The New Horizons Initiative

Carl Sagan’s longtime artistic collaborator, Jon Lomberg, designed the cover for the Voyager Interstellar Record.  Now he wants to upload another message from Earth to New Horizons, the spacecraft on its way to Pluto.  Jon asks for help in convincing NASA and with the creation of the message.  Emily Lakdawalla reports from the 2014 meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences.  Bill Nye rejoices in the discovery by Curiosity that two percent of Mars soil is water.  Bruce Bettts points out a majestic triangle in the fall sky on What’s Up.

Related Links

• New Horizons Message Initiative
• Jon Lomberg
• BLOG:  Emily Lakdawalla at the DPS Meeting
• MER Update--Opportunity Roves to Solander Point

Trivia Contest

This week's prize package is swag from the new movie, "Gravity!"

This week's question:
What nebula would fit best in the movie, "The Godfather?"

To submit your answer:
Complete the contest entry form at http:planetary.org/radiocontest or write to us at [email protected] no later than Monday, October 14th, at 2pm Pacific Time.  Be sure to include your name, mailing address and shirt size.

Last week's question:
What is Mercury's eccentricity?  (Give us at least 2 or 3 digits.)

Answer:
The answer will be revealed next week.

Question from the week before:
What is the name of the location where MER Opportunity will spend the next Martian winter?

Answer:
Solander Point at Endeavour Crater