Perseverance drove itself into the record books — here’s how it did it. On Oct. 11, NASA’s Perseverance rover broke the record for the longest distance driven on another world. To celebrate, this week’s Planetary Radio revisits a 2021 conversation with Vandi Verma, chief engineer of robotic operations for Perseverance at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She explains AutoNav, the self-driving system that has carried the rover more than 90% of the way, and the careful work of collecting rock samples on Mars. Pictured: Perseverance’s drive path on Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Celebrate Voyager 1’s one light-day milestone with us! Next month, NASA’s Voyager 1 will become the first human-made object to travel one light-day from Earth. Join us on Nov. 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET for a special livestream in our online member community and on YouTube. Voyager Project Manager Suzanne Dodd, Mission Manager Kareem Badaruddin, and Project Scientist Linda Spilker of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will share stories from their decades on the mission. Renowned space artist Don Davis will also join us to reveal a new work commemorating this tremendous achievement. Stay tuned for more details.
Could private companies generate and sell space data to scientists? This concept, sometimes called “science as a service,” is the topic of this month’s Space Advocate newsletter. Planetary Society Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier explains why NASA can’t just acquire commercial data and expect it to contribute to scientific knowledge.
What the 2026 election results mean for NASA. On Nov. 4 at 12:00 p.m. ET, join Jack Kiraly, chief of advocacy at The Planetary Society, in a webinar discussion of how the Nov. 3 midterm election results will affect U.S. space policy.Topics include changes to the committees that oversee and fund NASA, prospects for NASA’s budget, and what to expect from the 120th Congress on NASA science. Results in some electoral contests may still be pending. Register now.