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The Planetary Society Blog
Archive
Archived posts are listed in reverse chronological order.
Dec. 2, 2011 | 12:06 PST | 20:06 UTC
Reviews of space-themed books for kids ages 7 and up
OK, this is my last pile of book reviews for this year: a collection of good books for kids older than mine. I've split them into two age groups: 7-11 and 12+, though of course there is likely some overlap, depending on the kid. Be sure also to... More»
Dec. 2, 2011 | 11:04 PST | 19:04 UTC
ESA is ending ground station support for Phobos-Grunt
After modifying two antennas and attempting to send commands to Phobos-Grunt for weeks without success, ESA has made the decision to stop tracking support. In a brief statement posted to their website:In consultation and agreement with Phobos-Grunt... More»
Dec. 1, 2011 | 18:22 PST | Dec. 2 02:22 UTC
First-ever high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar image of Enceladus
EDIT: A couple of people have pointed out to me that, contrary to what I'd said earlier, Cassini successfully acquired SAR images from a much greater distance from several other icy moons.
Cassini is equipped with the capability of using its radio... More»
Dec. 1, 2011 | 18:18 PST | Dec. 2 02:18 UTC
One-astronaut game of baseball in the International Space Station
This video made me very happy just now. Satoshi Furukawa's pitching form is impeccable. Space exploration isn't all work. It isn't even mostly work. Sometimes we do it because it's (literally) awesome; and sometimes, because it's so darn much... More»
Dec. 1, 2011 | 15:05 PST | 23:05 UTC
Dawn Journal: Riding gravitational currents to LAMO
Here's the latest checkup with the Dawn mission, contributed by Marc Rayman, the mission's Project System Engineer. Thanks Marc! --ESLClick to enlarge >Marc RaymanBy Marc Rayman
Dear Dawnward Spirals,
Continuing its ambitious campaign of... More»
Dec. 1, 2011 | 12:22 PST | 20:22 UTC
At last, I've finished my scale solar system presentation slide/poster (also: by request: planet ornaments!)
I've asked you all for input twice, and listened to (most of) your suggestions, and checked the Kuiper belt section with Mike Brown, so finally I'm ready to post the final version of my scale solar system presentation slides. My motivation for... More»
Nov. 30, 2011 | 17:08 PST | Dec. 1 01:08 UTC
Reviews of two modular toys: Modular Robotics Cubelets and Sifteo Cubes
OK, these aren't strictly space-related. But they seemed so awesome I couldn't resist buying them, and I imagine they'll appeal to a lot of space geeks as they did to me. Modular Robotics Cubelets and Sifteo Cubes are two variations on a theme:... More»
Nov. 30, 2011 | 12:13 PST | 20:13 UTC
Reviews of space-themed books & products for young children
As I do every year, I've collected a bunch of new (or relatively new) books and other products on space themes for children. This year my collection wound up much larger than in past years so it's been tough to get this post out the door; in fact,... More»
Nov. 29, 2011 | 14:57 PST | 22:57 UTC
What's up in the solar system in December 2011
What's going on with our planetary explorers in December? As 2011 closes and 2012 begins, the twin GRAIL spacecraft will enter orbit at the Moon, and will also be receiving new names, to be selected from hundreds of contest entries. There's a... More»
Nov. 29, 2011 | 08:35 PST | 16:35 UTC
Bye-bye, Curiosity
A few fortunate (and forward-thinking) skywatchers looked upward in the hours after Curiosity's launch and were able to see the spacecraft leaving Earth. For the skywatchers in Australia and east Asia, the spacecraft was close enough for viewers to... More»
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