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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Dodges Dust Storms, Makes Tracks to Perseverance Valley
After wrapping the final science investigations on the slopes of Cape Tribulation, Opportunity climbed up and over the rim of Endeavour Crater in March and embarked on the journey south toward its next science target: Perseverance Valley.
Daring mighty things: Pathways to careers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Arizona State University graduate student Nathan Barba talks with some of JPL’s finest to get guidance and advice on how to join this illustrious group of space explorers.
Dawn Journal: Bonus Plans
Now in its third year of orbiting a distant dwarf planet, a spacecraft from Earth is as active as ever. Like a master artist, Dawn is working hard to add fine details to its stunning portrait of Ceres.
A letter from Bill Nye: Why we're marching for science
The Planetary Society is joining the March for Science. Bill Nye is serving as an honorary co-chair, and our organization is an official partner. Here's why we're marching, and how to join us.
Your hypothetical questions, answered: SpaceX prepares to refly rocket booster
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster recovered by a drone ship last year will be reflown later this week, marking what could be a new milestone in the quest for affordable spaceflight.
Juno just flew past Jupiter for the fifth time. What have we learned from the mission so far?
There's no verdict quite yet on the giant planet's core, and scientists are still gathering clues about the accuracy of our current solar system formation models.
New treasures from Juno: Jupiter dazzles during fourth close approach
Image processor Björn Jónsson shares some of his latest stunning images of Jupiter, created using data from NASA's Juno spacecraft.
Here's our exhaustive guide to Trump's 392-word NASA budget
We break down every sentence from Trump's new NASA budget, so you don't have to.
A repeat of the space shuttle's bold test flight? NASA considers crew aboard first SLS mission
NASA has only flown astronauts aboard a rocket's first flight once, when John Young and Bob Crippen took space shuttle Columbia on the boldest test flight in history. What are the risks of repeating the feat for SLS?
Unraveling a Martian enigma: The hidden rivers of Arabia Terra
Arabia Terra has always been a bit of a martian enigma. Planetary scientist Joel Davis takes us on a tour of its valley networks and their significance in telling the story of water on Mars.
Signed, sealed but not delivered: LightSail 2 awaits ship date
Following a pre-ship review at Planetary Society headquarters, LightSail 2 is ready to be integrated with its Prox-1 partner spacecraft. The final shipping schedule, however, has yet to be determined.
Postcard from Kentucky: Space in the Bluegrass State
In Kentucky, some very driven people are writing their own chapter of space exploration based on vision, entrepreneurial risk, and scientific and engineering know-how. Wayne Hall shares their stories.
Trump's first budget proposal is out. Here's how NASA fared
NASA escaped a large-scale budget slash, and planetary science fared well. ARM is canceled, the Moon-versus-Mars debate is not mentioned, and Earth science stands to lose some missions.
You’ve met Saturn’s ravioli-shaped moon, Pan. Now learn how it was discovered
Planetary astronomer Mark Showalter tells the story of when he became the first human to ever set eyes on Saturn's strange moon Pan in 1990.
Field Report from Mars: Sol 4669
Opportunity has begun driving down a long southward slope in Endeavour, heading toward Perseverance Valley.
Field Report from Mars: Sol 4662 - March 6, 2017
For nearly two years, Opportunity's world has been tilted 10–25 degrees as it drove down to the lower slopes of the wall of Endeavour Crater. Toward the end of last week, Opportunity pulled itself up and over the lip of the crater.
NASA, ISS partners quietly completing design of possible Moon-orbiting space station
Could NASA and its international partners construct a space station in orbit around the Moon? Possible designs are being finalized, but the Trump administration has yet to weigh in on the agency's human spaceflight program.
Cassini, with only a half-year to go at Saturn, just keeps dropping awesome images
Our latest roundup of Cassini goodies from Saturn includes Pan, a ravioli-shaped moon that orbits inside the planet's ring system.
This company launches balloons to the edge of space. Will the business float?
World View, a self-described “stratospheric exploration” company, recently unveiled its new headquarters in Tucson, Arizona.
MAVEN dodges Phobos, with (maybe) a little help from Curiosity
This week MAVEN had to execute a short rocket burn in order to prevent a future collision with Phobos. Curiosity (and other rovers) may have played a role in those trajectory predictions.