Articles

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

Sunrise over sea ice near the North Pole

Timing Is Everything

The tradition of giving to charities like The Planetary Society at year’s end often brings up questions about how to make those gifts, as well as their tax implications.

Yearbook photo of Mastcam-Z Flight Model 1

Mastcam-Z Flight Hardware!

After a more-than-four-year adventure, the flight Mars 2020 rover Mastcam-Z cameras have been fully assembled!

LightSail 2 launch pushed to early 2019

An Air Force official says an ‘initial launch capability’ is being reassessed.

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is getting a signal boost

It's all thanks to renewed interest from NASA and a private effort to scan the skies using an array of 64 radio telescopes.

How LightSail and a NASA study helped pave the way for Mars-bound CubeSats

Two NASA CubeSats are approaching Mars — an impressive accomplishment for a concept many people regarded with derision just 15 years ago.

On February 6, 2018, I found myself shoulder to shoulder with two of my heroes: Bill Nye on the left, Buzz Aldrin on the right. Our eyes were fixed on the first vertical Falcon Heavy rocket. Figuring the world's most powerful rocket might send me flying backwards once the countdown hit zero, I gripped the railing so tightly I started to lose the feeling in my fingertips.

Hayabusa2 prepares to collect samples, leave Planetary Society names on Ryugu

The names were collected by the Society in 2013, and are stored on target markers that will be dropped on the asteroid.

LightSail 2 updates: Launch date slips, environmental test complete, new video released

LightSail 2's ride to space won't happen until at least November 30, as SpaceX works through a list of other payloads in line to fly first.

Mastcam-Z stereo testbed team picture mosaic

Mastcam-Z Team Blog: A Special Team Photomosaic

Mastcam-Z will help the Mars 2020 rover explore the surface of Mars. Dozens of amazing scientists and engineers from across the globe contribute to the development of Mastcam-Z. This year, the team photo was taken with our very own Mastcam-Z testbed unit.

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).

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.

Planetary Defense in the Moroccan Mountains

A little-known observatory is s helping usher an Arab astronomy renaissance.

Let's check in on The Planetary Society's asteroid hunters

The Shoemaker NEO Grant program funds advanced amateur astronomers who help determine if nearby asteroids will hit Earth. Here are some collected reports from our asteroid hunters.

Artist's concept of near-Earth asteroids

Will an asteroid hit Earth? Your questions answered.

The Planetary Society presents a list of Frequent Asteroid Questions (FAQs).

New report explores threat from near-Earth asteroids

How dangerous are near-Earth asteroids, and what will we do if we find one headed toward Earth?

A Planetary Vacuum Successfully Takes a Rocket Ride

Rocket science met planetary science in the California desert when PlanetVac, a new planetary surface sampling technique, was successfully tested on a Xodiac rocket.

Mastcam-Z team blog: We've got flight hardware!

Right after the last Mastcam-Z team meeting a year ago (link here to last two blog posts), our team finalized the design of the cameras, and then the fantastic voyage of creating Martian panoramic zoom cameras began.