Planetary science from the missions doing the fieldwork: Mars surface operations, icy-moon flybys, Venus and Mercury campaigns, and the results that follow months later. https://deepfield.news/feeds/solar-system.xml 2026-08-12T20:40:27Z Deep Field Aggregated from the publishers named in each entry. Rights remain with them. https://deepfield.news/icon-180.png tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/3e26448f0c3c3843 2026-08-12T20:40:27Z 2026-08-12T20:40:27Z NASA

The barren lunar landscape has some important resources, such as water and minerals like iron and titanium, but extracting and processing them will require special equipment. Where those resources can be found will dictate where to land and how to mine them. To help with that…

Headline and summary from NASA; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/d78b9c342c7b4920 2026-08-12T18:15:46Z 2026-08-12T18:15:46Z NASA Science

PHILOSOPHY Swamp Works is a hands-on, lean development environment for innovation at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Swamp Works develops innovative exploration mission solutions through a highly collaborative approach, leveraging partnerships across NASA, industry, and…

Headline and summary from NASA Science; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/29587c90bd0f663b 2026-08-12T17:55:36Z 2026-08-12T17:55:36Z NASA

Imagine stepping into a machine that can make you feel like you’re flying a spacecraft, piloting a next generation air taxi, or landing on the Moon, all without leaving the ground. NASA’s Vertical Motion Simulator, the largest of its kind in the world, does exactly that. And…

Headline and summary from NASA; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/55099c6023fe9188 2026-08-12T14:00:00Z 2026-08-12T14:00:00Z Space.com

On Aug. 12, 2005, NASA launched its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/f40e47ed0b0da563 2026-08-12T12:40:05Z 2026-08-12T12:40:05Z Phys.org

The surface of the moon is a bleak and forbidding place that could be hiding a lot of water ice within its dusty landscape. However, most possible ice deposits don't just stand out in an image. Scientists need specialized mapping to find those deposits, so they have devised…

Headline and summary from Phys.org; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/c16803da93ba4745 2026-08-12T12:00:00Z 2026-08-12T12:00:00Z SpaceNews

Bruce Jakosky, Scott Hubbard and their colleagues have given us a masterclass in pragmatic systems engineering. Their recent SpaceNews editorial titled “Laying the groundwork for the first human mission to

Headline and summary from SpaceNews; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/03d629fcfe6f63bf 2026-08-12T08:00:32Z 2026-08-12T08:00:32Z EarthSky

A conjunction is when 2 objects share the same right ascension. The Jupiter-Mercury conjunction on August 15 is the next one. Look for them before sunrise. The post Will you see the Jupiter-Mercury conjunction on August 15? first appeared on EarthSky .

Headline and summary from EarthSky; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/aa4147bc52e680cf 2026-08-11T22:29:00Z 2026-08-11T22:29:00Z Universe Today

Lujendra Ojha, a planetary scientist, led a study suggesting that Europa’s icy shell may be a stronger barrier between the moon’s hidden ocean and its surface than previously thought.

Headline and summary from Universe Today; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/894f84e908830965 2026-08-11T21:26:01Z 2026-08-11T21:26:01Z Astronomy Magazine

The phenomenon of a Full Moon arises when our planet, Earth, is precisely sandwiched between the Sun and the Moon. This alignment ensures the entire side of the Moon that faces us gleams under sunlight. Thanks to the Moon’s orbit around Earth, the angle of sunlight hitting the…

Headline and summary from Astronomy Magazine; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/f191bdf9ba862e4d 2026-08-11T19:41:34Z 2026-08-11T19:41:34Z NASA

NASA has declared “wrenches down” on the first completed payload designed for Artemis astronauts to deploy on the Moon’s surface. Engineers working on NASA’s Lunar Environment Monitoring Station, or LEMS, have completed hardware development and testing and the payload is ready…

Headline and summary from NASA; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/c5201946a37879ca 2026-08-11T18:00:00Z 2026-08-11T18:00:00Z Space.com

Scientists found a Martian meteorite on Earth that is finally filling in a nearly 2-billion-year-old geology-history gap on the Red Planet.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/2b90ed590e40298e 2026-08-11T15:52:00Z 2026-08-11T15:52:00Z Universe Today

Sure. It may not look like much. But sometimes, the 'wow' factor in an image lies in knowing just what you're seeing. While most of us are eagerly awaiting Wednesday’s total solar eclipse across the North Atlantic and Spain, robotic emissaries on the Martian surface have…

Headline and summary from Universe Today; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/05b59f7f9d8b59d3 2026-08-11T15:00:00Z 2026-08-11T15:00:00Z Space.com

Without property rights in space, one of the most important economic incentives for the commercial development — and ultimately the settlement — of celestial bodies is missing.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/007b57d8a117b38e 2026-08-11T13:00:30Z 2026-08-11T13:00:30Z Physics World

Additional planetary signals may be hidden in TESS data, say astronomers

Headline and summary from Physics World; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/b5c0fe9a9c4b9afb 2026-08-11T13:00:00Z 2026-08-11T13:00:00Z Astronomy Magazine

After spending the 1850s at Harvard Observatory calculating orbits, Asaph Hall became an assistant at the U.S. Naval Observatory at Washington, D.C., in 1862. He was quickly promoted, and by 1873 had not only held several scientific discussions with Abraham Lincoln during the…

Headline and summary from Astronomy Magazine; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/caea314c8d997591 2026-08-11T08:00:00Z 2026-08-11T08:00:00Z Astronomy Magazine

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. August 10: Open cluster NGC 7243 In the evening sky, Venus is reaching dichotomy, the moment when it is exactly half-lit. You’ll find magnitude –4.4 Venus some 20° high in the west as the Sun sets. It’s…

Headline and summary from Astronomy Magazine; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/9d4704afd0e0664a 2026-08-11T06:50:07Z 2026-08-11T06:50:07Z NASA

Written by Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Earth planning date: Friday, July 31, 2026 As mentioned in the previous blog, Curiosity has been exploring a large-scale feature in Gale’s sedimentary record suspected to be an “erosional…

Headline and summary from NASA; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/d5df9bdb8db594c3 2026-08-11T04:22:06Z 2026-08-11T04:22:06Z ScienceDaily

NASA is assembling the foundations of a future Moon Base through a wave of robotic missions and powerful new commercial landers. More than 20 landings are planned through 2029, testing everything from precision landings and lunar communications to rovers, power systems, and…

Headline and summary from ScienceDaily; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/2402feaeea90631b 2026-08-10T22:57:41Z 2026-08-10T22:57:41Z Universe Today

Mars has plenty of water, and almost all of it is in the wrong place. The poles are rich in ice, the equator, where you would actually want to land, has none within reach. That leaves the mid-latitudes, and until now the honest answer about what lies beneath them has been a bit…

Headline and summary from Universe Today; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/b4a610b11010a118 2026-08-10T21:00:13Z 2026-08-10T21:00:13Z Phys.org

For decades, astronomers have assumed that the Martian surface froze solid around 3 billion years ago and has stayed that way ever since. If this were really the case, any liquid water would have long since either been locked away underground or lost to space.

Headline and summary from Phys.org; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/f6032ff3828c4764 2026-08-10T14:00:01Z 2026-08-10T14:00:01Z Phys.org

Hundreds of Venus-like planets could soon help determine why some worlds become sweltering greenhouse hellscapes while others remain capable of supporting life. But before answering that question, scientists first need to know how fast those planets are spinning.

Headline and summary from Phys.org; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/b05cc9a6b1d06f1e 2026-08-10T12:50:00Z 2026-08-10T12:50:00Z Payload

MDA Space will “repurpose” its microgravity robot-arm tech for lunar surface operations after the US space agency put the Gateway plans on hold.

Headline and summary from Payload; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/0f55df751c2ff386 2026-08-10T12:00:00Z 2026-08-10T12:00:00Z Space.com

As Pluto edges further away from the sun, the chilly temperatures are causing its atmosphere to condense onto its barren surface as frost.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/9073e0a8736d38db 2026-08-10T05:56:34Z 2026-08-10T05:56:34Z ScienceDaily

Cassini data has revealed a surprising twist in Saturn’s magnetic shield: the planet’s rapid rotation appears to drag a key opening in its magnetosphere far toward the afternoon side instead of keeping it near noon, as happens on Earth. The finding confirms that giant planets…

Headline and summary from ScienceDaily; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-09:story/ee3c8323455fb246 2026-08-09T18:04:05Z 2026-08-09T18:04:05Z Universe Today

NASA MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission scientists have uncovered a key puzzle piece in understanding certain types of auroras on Mars, finding that they form in a similar way to Earth-based auroras.

Headline and summary from Universe Today; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-09:story/49a356c1e8b74ac2 2026-08-09T14:44:50Z 2026-08-09T14:44:50Z NASASpaceflight

NASA has released a series of updates on the Artemis program, spanning commercial robotic lunar… The post Artemis progress building lunar return roadmap appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

Headline and summary from NASASpaceflight; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-09:story/8532a5d99d284dea 2026-08-09T14:00:00Z 2026-08-09T14:00:00Z Space.com

On Aug. 9, 1976, the Soviet space program launched its last moon mission. Luna 24 was a robotic sample return mission and the third of its kind.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-08:story/9f41c437f90f2213 2026-08-08T16:00:00Z 2026-08-08T16:00:00Z Space.com

With many fan-favorite Autobots and Decepticons bumped off in the opening act, this was not the big-screen romp '80s kids were expecting.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-08:story/45fea8237f57c47c 2026-08-08T14:00:00Z 2026-08-08T14:00:00Z Space.com

Early risers will catch a spectacular sight in the predawn hours of Aug. 9, as the slender crescent moon shines close to the red light of Mars among the stars of the constellation Taurus.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-08:story/f7faca8700cc9ab1 2026-08-08T11:30:48Z 2026-08-08T11:30:48Z Arstechnica

About 90 percent of the distance driven by Perseverance has been autonomous.

Headline and summary from Arstechnica; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-07:story/19b46c71e046ede5 2026-08-07T05:29:22Z 2026-08-07T05:29:22Z ScienceDaily

Metal-rich asteroids could one day become hardware stores for Mars, supplying the materials needed to build and repair a growing colony. A new analysis shows that carefully selected asteroids may be reachable with current spacecraft technology. Some could even provide the…

Headline and summary from ScienceDaily; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-06:story/83ca49979ca7757c 2026-08-06T16:00:05Z 2026-08-06T16:00:05Z AAS Nova

Eritas Yang et al 2026 ApJL 1004 L29 The presence of a 34-solar-mass brown dwarf companion to an ultra-hot Jupiter suggests that the hot Jupiter must have formed within 1.5 au of its host star to remain dynamically stable.

Headline and summary from AAS Nova; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-05:story/0b0efaf1f2a5129d 2026-08-05T09:30:57Z 2026-08-05T09:30:57Z Astronomy Now

Today’s impact of a spent Falcon 9 rocket stage on the Moon may sound dramatic, but it is neither the first human-made object to strike our natural satellite nor the largest.

Headline and summary from Astronomy Now; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-03:story/f69288db67d448fb 2026-08-03T12:32:07Z 2026-08-03T12:32:07Z ScienceDaily

Hidden moon ice may reveal itself through the way it bends and reflects vibrations from moonquakes. The technique could help astronauts locate vital water supplies and uncover clues about the origins of Earth’s oceans.

Headline and summary from ScienceDaily; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-03:story/bd2079984ff7f358 2026-08-03T04:07:54Z 2026-08-03T04:07:54Z ScienceDaily

The solar wind may be stripping away Mars’ atmosphere by creating giant rolling waves along its outer edge. Data from MAVEN and Tianwen-1 show that these waves form plasma clouds that carry atmospheric particles into space. The process is concentrated on one side of Mars and may…

Headline and summary from ScienceDaily; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-01:story/5277f92f9bc230ea 2026-08-01T13:47:24Z 2026-08-01T13:47:24Z ScienceDaily

NASA’s Curiosity rover has entered a Martian valley covered by an astonishing “sea” of tiny polygon-shaped fractures. The honeycomb patterns, each only a few inches wide, stretch across the landscape and even wrap around a nearby 20-foot-tall butte.

Headline and summary from ScienceDaily; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-07-31:story/263694d0788975a5 2026-07-31T02:28:00Z 2026-07-31T02:28:00Z The Planetary Society

NASA may send an engineering copy of a Mars rover to the Moon, but at what price?

Headline and summary from The Planetary Society; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-07-30:story/1a7023dcf38e543e 2026-07-30T14:30:00Z 2026-07-30T14:30:00Z The Planetary Society

Mars has two small, rocky, irregular moons. Exploring them could solve long-standing mysteries about the Solar System's history.

Headline and summary from The Planetary Society; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-07-29:story/6c70614daae93b94 2026-07-29T05:06:39Z 2026-07-29T05:06:39Z ScienceDaily

Europa’s hidden ocean has made the icy moon one of the solar system’s most promising places to search for habitable conditions. Scientists have hoped that water from this deep ocean might rise through cracks and form shallow reservoirs that future spacecraft could more easily…

Headline and summary from ScienceDaily; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-07-28:story/30125bfe450e006a 2026-07-28T17:30:00Z 2026-07-28T17:30:00Z The Planetary Society

The people who support this organization are not just donors or members. They are participants. You and your support are, in fact, part of the mission.

Headline and summary from The Planetary Society; follow the link for the full article.