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The Planetary Report C December Solstice 2014 Contents December Solstice 2014 THE THE YEAR PLANETARY IN PICTURES REPORT CELEBRATING THE EXTRAORDINARY DECEMBER SOLSTICE 2014 VOLUME 34, NUMBER 4 planetary.org CLOSING IN ON CERES C PLANETARY DEEP DRILL C OUR VISIONARY 3-YEAR PLAN RICHARD CHUTE is development director of The Planetary Society. It’s Time to Get Moving…Onward! OKAY, SPACE ENTHUSIASTS—it’s time to apply etary Society, I will engage you, our members, your powers of deductive reasoning. What is in the third initiative—building a sustainable precisely 27.94 centimeters long by 21.59 centi- future for the Society. In this vein, you will meters wide by 0.16 centimeters deep, weighs find that we are beginning to put our foot 73.7 grams, is flexible in two dimensions, and forward in fresh ways, and I hope you will has the power to change the world? soon notice the difference. We will create new, If your guess is a new breakthrough in more meaningful communications with you tabletop nuclear fusion or perhaps an exotic about our work and some of the exhilarat- new composite material created in a high- ing opportunities for providing philanthropic tech laboratory, then you will have to guess and volunteer support. Although we haven’t again. That’s because I am actually referring mounted a Kickstarter campaign (but keep to The Planetary Society’s new visionary Stra- your eyes open for it this coming year!) you tegic Plan 2015–2017: Onward! After years of might say that the Society has always been painstaking engineering and construction, engaged in crowdfunding because it has been the Strategic Plan is ready for launch. In fact, you—our members—who have joined together you may have already found that a copy of it to provide the resources to power our organi- has landed in your e-mail inbox. If you missed zation forward as we reach for the stars. it, it’s also available at bit.ly/1yI6aqx. As we approach our 35th year, there is a When you study it, as I hope you will, palpable sense of excitement at The Planetary you will find that it lays out a clear path for Society. Borrowing from our CEO’s current advancing the mission of The Planetary attention on the theory of evolution, we see Society: empowering the world’s citizens to that we must continue to change and evolve, ABOVE The Planetary advance space science and exploration. As like everything in our universe, and become Society’s new Strategic Plan is available at a member of the Society, you know that we more “adaptively fit” as an organization. bit.ly/1yI6aqx. accomplish this by engaging in three basic Often, evolution comes through moments of activities—we create, educate, and advocate. punctuated equilibrium—a period of rapid But beyond these objectives we need more change in response to changes in the envi- tangible goals to help us focus and to guide ronment. This is just such a moment for The our efforts. So, for the next three years, we Planetary Society. will engage our members in three important Our esteemed co-founder, Carl Sagan, said, initiatives. We will: “We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last • advance the exploration of the cosmos to set sail for the stars.” These are the final and the search for life, words of our Strategic Plan 2015–2017. They • engage the public in space exploration, are as much a statement about The Planetary and Society itself as they are about humankind. • build a sustainable future for The Plan- Together, our members, our board, and our etary Society. staff are poised to take that next step—no, In the coming months, you will hear much that next leap—into the future as we advance more about each of these critical efforts. As space science and exploration. Yes, it’s time the new director of development of The Plan- to get moving … onward! 2 THE PLANETARY REPORT C DECEMBER SOLSTICE 2014 CONTENTS DECEMBER SOLSTICE 2014 It’s Time to Get Moving … Onward! 2 Richard Chute introduces our new Strategic Plan. COVER STORY The Year In Pictures 6 Emily Lakdawalla shares some of 2014’s best views. ADVOCATING FOR SPACE The Exploration Desert Ceres Mars Sun 14 Casey Dreier warns of the impact of budget cuts. Mercury Earth Venus Ceres Vesta Andy Rivkin looks forward to Dawn’s Jupiter 16 encounter with the dwarf planet. DEVELOPMENTS IN SPACE SCIENCE 20 The Planetary Deep Drill Bruce Betts describes an exciting new project and invites asteroid hunters to apply for grants. DEPARTMENTS 4 Your Place in Space Bill Nye unveils some ambitious goals. 12 Happening on Planetary Radio Hear from the people making exploration history with Mat Kaplan. 12 On Planetary.org This is where the daily news in space comes alive…check it out! 13 Volunteer Spotlight Our Global Volunteer Network is taking shape. 15 Factinos More clues to Mars’ watery past. 22 Society Members Patrick Wiggins is honored by NASA. 23 What’s Up? Eclipse news and planet views. ON THE COVER: India’s first interplanetary mission, the Mars Orbiter Mission, successfully entered orbit at the Red Planet on September 24, 2014. Hours later, the spacecraft returned its first color images of Mars. This view, taken in early October, shows the volcanoes of Elysium and, toward the bottom of the disk, the dark swath of Terra Cimmeria. Above Terra Cimmeria is a small crater with a large, dark streak running down from it. That’s Gale, Curiosity’s landing site. Image: Indian Space Research Organization CONTACT US The Planetary Report (ISSN 0736-3680) is published quarterly at the Editor DONNA E. STEVENS The Planetary Society editorial offices of The Planetary Society, 85 South Grand Avenue, Art Director LOREN A. ROBERTS for HEARKEN CREATIVE 85 South Grand Avenue Pasadena, CA 91105-1602, 626-793-5100. It is available to members of The Copy Editor AXN ASSOCIATES Pasadena, CA 91105-1602 Planetary Society. Annual dues in the United States are $37 (U.S. dollars); Technical Editor JAMES D. BURKE General Calls: 626-793-5100 in Canada, $40 (Canadian dollars). Dues in other countries are $57 (U.S. Science Editor BRUCE BETTS E-mail: [email protected] dollars). Printed in USA. Third-class postage at Pasadena, California, and at Chief Operating Officer JENNIFER VAUGHN Internet: planetary.org an additional mailing office. Canada Post Agreement Number 87424. Director of Communications ERIN GREESON Viewpoints expressed in columns and editorials are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent positions of The Planetary Society, its officers, or its advisers. © 2014 by The Planetary Society. All Rights Reserved. The Planetary Society and The Planetary Report: Registered Trademarks ® The Planetary Society. Planetary Radio and Planetfest ™ The Planetary Society. YOUR PLACE IN SPACE COFOUNDERS CARL SAGAN BILL NYE is chief executive 1934–1996 officer of The Planetary Society. BRUCE MURRAY 1931–2013 LOUIS D. FRIEDMAN Executive Director Emeritus BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman of the Board DANIEL T. GERACI Founder & co-CEO Arithmos Financial Innovations President JAMES BELL Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University Vice President HEIDI HAMMEL 2014 WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY year for The three initiatives: advancing the exploration Executive Vice President, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Planetary Society. I’m honored to have been of the cosmos, engaging the public in space Chief Executive Officer BILL NYE serving as your CEO for four years now. At the exploration, and building a sustainable future Science Educator end of each year I like to take a moment to look for The Planetary Society. We have set some Secretary C. WALLACE HOOSER back at our twelve months of work, and, each ambitious goals: increased membership, even Associate Professor of Radiology, University of Texas year, I’m pleased to see we’ve been even more more effective political advocacy and leader- Southwestern Medical School G. SCOTT HUBBARD active and more effective than the year before. ship, the launch of our LightSail spacecraft, Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, We just signed a lease on new space … new and development of our long-term financial Stanford University office space, that is. We’re staying in Pasadena, security. We have turned our ship, set our Treasurer LON LEVIN California, but we’re moving into a larger course, and now we’ve set sail. Expect 2015 to SkySevenVentures ALEXIS LIVANOS building that will be our home for many years be an even bigger year for us! Research Professor, Faculty Associate to come. The space just feels like the future, Engineering & Applied Science, California Institute of Technology which is exciting for the staff and especially CHURYUMOV-GERASIMENKO AND YOU JOHN LOGSDON Professor Emeritus, Space Policy Institute, for the Society. Speaking of the staff, we’ve As I write, the Philae spacecraft touched down, The George Washington University expanded. There are some new faces around, bounced, and touched down again on Comet BIJAL “BEE” THAKORE Regional Coordinator for Asia Pacific, thanks to your thoughtful and generous dona- Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P), while sending Space Generation Advisory Council tions. Along with these changes, and unlike us reams of data and astonishing photographs. NEIL deGRASSE TYSON Astrophysicist and Director, Hayden Planetarium, anything I ever expected, my book, Undeni- All the while, our amazing journalist (and plan- American Museum of Natural History able: Evolution and the Science of Creation, has etary evangelist) Emily Lakdawalla covered FILLMORE WOOD Vice President and Regional Counsel, become a New York Times bestseller. These every breathtaking moment of the adventure BP, retired INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL happenings, my book, and our mission to from European Space Agency’s Control Room ROGER-MAURICE BONNET Executive Director, advance space science and exploration are all in Darmstadt, Germany.
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