Mars orbiter’s milestone 100,000th image selected by PSI intern: buff.ly/CbaHZU6
NASA Mars orbiter learns new moves after nearly 20 years in space: buff.ly/50b4pd5
Happy 20th anniversary to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter! In March 2006, MRO arrived at the red planet! 🔴 🛰️ To celebrate, here are three PSI-led discoveries brought to you by the intrepid satellite:
New observations suggest Mars’ south pole lacks lake beneath the ice: buff.ly/jppFDwf
Happy Friday! 🪐 🐾
This week's #PlanetaryPet is Kona, the fearless canine companion of PSI’s Alex Morgan. Here in Tucson where the recent temperatures have been in the 80’s, it’s easy to forget that for many places SNOW is the norm in February (when this was taken)!
#ClarkVision: In honor of the lunar eclipse earlier this week, we're sharing a photo of the event snapped by PSI Senior Scientist Roger Clark. Learn more: buff.ly/iZYSw7P
#JunoCam: This blue eye of Jupiter 🧿 is a highly enhanced cyclone on the planet's south temperate belt. This image was processed by a citizen scientist. If you're interested in processing your own JunoCam images, visit: buff.ly/M7h9aLc
📸: NASA/JPL-Caltch/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill/Navaneeth Krishnan
PSI's David Grinspoon joined Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice on StarTalk to discuss the rise and fall of the Martian canal hypothesis.
▶️ Watch or listen here: buff.ly/PZC952e
She also offers a candid look at the structural conditions that make participatory science possible...shifts in federal funding directly affect the ability to sustain these partnerships.
She talks about how many people are motivated to contribute to science, participation is limited less by interest than by time. This reality shaped the Milky Way Project & similar initiatives to allow flexible, low-commitment participation without requiring long-term obligations.
PSI's Grace Wolf-Chase spoke with Kristel Tjandra of the Science Engaged podcast about why she views public engagement as integral to scientific practice itself, not separate from it.
Hear the full interview here: buff.ly/Cpwpq8R
Planetary Science Institute members gathered to celebrate Linda Rueger, who served as human resources director for over 15 years and welcomed Adelina Craig, who ascended to the role at the beginning of the calendar year.
Read full story and subscribe: buff.ly/kwFqx96
The second painting, Sun Reborn, emerged as the other half of the meditation on the ultimate fate of Earth and Heaven united in new creation, he said.
#SciArt: This painting, Sun Extinguished, is an outgrowth of an idle contemplation by PSI's Peter Buhler, who wondered what would happen if the Sun went out. (i.e. the timescale of oceans freezing and Earth’s nitrogen-dominated atmosphere collapsing.)
The rumors are true! 😉 PSI's Aileen Yingst was one of the scientists responsible for getting the Curiosity rover on Mars to take the its first selfie! Hear that story and much more about the Red Planet and the Moon in her conversation with the Royal Observatory Greenwich: buff.ly/nbV5OvL
#JunoCam: Can you find the "dolphin" spotted on Jupiter by NASA's Juno spacecraft? This image was taken during a flyby conducted on October 29, 2018.
Interested in processing your own JunoCam images? Visit: buff.ly/W3irGQK
📸: NASA / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt / Avi Solomon
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy surfing, hiking & mountain unicycling. Mountain unicycling is a great way to clear my mind. To balance while riding challenging terrain forces me to be 100% focused on what I'm doing. It's like meditation in motion. More: buff.ly/5Q1UppB
Happy Friday! 🪐 🐾
This week's #PlanetaryPets are (from left to right) Gozar (who often attends the PSI retreat), Hadar, and Hastur, PSI Senior Scientist Georgina “George” Kramer three backseat drivers! George has harnesses for her canine pals and everyone is safe before they cruise.
#JunoCam: The hypnotic circumpolar cyclones of Jupiter.
Want to process your own JunoCam images? buff.ly/uZwsNdE
📸: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill/Navaneeth Krishnan
This is according to new research led by PSI Senior Scientist Morgan Cable and published in Astrobiology. Read more: buff.ly/yzF2ZjZ
"My career has always centered around people—helping teams grow, supporting leaders through change, and building workplaces where individuals feel seen and valued."
Read more & subscribe: buff.ly/fmpxLXM
📸
Pluto: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI
Mars Heart: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Nebula: Adam Jensen (Astronomy Pic of the Day on 2.14.22)
When you become a Planetary Partner, your contribution will provide seed funding for scientific investigation, help us acquire new technology, fortify us against uncertain federal funding & strengthen our community programs to inspire the next generation of inquisitive minds. Thank you! 🩷
Our mission is to:
🪐enable our researchers to study the origin, characteristics, and evolution of planetary systems
🪐promote science education and science literacy
🪐use this knowledge to advance human activity in space and shape the future of exploration of the Solar System
As we head into Valentine's Day weekend, we just wanted to say we love that you're all here with us! Thanks for following along as we explore the mysteries of our Solar System and beyond! If you want to become an official Planetary Partner, visit: buff.ly/h3vPbvO
A man holding a paint palette. Text reads: The current theory of lunar origin was developed by PSI scientists Bill Hartmann and Don Davis (PSI's co-founders). That's bill! (He's pretty cool...)
A painting of a Mars-sized object striking the early Earth in a molten mess. Text: Bill and Don published their theory in 1975 and proposed that, among the planetesimals that accreted into planets in the early Solar System, one near Earth’s orbit grew nearly to the size of Mars before it collided with primeval Earth.
A painting of a proto planet striking earth with the sun in the background. Text reads: The explosion blew off parts of Earth’s rocky surface layers, forming a ring of debris that accreted into the Moon. This explains why the Moon has less iron content than Earth, since Earth’s iron had mostly sunk to Earth’s molten center. Bill, being a scientist and a prolific artist, depicted that event in arcylic on canvas (multiple times). He still makes space art to this day. :)
Happy Friday! 🪐 🧑🎨
It's time for another piece of #SciArt: The current theory of lunar origin was developed by PSI scientists Bill Hartmann and Don Davis (PSI’s co-founders).
PSI Cofounder & Senior Scientist Emeritus William Hartmann will join PSI's Pamela Gay - who hosts the CosmoQuest show After Hours. Tune in to hear about science, art & how they complement each other. FRIDAY! 12pm MST / 2pm EST
Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX and buff.ly/sBMPMkd
