Articles

The Downlink

Astronomers around the world are working to protect the Earth from asteroid impacts, with the help of Planetary Society members and donors.

The Downlink

Detailed Mars maps, insights into the Venusian surface, and views of Uranian rings all have one thing in common: they don’t happen without public support for space.

The Downlink

Finding asteroids before they hit Earth not only protects us from harm, it can also yield beautiful photos.

Casey Dreier

A space-based solution like NEO Surveyor will find more asteroids, more quickly, than any ground-based alternative. Combined with deflection technology, this gives humanity a chance to alter its fate should a threatening asteroid be found early enough.

The Downlink

This year has been great for space exploration. With your support, we’ll make sure the future is even better.

The Downlink

This week we have images snapped the old-fashioned and cutting-edge ways, creative ways of thinking about exploration, and artwork that expresses the beauty of it all.

Casey Dreier

After nearly two decades of consideration, NASA made a formal commitment to NEO Surveyor, an asteroid-hunting space telescope.

The Downlink

Celebrating 50 years of Apollo 17, the last crewed mission to the Moon.

The Downlink

An especially spooky Halloween edition of The Downlink.

The Downlink

See images your eyes wouldn’t normally be able to see, and learn about what these images can teach you.

The Downlink

With so many asteroids out there, it’s up to us to defend our planet from impacts. Find out how you can make a difference.

The Downlink

Exploration will always face setbacks, but this week’s Downlink reminds us of the impressive human ability to persevere.

Casey Dreier

The National Space Society and The Planetary Society jointly argue for funding the asteroid-hunting NEO Surveyor mission.

Casey Dreier

NASA's proposal to slash funding for NEO Surveyor highlights the lessons unlearned after COVID.

The Downlink

Saturn’s icy moon invites further study, and The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 spacecraft celebrates an anniversary.

The Downlink

China’s Zhurong Mars rover snaps a selfie and gets a bird’s-eye-view pic from above, and asteroid hunters of all kinds look out for dangerous rocks.

Casey Dreier

A space telescope that would find thousands of potential "city-killer" size asteroids was abruptly delayed due to unspecified and unrelated funding issues within NASA's science division.

Jason Davis

The yet-to-be-named telescope would launch as soon as 2024, as part of NASA's new, multi-pronged approach to planetary defense.