The Planetary Report • March/April 2010

Spirit on Mars

On the Cover: <i>Spirit</i> is the small bright dot to the left of Mars' Home Plate in this image, taken on July 16, 2009 by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on <i>Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)</i>. If <i>Spirit</i> does not break free, it may rest there forever. The other bright areas around Home Plate are spots where the rover has churned up the soil.

Features

4 30 Years of The Planetary Society: Louis Friedman reminisces about his time with the society upon his retirement.

6 We Make it Happen! A New Project: Microrovers for Assisting Humans: Bruce Betts reports on an exciting new NASA-funded collaboration between The Planetary Society and Cornell University.

8 WorldWatch: Winds of Change at NASA: What are the Obama administration's plans for NASA?

10 Spirit: Not Dead Yet: Emily Lakdawalla and Jim Bell set the record straight on the current state of Spirit.

17 Annual Report to Our Members: A summary from Dan Geraci on The Planetary Society's 2009 finances and activites.

Departments

20 Q&A How can we tell how many planets are in other solar systems?

22 Members' Dialogue NASA's roots and the dinosaurs' demise

23 Society News A new online store, and happy birthday to Buzz Aldrin!

The Planetary Report • March/April 2010

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