We’ve crowdfunded three new cutting-edge research projects. The latest winners of our Science and Technology Empowered by the Public (STEP) Grants are a Solar System shadow-tracker, a new telescope tool to help defend Earth, and an asteroid database for the scientific community. You can power the next great discovery by supporting our current STEP Grants funding campaign with a gift of any amount today. Image credit: StarryEarth.

What did Hayabusa2 find at asteroid Torifune? Hear from Paul Abell, Chief Scientist for Small Body Exploration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, as he discusses the JAXA mission’s asteroid flyby with host Sarah Al-Ahmed on this week’s episode of Planetary Radio. They also chat about what’s next for Hayabusa2 as it moves on toward its next target.

Our latest Book Club events talk cosmic beauty and alien oceans. If you missed last month’s book club with Kevin Hand, Director of the NASA/JPL Ocean Worlds Lab, catch host Mat Kaplan’s conversation about Hand’s book, “Alien Oceans,” here. On Oct. 1, join the live discussion in our member community on “The Art of the Cosmos,” a book of 100 beautiful space images by author Jim Bell. Bell is a planetary scientist at Arizona State University and a member of The Planetary Society’s board of directors. Not a member yet? Join today.

The Planetary Society is partnering with GalaxyBox. The mailing service for space enthusiasts, which delivers packages of space memorabilia and accessories to enthusiasts around the world, will now feature The Planetary Society in its materials.