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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Can SpaceX’s Starship save Mars Sample Return?
Though promising conceptually, Starship presents more questions than answers for NASA's Mars Sample Return needs.
What to look forward to in space in 2024
A total solar eclipse and the launch of Europa Clipper are on our list of cosmic events to get excited about this year.
Storms and showers
Mars has storms of dust, while Saturn pours down ammonia rain. Here on Earth, we passed through a debris tail to get a special kind of shower.
Hard-working spacecraft and even harder-working microbes
The Soyuz spacecraft have been helping humans get to and from space for decades, but that’s nothing compared to the billions of years that microorganisms have been making life on Earth possible.
Why has SpaceX's Starship sparked an environmental controversy?
An interview with environmental policy expert Eric Roesch about what made the April 2023 Starship test launch so environmentally harmful, and why the Federal Aviation Administration may ultimately be to blame.
Moonshadow, Moonshadow
The Moon casts shadows on itself and on Earth, environmental concerns overshadow a test launch’s success, and exoplanets are awesome (beyond a shadow of a doubt).
Rocket flight and the five dwarfs
Meet the Solar System’s five official dwarf planets, celebrate two major launches, and find out why planets sometimes seem to go backwards across the sky.
Want more space? Speak up!
Detailed Mars maps, insights into the Venusian surface, and views of Uranian rings all have one thing in common: they don’t happen without public support for space.
I spy with my technologically enhanced eye
Seeing more with infrared cameras, radar telescopes, and good old-fashioned artistic instincts.
Best space pictures of the month: November 2022
NASA's chief of exploration mission planning Nujoud Merancy walks us through a picture from the Orion spacecraft.
Artemis I launch guide: What to expect
NASA's Space Launch System rocket is sending the Orion crew capsule to the Moon and back.
Best space pictures of the month: October 2022
Stunning views of Europa and the Eagle Nebula headline our roundup of space images released last month.
Outer worlds and outstanding science
Uranus is way out there, beckoning us to visit. And Cassini is the mission that won’t quit, even years after burning up.
The Space Advocate Newsletter, September 2022
Clever politicking means nothing if the SLS cannot deliver on its core promise.
Stars in the making
A new solar telescope takes center stage, new stars collect mass, and musicians sonify space imagery.
Space rocks!
Rock stars love space, and who can blame them! Take a look at awesome images, exciting science, and the connection between music and exploration.
It’s a team effort
Robots, scientists, citizens, and artists team up to explore the Cosmos in this week’s Downlink.
Cloudy with a chance of life
Looking at the myriad possibilities that may exist within the clouds of Venus.
The Space Advocate Newsletter, August 2022
The ISS partnership remains stable...for now.
Rather remarkable robots
The robotic explorers of our Cosmos are truly impressive, as showcased by several spacecraft this week.