Journeys worth making

Space Snapshot

If you’ve ever climbed a mountain, you know that the grueling ascent is made worthwhile by the view. NASA's Perseverance rover recently took this image looking back on the path it traveled from its landing site (visible in the full panorama) up the steep slopes of Jezero Crater. This impressive vista provides a great look back on Perseverance’s three-and-a-half years of exploration, which have achieved so much more than just a great view. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS.

Fact Worth Sharing

Perseverance is facing its most challenging climb yet: a 20-degree slope on a slippery surface. The end is in sight, though. Perseverance is near the crater's rim, and if all goes well, is expected to crest it in early December.

Mission Briefings

NASA’s solar sailing spacecraft has deployed. The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3), which launched into Earth orbit in April, has fully deployed its solar sails. The spacecraft’s attitude control system was turned off for sail deployment, so the spacecraft is slowly tumbling as it orbits. The mission team plans to turn it on and attempt controlled solar sailing once some things are better understood. In particular, there appears to be a slight bend in one of the four booms that hold the sails in place. Pictured: Views from the four cameras aboard the ACS3 spacecraft. At the top of each image is one of the spacecraft’s solar panels, and at the bottom its reflective sails. Image credit: NASA.

ISRO is planning a lunar sample return mission. The Indian Space Research Organization recently announced plans for its Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return mission, which will launch no earlier than 2028 and land on the Moon’s southern hemisphere. The mission will collect samples from the surface as well as by drilling to a depth of around 2 meters (around 6.5 feet) to sample the lunar subsurface.

A new report shows how much NASA contributes to the U.S. economy. NASA recently released its third economic impact report, which shows that the agency’s various activities generated more than $75.6 billion in economic output in fiscal year 2023. This is in part due to the whopping 304,803 jobs that NASA missions support nationwide.

NASA’s Chandra and Hubble missions are facing cuts, but not just yet. In response to budget pressures, the agency’s 2025 budget request included major cuts to both space telescopes, potentially threatening their ability to continue operations. However, NASA has delayed making any actual changes to the missions’ operations until the agency receives its final budget appropriations for fiscal year 2025. It is unclear when that will happen, especially given the uncertainty posed by the upcoming federal election.

From The Planetary Society

What might Pluto’s heart tell us about its habitability? New Horizons’ journey to Pluto took nine years, but it was worth it when we got to see the dwarf planet up close for the first time. Among the surprises was Pluto’s prominent heart-shaped feature. Adeene Denton, research scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona, joins this week’s Planetary Radio to explore recent research on the origins of that feature and what it can tell us about whether the dwarf planet might have a subsurface ocean. Pictured: The most accurate natural color image of Pluto taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. Image credit: NASA et al.

Coming up in the member community: "Life As No One Knows It." On Nov. 4, Planetary Society members can join astrobiologist and theoretical physicist Sara Imari Walker in our monthly virtual book club meeting to discuss her book “Life As No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence.” This event is free and open to all Planetary Society members. Not a member yet? Join today.

How many galaxies are there in the Universe? YouTuber Epic Spaceman found a unique way of visualizing this: by filling a swimming pool with galaxies. The Planetary Society sponsored Epic Spaceman's fascinating and visually stunning exploration of just how much is out there in the Cosmos, waiting to be discovered.

⚠️Monthly members: Action needed!⚠️

The Planetary Society is upgrading our membership management system and our credit card charging processor has changed. For many monthly members, the process happens automatically and you won’t notice any changes to your monthly payment process. For others, however, these changes will require us to have members update their credit/debit card information.

To facilitate this, we are sending emails to those who need to update their credit card information with a unique link to a webpage where you can quickly enter your payment information. If you passed by the email and didn't follow the prompt, you can quickly find it again by searching for a Planetary Society email in your in your email account. Please note that if you don’t update your information, your membership will lapse and you will lose access to your benefits. So, please be sure to update your information without delay!

Questions? 

If you have questions regarding our new systems or the update process, you can learn more on the upgrade page and our FAQ page, or email us at [email protected]. You may also call us at (626) 793-5100, Monday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET.

What's Up

In the early evening, look for super bright Venus setting in the west, joined by a crescent Moon on Nov. 4. Jupiter rises in the early evening east, with Saturn shining higher above it. Later in the evening, Mars rises in the east. Find out what to look forward to in our guide to November’s night skies.

Help save space missions. Join today!

If you are not already a member, we need your help. NASA is at a crossroads, and your support is needed today! Funding for space science and exploration is not guaranteed. It requires the voice of passionate advocates like you.

NASA is facing major budget cuts for the first time in a decade, and thousands of skilled scientists, engineers, and technicians have already been laid off at NASA centers across the US. NASA funding must grow, not shrink, if the agency is to succeed in returning to the Moon, exploring the Solar System, and seeking out life beyond Earth.

We must prevent future budget cuts. When you become a member of The Planetary Society, you join the world’s largest and most influential space advocacy nonprofit. Will you join us and enable the future of space exploration?

Wow of the Week

For Planetary Society member Zaakary Barnes, making a journey to see the full splendor of the aurora during a solar storm was definitely worthwhile. He took this photo at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, but went the additional distance to get the shot he wanted. “For this storm, I wanted to emulate 'the north' as much as possible,” said Zaak, “so I went to the tundra environment nearest to me... up at 12,000 feet! In this 10-second exposure, the rocks and grasses in the tundra catch the light of the aurora, something I never expected to see here. Another photographer walks with their headlamp in the distance, doubtless enjoying the show, too. The night never feels as alive as it does from the roof of Rocky Mountain National Park!” Image credit: Zaakary Barnes.

Send us your artwork!

We love to feature space artwork in the Downlink. If you create any kind of space-related art, we invite you to send it to us by replying to any Downlink email or writing to [email protected]. Please let us know in your email if you’re a Planetary Society member!