The Planetary Society is an American internationally-active

non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

. It is involved in research, public outreach, and political space advocacy for engineering projects related to

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

planetary science Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of ...

, and

space exploration Space exploration is the process of utilizing astronomy and space technology to investigate outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted bo ...

. It was founded in 1980 by

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman, and has about 60,000 members from more than 100 countries around the world. The Society is dedicated to the exploration of the Solar System, the search for

near-Earth object A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body orbiting the Sun whose closest approach to the Sun ( perihelion) is less than 1.3 times the Earth–Sun distance (astronomical unit, AU). This definition applies to the object's orbit a ...

s, and the search for

extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life, or alien life (colloquially, aliens), is life that originates from another world rather than on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been scientifically conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms ...

. The society's mission is stated as: "Empowering the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration." The Planetary Society is a strong advocate for space funding and missions of exploration within NASA. They lobby Congress and engage their membership in the United States to write and call their representatives in support of NASA funding. In addition to public outreach, The Planetary Society has sponsored solar sail and microorganisms-in-space projects to foster space exploration. In June 2005, the Society launched the '' Cosmos 1'' craft to test the feasibility of solar sailing, but the rocket failed shortly after liftoff. LightSail was originally conceived as a series of three solar sail experiments"LightSail: A Multi-Mission Project"
, The Planetary Society website. Retrieved 2011-05-05. but later shortened to two missions. LightSail 1 launched on May 20, 2015, and demonstrated a test deployment of its solar sail on June 7, 2015. LightSail 2 launched on June 25, 2019, and successfully used sunlight to change its orbit. Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment (LIFE), was a two-part program designed to test the ability of microorganisms to survive in space."LIFE Experiment: Shuttle & Phobos: FAQ"
The Planetary Society website. Retrieved 2011-05-05. The first phase flew on

STS-134 STS-134 (ISS assembly sequence, ISS assembly flight ULF6) was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the 25th and last spaceflight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier ...

, Space Shuttle ''Endeavour''s final flight in 2011. The second phase rode on Russia's Fobos-Grunt mission, which attempted to go to Mars' moon Phobos and back but failed to escape Earth orbit.

History

The Planetary Society was founded in 1980 by

, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman as a champion of public support of space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. Until the death of Carl Sagan in 1996, the Society was led by Sagan, who used his celebrity and political clout to influence the political climate of the time, including protecting

SETI Seti or SETI may refer to: Astrobiology * SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. ** SETI Institute, an astronomical research organization *** SETIcon, a former convention organized by the SETI Institute ** Berkeley SETI Research Cent ...

in 1981 from congressional cancellation. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Society pushed its scientific and technologic agenda, which led to an increased interest in rover-based planetary exploration and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

's ''

New Horizons ''New Horizons'' is an Interplanetary spaceflight, interplanetary space probe launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research Institut ...

'' mission to

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

. In addition to its political affairs the Society has created a number of space related projects and programs. The SETI program began with

Paul Horowitz Paul Horowitz (born 1942) is an United States of America, American physicist and electrical engineering, electrical engineer, known primarily for his work in electronics design, as well as for his role in the search for extraterrestrial intellige ...

's Suitcase SETI and has grown to encompass searches in radio and optical wavelengths from the northern and southern hemispheres of the Earth. SETI@home, the largest distributed computing experiment on Earth, is perhaps the Society's best-known SETI project. Other projects include the development of the Mars Microphone instrument which flew on the failed Mars Polar Lander project, as well as two LightSail projects, solar sail technology demonstrators designed to determine whether space travel is possible by using only sunlight.

Program summary

The Planetary Society currently runs seven different program areas with a number of programs in each area: * Advocacy and education * Extrasolar planets * Innovative technologies * International mission participation * Mars exploration * Near-Earth objects * Search for extraterrestrial life

Organization

The Planetary Society is currently governed by a 12-member volunteer board of directors chosen for their passion about and knowledge of space exploration. The Board has a chairman, President, and Vice President and an Executive Committee, and normally meets twice per year to set the Society's policies and future directions. Nominations are sought and considered periodically from a variety of sources, including from members of the Board and Advisory Council, Society Members, staff, and experts in the space community."Board of Directors"
The Planetary Society webpage. Retrieved 2015-05-13. On June 7, 2010, the Society announced that American science educator Bill Nye would become the new executive director of the society.

Board of Directors

The Planetary Society's current board of directors consists of: * Bill Nye, chief executive officer * Daniel Geraci, chairman of the board * Bethany Ehlmann, President and member of executive committee * Heidi Hammel, Vice President and member of executive committee * Lon Levin, Treasurer of the Board and member of executive committee * Jim Bell, Secretary and member of executive committee * John Grunsfeld * Dipak Srinivasan * Britney Schmidt * Bijal (Bee) Thakore * Newton Campbell Jr. * Robert Picardo * Lorne Trottier The advisory council consists of: *

Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin ( ; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three extravehicular activity, spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission, and was the Lunar Module Eag ...

* Robert D. Braun *

David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American science fiction author. He has won the Hugo Award, Hugo,

* Neil deGrasse Tyson * Gary E. Hunt * Bruce Jakosky * Charles E. Kohlhase Jr. * Ben Lamm * Laurie Leshin * Jon Lomberg * Rosaly Lopes * Bob McDonald * Donna L. Shirley * Pete Slosberg * Kevin Stube

Science and technology

The Planetary Society sponsors science and technology projects to seed further exploration. All of these projects are funded by the Society's members and donors. Some projects include: * Earthdials * FINDS Exo-Earths * Micro-Rovers for Assisting Humans * Mars Climate Sounder * Pioneer anomaly * Near-Earth Objects Research * Planetrek * Laser Bees *

Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (usually shortened as SETI) is an expression that refers to the diverse efforts and scientific projects intended to detect extraterrestrial signals, or any evidence of intelligent life beyond Earth. ...

* Solar sailing with '' Cosmos 1'' and the LightSail project * '' Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment'' * SETI@home

''The Planetary Report''

The '' Planetary Report'' is the quarterly internationally recognized flagship magazine of The Planetary Society, featuring articles and full-color photos to provide comprehensive coverage of discoveries on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

and other planets. It went from bimonthly to quarterly with the June (summer solstice) 2011 issue. This magazine reaches 60,000 members of The Planetary Society all over the world, with news about

planet A planet is a large, Hydrostatic equilibrium, rounded Astronomical object, astronomical body that is generally required to be in orbit around a star, stellar remnant, or brown dwarf, and is not one itself. The Solar System has eight planets b ...

ary missions, spacefaring nations, space explorers, planetary science controversies, and the latest findings in humankind's exploration of the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

. It will be edited beginning in September 2018 by Emily Lakdawalla, who takes over from Donna Stevens.

''Planetary Radio''

The Planetary Society also produces ''Planetary Radio'', a weekly 30-minute radio program and

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

hosted and produced by Sarah Al-Ahmed. The show's programming consists mostly of

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

s and telephone-based conversations with scientists,

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while consider ...

, project managers, artists, writers, astronauts, and many other professionals who can provide some insight or perspective into the current state of space exploration.

Science and Technology Empowered by the Public program

In 2022, the Planetary Society awarded its first grants as part of its Science and Technology Empowered by the Public (STEP) program. The inaugural grant winners were a team from

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

for a

project and a team from

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...

, Serbia, for a planetary defense project.

UnmannedSpaceflight.com

''UnmannedSpaceflight.com'' is funded by the Planetary Society, and uses the internet forum software ''Invision Power Board'' from Invision Power Services.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Planetary Society, The Astronomy websites Clubs and societies in California Non-profit technology Space organizations Organizations based in Pasadena, California Non-profit organizations based in California 501(c)(3) organizations Scientific organizations established in 1980 1980 establishments in California Science and technology in California