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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Perseverance Firsts: The Best Moments from NASA's Mars Rover Landing
All the best moments so far from NASA's Perseverance rover, all in one place.
NASA solar sails build on LightSail 2
NEA Scout will visit a near-Earth asteroid and Solar Cruiser will test the largest solar sail yet.
Jupiter and Saturn Great Conjunction Viewing Guide
There's still time to get outside and see Jupiter and Saturn together in the evening sky.
Aliens at Proxima Centauri? A New Radio Signal Raises the Question
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, so here are the reasons why there may or may not be aliens in our cosmic backyard.
Planetary Society Reacts to Loss of Arecibo Observatory Radio Telescope
Arecibo helped us explore the cosmos and our solar system, search for life, and defend Earth from potentially dangerous asteroids.
Your Guide to Crew-1, SpaceX’s Second Astronaut Flight
The last time was a test. This time it was for real. SpaceX successfully launched 4 astronauts to the International Space Station on 15 November 2020.
Your Guide to the OSIRIS-REx sample collection
NASA's OSIRIS-REx successfully collected a sample from asteroid Bennu on 20 October 2020.
NASA and JAXA to Send Planetary Society-supported Sample Technology to the Moon and Phobos
PlanetVac, developed by Honeybee Robotics, is designed to be a reliable, flexible, low-cost sample collection technology.
Planetary Society Grant Winner Discovers Large Near-Earth Asteroid
The kilometer-wide object won't hit Earth, but would cause global-scale devastation if it did.
Planetary Society Grant Winners Deal with Delays, Hunt Asteroids, and Discover Comet
Every 6 months, we ask our recent Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO Grant winners for a progress report. Here's what they told us.
Here's What We've Learned So Far from LightSail 2
A new paper recaps mission events, discusses solar sail performance, and describes how the spacecraft's orbit has changed.
The Biggest Little Asteroid Observatory
The Center for Solar System Studies, a perennial Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO Grant winner, is a small observatory that makes big contributions to near-Earth asteroid research.
Planetary Society Talks Europa, Planetary Defense, and Solar Sailing in Washington D.C.
Thanks to our members and donors, The Planetary Society participated in several activities at the 2019 International Astronautical Conference.
“I Talk to It Every Day”: Students are Vital Members of LightSail 2 Team
More than 50,000 people supported LightSail 2. But only one person can talk to the spacecraft at a time, and it's often a student.
NASA to Build New Asteroid-Hunting Space Telescope
The yet-to-be-named telescope would launch as soon as 2024, as part of NASA's new, multi-pronged approach to planetary defense.
Bill Nye, Planetary Society Staff Listen to LightSail 2 Signal
When LightSail 2 recently flew south of The Planetary Society's headquarters, CEO Bill Nye and other staff members stepped outside to listen.
Astronomers May Have Found an Interstellar Comet. Here's Why That Matters.
Astrophysicist Karl Battams tells us what we can learn by studying objects from outside our solar system.
India's Vikram Spacecraft Apparently Crash-Lands on Moon
Communications were lost with the lander, which was carrying a small rover named Pragyan to the lunar surface.
Calling All Image Processors: Help Us Create a Top-Down View of LightSail 2
We've got 2 fish-eye pictures of the spacecraft's solar sail from opposite cameras, and we're hoping they can be combined.
Hayabusa2 Lander Mania: Results from MASCOT, Plans for MINERVA-II2
Japan's sample return spacecraft only has about 3 months left at asteroid Ryugu. Its next action will be to drop more stuff on the surface.