The Planetary Society April24,2020

The Downlink: Weekly resources to fuel your love of space

NASA/JPL-Caltech

This weekly newsletter is your toolkit to learn more about space, share information with your friends and family, and take direct action to support exploration. Anyone can subscribe at planetary.org/connect to receive it as a weekly email.

No matter what day Perseverance launches during its 17 July to 5 August launch window, mission managers will adjust its course so it lands on Mars on exactly 18 February 2021. Its rocket science!

NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

NASAs OSIRIS-REx spacecraft completed a sample collection rehearsal at asteroid Bennu, coming just 75 meters from the surface before backing away as planned. The probe is scheduled to touch down on Bennu in August, grabbing a small sample of regolith that will be returned to Earth in 2023. The samples could shed light on the connection between asteroids and the formation of our solar system, as well as the role asteroids played in bringing water to Earth.

CHEOPS, the European Space Agencys CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite, has observed its first exoplanet since launching in 2019. The target was a puffy, gaseous planet 30% larger than Jupiter orbiting a star 320 light years away. CHEOPS is designed to precisely measure the diameters of known exoplanets, which will reveal more about their compositions. Learn why and how we study exoplanets, and read about The Planetary Societys exoplanets research.

Japans Hayabusa2 spacecraft tested its navigation cameras by snapping a picture of the Milky Way galaxy from deep space. The probe is on its way back to Earth with samples of asteroid Ryugu. The samples, which will arrive in late 2020, are expected to teach scientists more about the origin and evolution of our solar system.

NASA and SpaceX have set 27 May 2020 as the launch date for SpaceXs Crew Dragon carrying astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station. The milestone launch will be the first from Florida since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. Once Behnken and Hurley are aboard the station, NASA will decide how long theyll stay; the first Crew Dragon vehicle is rated for an in-space duration of up to 110 days.

Taking an image of an exoplanet is like photographing a firefly next to a spotlight, and as a result, very few such images exist. Scientists say that a speck of light originally thought to be an exoplanet, seen moving around a star called Fomalhaut, has disappeared and may actually have been a cloud of dust. The discovery was made with NASAs Hubble Space Telescope.

The United Arab Emirates Mars-bound Hope spacecraft is on track to launch from Japan during a 3-week window that opens 14 July 2020. Hope is the Arab worlds first mission to another planet, and one of 3 Mars missions launching this summer. It will study Mars climate to help scientists understand what ancient Mars was like, when liquid water on the surface could have supported life.

NASA / JPL / Ted Stryk, Roane State CC

Things have been tough lately, so weve put together a few ways for you to escape into an exploration of the cosmos. On our In Space Together page, you can find inspiration from our co-founder Carl Sagan, explore real pictures and videos from space, take free online courses, and much more.

Lets have a virtual hangout! Planetary Radios Whats Up with Dr. Bruce Betts and host Mat Kaplan is coming to you live next Thursday, 30 April. This at-home edition of Whats Up will feature the usual night sky highlights, random space facts, and trivia, plus viewers can submit questions for Dr. Betts to answer during the livestream. Check out planetary.org/liveon 30 April at 1:00 pm PT / 4:00 pm ET / 20:00 UTC.

With very little moonlight to get in the way, the next few days are great for stargazing. Venus still shines bright in the evening and night, and you can catch Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in the morning sky.

Tora Greve

Swedish artist Tora Greve made this tapestry, called Cattini. The piece is inspired by the story of a scientists young daughter who thought she could see a cat in one of the pictures the Huygens lander took of Titans surface.

Do you have a suggestion for the Wow of the Week? Were looking for space-related art, music, gadgets, quotes, fashion, burning questions, sci-fi passages, or anything else that will make our readers go Wow! Send us your idea by replying to this email.

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A Puffy Planet and a Cat on Titan - The Planetary Society