Apollo 17 lunar samples are yielding new discoveries. New analysis of lunar material brought back by the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 suggests that the Moon may be 40 million years older than we thought. Researchers studied a sample of zircon in the Moon …
JWST has helped researchers understand three Kuiper Belt Objects. The powerful space telescope set its sights on the outermost Solar System, collecting spectral data from Sedna, Gonggong, and Quaoar, three small bodies in the Kuiper Belt. JWST’s …
This lunar approach will allow SLIM to return to and slip into orbit around the Moon with a smaller braking burn. This, crucially, allows SLIM to save fuel, mass, and cost. SLIM will spend around one month in lunar orbit as it prepares for landing. The …
Department: Development Classification: Full-time, Non-Exempt The Planetary Society, the world’s largest and most influential space interest organization, seeks a highly organized individual who’s enthusiastic about fundraising to serve as its Development …
Department: Communications and Outreach Classification: Full-time, Exempt The Planetary Society, the world’s largest and most influential space interest organization, seeks a multimedia-savvy individual who’s enthusiastic about science communication to …
As technology advances, exoplanets are a new hot spot for the search for life. Techniques for studying planets around other stars are advancing all the time. Along with those advancements come new ways to look for possible signs of life on those planets. …
The Psyche spacecraft is equipped with a solar-electric propulsion system that gives it a gentle push as it travels toward its destination. In May 2026, the probe will swing past Mars, using the planet’s gravity to steer it towards the outer reaches of the …
The prospects for observing biosignatures in the short term may improve using transmission spectroscopy. This technique has been leading exoplanetary atmosphere science for the past two decades, because direct imaging of exoplanets is so difficult. …
SETI is a large-scale effort that requires extensive collaboration. One Planetary Society-funded project, for example, involves searching a wide range of radio frequencies using the world’s largest steerable radio telescope, the 100 meter Green Bank …
The Parker Solar Probe may have solved a Venusian mystery. The NASA mission passed by Venus on its way to its target, the Sun, in 2021. While nearby, the spacecraft collected data about Venus, which recently produced a new finding: that flashes of light …
There are other alternative launch windows in the early 2030s, as noted in the report, but a key consideration here is the long-term health of the existing orbiters and the Perseverance rover into the next decade. The later into the 2030s the project’s …
A space mission that will reveal the secrets of an asteroid made of metal is almost ready for launch. NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, bound for the same-name asteroid Psyche, is scheduled to lift off on Oct. 13, 2023 at 10:19 a.m. EDT (14:19 UTC). The launch was …
OSIRIS-REx successfully returned its sample to Earth. On Sept. 24, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered a sample of asteroid Bennu to Earth, completing its seven-year mission that spanned 7.1 billion kilometers (4.4 billion miles). The sample return …
What was it like working with The Planetary Society at that time? How did you hear the news? MP: There was this lovely individual named Emily Lakdawalla who was in email cahoots with my parents. Initially, she had told them that I had been part of the top …
With all of these shadow effects, it’s easiest to see the crescent shapes if you cast the shadows on a smooth surface like concrete or a large piece of cardboard or paper. Shadows will also get sharper. Normally, the edges of a shadow under the full Sun …
The sample capsule endured an intense plunge through Earth’s atmosphere that began at 10:42 a.m. EDT. (14:42 UTC). Reaching speeds of 43,000 kilometers per hour (27,000 miles per hour), the capsule’s exterior was expected to encounter temperatures up to 2, …
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The Day of Action was a great success. More than 100 space enthusiasts from around the country traveled to Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, meeting with their representatives in Congress to advocate for increased investments in NASA’s space science programs. …
Why do annular eclipses happen? The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is somewhat elliptical, meaning it is not perfectly circular. This means that the distance between the Earth and the Moon varies throughout the year, making the apparent size of the Moon as …
With an estimated 43.8 million people living in the path of totality, and many more expected to travel there for the big day, a multitude of events and festivals are springing up to welcome the Moon’s shadow on April 8. Is it better to watch the solar …
