Featured Story
Humanity’s fleet of robotic planetary explorers continues to evolve as missions complete their tasks and new ones are launched to replace them. Thematic emphasis also changes as priorities evolve and mission cadence progresses. Here we review the status of our planetary fleet with an emphasis on target regions. Outer Solar System As of 2022, only […] (read more…)
From the Desk of Lori Glaze
I am writing this in the immediate wake of the successful DART kinetic impact on September 26, 2022, and I still have an adrenaline rush from the amazing and historic feat! The impact was the first step in a new era of spaceflight — one where we now have the capability and knowledge to potentially […] (read more…)
New and Noteworthy
Bloomsbury Sigma, 2021, 320 pp., Hardcover. $28.00. www.bloomsbury.com The volcano is among the most familiar and perhaps the most terrifying of all geological phenomena. However, Earth isn’t the only planet to harbor volcanoes. In fact, the solar system, and probably the entire universe, is littered with them. Our own Moon, which is now a dormant […] (read
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Pegasus Books, 2022, 256 pp., Hardcover. $26.95. www.pegasusbooks.com The history of Mars is drawn not just on its surface, but also down into its broken bedrock and up into its frigid air. Most of all, it stretches back into deep time, where the trackways of the past have been obliterated and there is no discernible […] (read
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IDEA in Action
On January 18, 2022, NASA released the Policy Statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility [DEIA] for NASA’s Workforce and Workplaces. In addition to affirming the agency’s commitment to DEIA, this letter from administrator Bill Nelson included definitions for diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility. These definitions are similar to those adopted by many organizations in […] (read
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Astronaut Nicole Mann made history on October 5, 2022, as the first Indigenous woman in space. A member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, she’ll do research onboard the International Space Station with NASA’s SpaceX Crew5 mission. The California native holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of […] (read
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