is s helping usher an Arab astronomy renaissance.
Programming note
Emily Lakdawalla is on vacation from 1 to 22 July. Jason Davis will reign over the blog in her absence.