Getting around in space

A perfectly synchronized exoplanet system has been found. Astronomers have identified a star system 100 light-years away with planets whose orbits are in resonance, meaning that each planet’s orbital speed is greater than the last by a simple integer ratio (e.g. 3:2). All star systems, including our own, are thought to have started out in resonance like this one, but it's estimated that only one percent of systems stay that way. Pictured: An artist’s impression of the synchronized star system. Image credit: NASA.

Ireland’s first satellite successfully launched. The Educational Irish Research Satellite, or EIRSAT-1, was designed, built, and tested by students from University College Dublin through ESA Academy’s “Fly Your Satellite!” program, which supported the launch as well as the team’s work on the satellite. EIRSAT-1 will study gamma ray bursts, test a thermal treatment’s ability to protect the surface of a satellite when in space, and test a new method of using Earth’s magnetic field to change a satellite’s orientation in space.

Astronaut Mary Cleave has died. The NASA astronaut flew twice on the Space Shuttle before becoming the first woman to head NASA's science division. Cleave died on Nov. 27 at the age of 76.

The Space Shuttle Program achieved a lot — but did it achieve its main goals? The Shuttle was intended to provide crewed access to orbit at lower costs, with rapid reusability and reliability. John Logsdon, who founded the Space Policy Institute and now serves on The Planetary Society’s board of directors, wrote a paper back in 1986 arguing that the Shuttle program was a policy failure. The latest episode of Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition revisits this classic paper to discuss its arguments, its conclusions, and whether the paper stands up to this day. Pictured: The Space Shuttle Columbia making its first trip to launchpad. Image credit: NASA.

What caused the largest marsquake ever recorded? Benjamin Fernando, a postdoctoral fellow from the University of Oxford, joins Planetary Radio this week to talk about the 4.7-magnitude marsquake recorded by NASA’s InSight Mars lander in 2022, what we know about it today, and the international effort it took to figure it out.

Marc Hartzman knows a lot about aliens. Specifically, the author and historian knows how to discern between the fact and fiction of UFOs/UAPs and the real possibility of life existing beyond Earth. He joined our latest virtual book club meeting to talk to Planetary Society members about his book “We Are Not Alone.” Watch a recording of the live event and be sure to check out the next meeting in our online member community. Not a member yet? Join us now.