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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Countdown to the Next NASA Discovery Mission Selection
If NASA’s managers hold to their schedule, we will learn sometime this month what NASA’s next planetary mission will be.
European Space Agency Announces Budgetary Commitments
ESA has committed to continuing its ExoMars programme and participation with the International Space Station, but cut funding for its Asteroid Impact Mission.
Ground finale? Deployment test moves LightSail 2 closer to handoff
LightSail 2 successfully demonstrated all of its critical functions during what may have been the CubeSat's final end-to-end systems test at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Review: New book brings artistry of Apollo photos to your living room
Jason Davis reviews a new photo book showcasing a stunning collection of images taken by NASA's Apollo astronauts from 1968 through 1972.
What's the matter with Russia's rockets?
Fifteen Russian rockets have failed in the past 6 years. Of those mishaps, all but two involved upper stages. So what's going on? The problem may actually lie far beyond the country's aerospace industry.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Departs Spirit Mound, Embarks on Toughest Exit Ever
Opportunity worked along Endeavour Crater's western rim through November, taking pictures, hiking slopes, and finishing work in the depths of Cape Tribulation.
TeamIndus Announces Launch Contract with ISRO
TeamIndus, India’s only entry for the Google Lunar XPRIZE, just announced their launch contract with ISRO. If successful, TeamIndus would be the first private company from India to land a craft on an extraterrestrial body.
ISS-bound Progress spacecraft fails to reach orbit, breaks apart over southern Siberia
This morning's launch of an uncrewed Russian Progress cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station went awry. Following a third-stage failure, the vehicle reentered Earth's atmosphere and broke apart over southern Siberia in Russia.
Review: Arrival’s surprising message of happiness and hope for humanity
In a review of the new sci-fi film Arrival, Jason Davis says there's a lot to like about the movie's surprising message of happiness and hope for humanity.
Dawn Journal: Maneuvering for Science
Dawn is completing another elegant spiral around dwarf planet Ceres, maneuvering to its sixth science orbit. Chief Engineer and Mission Manager Marc Rayman brings us his latest update.
Rocket Road Trip: Watch a new video series on NASA's human spaceflight program
The Planetary Society debuts a new, five-part video series on NASA's human spaceflight program. We went on a 10-day, 450-mile journey throughout the southern U.S. to see how the agency is preparing to send humans beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time since 1972.
Pretty Pictures of the Cosmos: The Space Between
Award-winning astrophotographer Adam Block shares some of his beautiful photos showcasing interstellar phenomena.
Schiaparelli investigation update; crash site in color from HiRISE
ESA issued an update on the Schiaparelli landing investigation today, identifying a problem reading from an inertial measurement unit as the proximate cause of the crash. Meanwhile, ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is operating its science instruments for the first time this week, and HiRISE has released calibrated versions of the Schiaparelli crash site images.
Emily's recommended space books for kids of all ages, 2016
Emily's eighth annual kids' space book recommendation post includes lots of new books for kids of all ages, 0 to 18.
Subsurface Water Ice in Utopia Planitia, Mars
Martian radar expert Cassie Stuurman explains how the SHARAD instrument aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was used to detect buried ice deposits.
NASA Under Trump
NASA under a Trump Administration will be hard times for Earth Science, and human spaceflight to the Moon will likely get renewed focus. However, NASA won't go anywhere if massive cuts to spending are enacted as promised.
HiRISE coverage of the Opportunity field site, version 1.0
As she did before for Curiosity, Emily Lakdawalla has searched through the HiRISE image archive for photos of the Opportunity landing site and sorted them all out so that you don't have to.
Spektr-RG sees (x-ray) light at the end of the tunnel
After many years of development, a cutting-edge Russian-German space observatory with little-known contribution from the US is finally approaching the launch pad...or so its scientists say.
The diverse ‘village’ behind Peggy Whitson, NASA's barrier-breaking astronaut
During the run-up to her third mission, veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson has shifted the focus from herself to the team of trainers and technicians at Johnson Space Center.
GOES-R: A GOES Primer
The current GOES-East and GOES-West have been faithfully providing continuous imagery and data on Earth and space weather for almost a decade. So, with the launch of the first of the next generation of GOES satellites, GOES-R, what is NOAA trying to accomplish?