The Planetary Society facts for kids
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| Formation | 1980 |
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| Type | Non-governmental and nonprofit foundation, 501(c)(3) |
| Registration no. | C0946337 |
| Location | |
| Fields | Space advocacy |
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Members
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60,000 |
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Key people
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Louis Friedman, Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson |
The Planetary Society is a group from the United States that works all over the world. It's a nonprofit organization, which means it doesn't make money for owners. Instead, it uses its money to help explore space.
The Society does research, teaches people about space, and encourages governments to support space projects. They focus on astronomy (studying stars and planets), planetary science (learning about planets), and space exploration.
It was started in 1980 by famous people like Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman. Today, about 60,000 people from over 100 countries are members.
The main goals of The Planetary Society are to explore our Solar System, find objects that might come close to Earth, and search for extraterrestrial life (life beyond Earth). Their mission is to "Empower the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration." They really want to see more money and missions for space exploration from NASA. They talk to lawmakers and ask their members to contact their government leaders to support NASA.
Contents
Cool Space Projects
The Planetary Society doesn't just talk about space; they also fund exciting projects! They have supported projects like solar sails and experiments to see if tiny living things can survive in space.
Solar Sails
Imagine a spacecraft pushed by sunlight! That's what a solar sail does. In 2005, the Society launched a craft called Cosmos 1 to test this idea. Sadly, the rocket had a problem.
Later, they tried again with the LightSail project.
- LightSail 1 launched in 2015. It successfully showed that a solar sail could unfold in space.
- LightSail 2 launched in 2019. This mission was a big success! It used sunlight to actually change its orbit around Earth. This proved that solar sails can really work for space travel.
Life in Space
The Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment (LIFE) was a project to see if tiny living things, like bacteria, could survive in space.
- The first part of LIFE flew on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2011.
- The second part was on a Russian mission called Fobos-Grunt. This mission was supposed to go to Mars' moon Phobos, but it didn't make it out of Earth's orbit.
History of The Planetary Society
The Planetary Society began in 1980. Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman started it. They wanted to get more public support for space exploration and the search for life in space.
Carl Sagan was a very famous scientist. He used his fame to help the Society. For example, in 1981, he helped save the SETI program (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) from being canceled by the government.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, the Society pushed for new science and technology in space. This led to more interest in rovers exploring planets. It also helped inspire NASA's New Horizons mission, which flew past Pluto.
Besides working with governments, the Society has created many space projects.
- Their SETI program started with a small project called Suitcase SETI. Now, it looks for signals from space using radio and light waves from different parts of Earth.
- SETI@home is one of their most famous SETI projects. It let millions of people use their home computers to help search for alien signals.
- They also helped develop the Mars Microphone. This instrument flew on a mission to Mars, but that mission didn't succeed.
- And, of course, they developed the two LightSail projects to test solar sailing.
What The Planetary Society Does
The Planetary Society has several main areas they focus on:
- Helping people learn about space and supporting space exploration.
- Studying Extrasolar planets (planets outside our Solar System).
- Developing new and smart technologies for space.
- Working with other countries on space missions.
- Exploring Mars.
- Looking for Near-Earth objects (asteroids or comets that come close to Earth).
- The Search for extraterrestrial life.
Who Runs The Planetary Society
The Planetary Society is run by a group of 12 volunteers. These people are chosen because they love space exploration and know a lot about it. They meet twice a year to decide what the Society will do.
On June 7, 2010, the famous science educator Bill Nye became the new leader of the Society. He is known as "Bill Nye the Science Guy."
Important People
Some of the well-known people involved with The Planetary Society include:
- Bill Nye, the chief executive officer.
- Neil deGrasse Tyson, a famous astrophysicist, is on their advisory council.
- Buzz Aldrin, one of the first people to walk on the Moon, is also on their advisory council.
- Emily Lakdawalla, a well-known space writer.
Science and Technology Projects
The Planetary Society helps fund many science and technology projects. These projects are paid for by the Society's members and people who donate money. Some of these projects include:
- FINDS Exo-Earths (looking for planets like Earth outside our Solar System).
- Near-Earth Objects Research (finding asteroids that might be a danger to Earth).
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (listening for signs of alien life).
- Solar sailing with Cosmos 1 and the LightSail project.
- Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment (testing if life can survive in space).
- SETI@home (using home computers to help search for alien signals).
The Planetary Report
Planetary Report is a magazine published four times a year by The Planetary Society. It's known around the world. The magazine has articles and colorful pictures about new discoveries on Earth and other planets.
This magazine goes to 60,000 members worldwide. It shares news about space missions, space-faring countries, space explorers, and the latest findings in exploring our Solar System.
Planetary Radio
The Planetary Society also has a weekly radio show and podcast called Planetary Radio. It's hosted by Sarah Al-Ahmed. The show often features interviews with scientists, engineers, project managers, and even astronauts. They talk about what's happening right now in space exploration.
Helping New Projects
In 2022, The Planetary Society started a program called Science and Technology Empowered by the Public (STEP). This program gives money to new space projects. The first grants went to:
- A team from University of California, Los Angeles for a SETI project.
- A team from University of Belgrade, Serbia, for a project to protect Earth from space objects.
UnmannedSpaceflight.com
The Planetary Society also helps fund UnmannedSpaceflight.com. This is an internet forum where people can talk about space missions that don't have humans on board.
See also
In Spanish: Sociedad Planetaria para niños
- List of astronomical societies
