It’s time for Hayabusa 2025, or properly, the “12th Symposium of Solar System Materials” (November 11–14) at JAXA’s Sagamihara campus: https://curation.isas.jaxa.jp/symposium/ This is the annual meeting of sample return science, first held to discuss the results of Hayabusa’s newly-available sample… Read More »Hayabusa Symposium 2025- Pt. I
The Dec Acta Astronautica (vol. 237) has: Schonberg, W. Squire, M. Williamsen, J. et al. Enhancing the protection of shielded thermal protection systems in sample return spacecraft against MMOD impact p. 23 .2025.08.025Buonagura, C. Giordano, C. Cervone, A. et al.… Read More »Note, Paper: Probes… Literal Probes
Unexpectedly, Applied Sciences has a paper for us (vol. 15 #21: 2 Nov ‘25): Special Issue: Advances in Deep Space Probe Navigation: 2nd EditionQuarta, A. A. Interplanetary Mission Performance Assessment of a TANDEM Electric Thruster-Based Spacecraft art. 11711 app152111711 The… Read More »Note, Paper: Kilowatt Mission Doc
Hey undergraduates, time to shape up those resumes: Extraterrestrial Materials Academy (ETMA), Lunar and Planetary Institute The LPI will hold a paid session for college students this coming Summer, Jun. 8-Aug. 15. As the title indicates, the emphasis is on… Read More »Call: Small-Body Opportunities
…and for the volatile lovers: also 2025 (vol. 221): Dickers, M. D. Mifsud, D. V. Mason, N. J. Multiscale Perspectives on Solid-Phase Astrochemistry: Laboratory, Computation, and Open Questions art. 106 s11214-025-01228-9 We see gas and dust in space. The gas… Read More »SpaceSciRev: Dawn Frost Post
Space Science Reviews delivers another Hera-based paper. In vol. 221 (dated 5 Nov.): Okada, T. Tanaka, S. Sakatani, N. et al. The Thermal InfraRed Imager on Hera art. 104 s11214-025-01227-w The journal had already posted not one but two papers… Read More »SpaceSciRev: Hera-TIRI Queries
We go meta. As our interstellar guest scoots through the inner Solar System, a journalist interviews guest scientists: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-interplanetary-race-to-study-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas/Meghan Bartels, Oct 31 2025 The Interplanetary Race to Study Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Pretty accurate. Not much hard sci, but more of… Read More »3I Scientists Plied
The digital journal Progress in Earth and Planetary Science doesn’t even bother with “issues” anymore. Oh well, just posted in vol. 12, is: Ulamec, S. Michel, P. Murdoch, N, et al. Science operation of IDEFIX, the MMX Phobos rover art.… Read More »Note, Paper: Red Rover Covered
The 6th COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) Symposium is taking place in Nicosia, Cyprus (no, I didn’t fly there) this Nov 3-7: https://www.cospar-assembly.org/symposia/ COSPAR: a bit of a big deal. Therefore, their meeting is big. Maybe too big; I’ll try… Read More »2025 COSPAR Symposium, Nicosia
Don’t dismiss the Canadian space effort, official or unofficial. The website New Space Economy is… not above leading headlines and trolling questions, but otherwise it’s a fairly informed and up-to-date operation. Up to last week: newspaceeconomy.ca/2025/10/29/a-history-of-planetary-defense/-, Oct. 29 A History of… Read More »“History of Planetary Defense” Post