Planetary Science

  1. Planetary Science

    Preparing for disaster, celebrating success

    Science cannot prevent all disasters or solve all the problems they spawn, but it can point to the best ways to prepare, making disasters less damaging than they might otherwise be

    By Eva Emerson
  2. Planetary Science

    Comet lander’s exploration cut short

    The comet lander Philae made history with its touchdown on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, but a series of small hiccups prevented the robot from recharging its batteries, giving it only about 57 hours to explore the alien world.

    By Ashley Yeager
  3. Planetary Science

    Setting sights on Mars — a half-century ago

    Fifty years ago, the United States turned its eyes toward Mars and set a goal of sending humans as soon as possible.

    By Christopher Crockett
  4. Planetary Science

    Planets stake their claim around infant star

    At the center of the newly released telescope image is HL Tau, a star located about 450 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. A dense disk of gas and dust surrounds the star, which is a youthful million years old.

    By Christopher Crockett
  5. Planetary Science

    Philae lander sent in a surprise before going to sleep

    The robotic probe that landed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has beamed back some surprises about the icy boulder.

    By Ashley Yeager
  6. Planetary Science

    Cassini maps depths of Titan’s seas

    NASA’s Cassini spacecraft finds that some methane seas on Titan extend more than 200 meters beneath the Saturnian moon’s surface.

    By Christopher Crockett
  7. Planetary Science

    Unseen planets sweep up dust around young star

    A large gap in the dusty disk around a young star reveals what our solar system might have looked like 4.6 billion years ago.

    By Christopher Crockett
  8. Astronomy

    Good night, Philae

    The Philae lander has depleted its batteries and gone into idle mode, probably drawing to a close the surface-based study of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

    By Science News Staff
  9. Planetary Science

    Two travelers from far beyond Neptune return home

    Two bodies approaching from the edge of the solar system may have been tossed out there by Jupiter over 4 billion years ago.

    By Christopher Crockett
  10. Planetary Science

    A distant planet may lurk far beyond Neptune

    Strange orbits in the Kuiper belt revive talk of a Planet X in the solar system.

    By Christopher Crockett
  11. Psychology

    Rigors of Mars trip make teamwork a priority

    It’s going to take a different kind of mental approach to travel to Mars and back: less individuality, more collaboration and adaptability. Astronauts are being tested to prepare for such a mission.

    By Bruce Bower
  12. Astronomy

    Philae lander image raises questions about probe’s health

    Early reports suggest that Rosetta's lander Philae bounced twice when landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

    By Ashley Yeager