The Planetary Post - Yuri's Night

Good morning, Robert Picardo here.

Welcome to the third installment of The Planetary Post, my monthly newsletter featuring the most notable space happenings. This month we head to the California Science Center to celebrate Yuri’s Night, one of the biggest space celebrations in Los Angeles. Enjoy.

Go beyond my video log to discover more below:

Orbit Shifts at Venus: Akatsuki is a Japanese space probe tasked to study the atmosphere of Venus. At Venus, Akatsuki recently performed a 15-second burn to adjust its orbit. Apart from that, it is easing into science operations. Learn more about this mission.

Indian Space Launch: India may launch its IRNSS 1G navigation satellite this month. The IRNSS system is expected to provide improved position accuracy.

Endeavour's Fuel Tank Journey to California Science Center: Our own Jason Davis is covering the ET-94’s journey to its new home, including its on-loading in New Orleans and monumental passage through the Panama Canal. The massive 154-foot-long, 1,694,577-pound orange fuel tank is making its way to the California Science Center to be displayed alongside the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Transit of Mercury: On Monday, May 9, the planet Mercury will pass in front of the Sun. Transits of Mercury are very rare and only occur 13 or 14 times per century. Here is what you need to know to prepare for this astronomical phenomenon.

Humans To Mars Summit: Together, we can advance the goal to get humans to Mars. Join us at the Humans to Mars Summit 2016 in Washington D.C. Order your tickets and use the code “TPSMars” to receive your 15% membership discount.

Impact The Future of Space Exploration: Take action and join the world’s largest grassroots movement for space science and exploration. Keep NASA going strong—tell your representatives that you vote for space.

Historic SpaceX Landing: The Falcon 9 first stage successfully landed on SpaceX’s droneship at sea. Rewatch the CRS-8 Dragon mission to the International Space Station here.

You can click the image below to download a breathtaking high-resolution copy this month’s Picardo’s Pic.

I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Planetary Post. See you in May!

Robert Picardo
Board Member, The Planetary Society