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Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
LPSC 2016: The Moon Keeps on Giving
There was no shortage of interesting lunar science talks at last month’s Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Dr. Ryan Clegg-Watkins highlights some of the interesting results for us.
Does Presidential Intervention Undermine Consensus for NASA?
Presidents induce polarization on topics they choose to promote. So is the best way for a President to promote consensus in NASA to speak quietly?
Curiosity update, sols 1250-1310: Across the Naukluft Plateau
Curiosity has driven onward from Namib dune across a highstanding unit of rock called the Naukluft Plateau. Despite some frustrating sols lost to a short circuit in the RTG and DSN troubles, the rover has made progress, and performed lots of 3D imaging of weirdly wind-eroded rocks.
Full-circle ceremony sends last shuttle tank to sea
The last unflown space shuttle fuel tank is underway to California, following a full-circle ceremony in view of hardware built for the shuttle's heavy lift successor, the Space Launch System.
Opposition surge comet
Today, the Rosetta OSIRIS team's Image of the Day is this highly unusual view of the comet with the Sun very nearly behind the spacecraft.
Defining the Missions for the Ocean Worlds
At a recent meeting of an advisory group for NASA, the Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS), Jim Green, the head of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, and Barry Goldstein from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, provided updates on plans to explore our solar system's ocean worlds.
LPSC 2016: Differentiated meteorites provide a glimpse of the early solar system and planets
This year's Lunar and Planetary Science Conference included a session devoted to a group of rocks from space called differentiated meteorites, and their proposed parent bodies.
Last unflown space shuttle tank heads seaward for new mission
The last unflown space shuttle external fuel tank was loaded onto a barge at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility Sunday in New Orleans. It will ship to the California Science Center in Los Angeles to be joined with space shuttle Endeavour.
How to Make a Pluto Globe
Want to make your own globe of Pluto? Here's how!
Live mice, cabbage, and a drone ship: Your SpaceX Dragon launch preview
Tomorrow afternoon, SpaceX plans to launch its Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station for the first time since a catastrophic accident last June.
Fog Detection from the Surface of Titan: New Findings From Old Data
Huygens may have landed on Titan over a decade ago, but a group of researchers from York University were able to make a new and unexpected discovery with this older dataset.
LPSC 2016: Icy Satellite Science
This year’s Lunar and Planetary Science Conference devoted two oral presentation sessions to questions related to icy satellites in our solar system. Jessica Noviello reports back from the conference.
All about BEAM, the space station's new inflatable module
This Friday, SpaceX plans to launch a Dragon cargo spacecraft to the ISS. Packed inside Dragon's trunk is a new inflatable station module called BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module.
What's up in solar system exploration: April 2016 edition
This month (actually, today), Cassini had a relatively close flyby of Titan, and New Horizons will observe a very distant Kuiper belt object named 1994 JR1. Akatsuki has just fine-tuned its orbit around Venus, and Hayabusa2 has begun an 800-hour ion engine thrusting phase to steer it toward near-Earth asteroid Ryugu.
LPSC 2016: Martian Geomorphology
Scientists showcased a wide range of features and processes on Mars' surface at last week's Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Soldiers through Martian March Madness
As March Madness on Earth sent sports fans into their annual kinetic frenzy watching more than 60 American teams battle it out for college basketball’s grandest title, Opportunity was experiencing her own Martian brand of March Madness.
Dawn Journal: Sharper Views of Ceres
One year after taking up its new residence in the solar system, Dawn is continuing to witness extraordinary sights on dwarf planet Ceres. Mission Director Marc Rayman brings us his monthly update on Dawn's status.
In pictures: Russian cargo ship shuffle underway
Russian ISS controllers are in the process of swapping out a trash-filled cargo ship for a new one bearing fresh supplies, following the successful launch of a Progress spacecraft from Kazakhstan today.
LPSC 2016: So. Much. Ceres.
At last week's Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, I enjoyed a large number of talks about Ceres. Now in its Low-Altitude Mapping Orbit, Dawn is showering scientists with high-resolution, color data.
Selfies, messages and names delivered for LightSail 2 flight
A miniature DVD containing images of space fans and names of Planetary Society members and supporters is ready to fly in space.