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Studying salty lakes as planetary analogs<\/strong> New insights into asteroid properties<\/strong> Are We Alone? SETI project expands<\/strong> LightSail continues to advance Solar Sailing<\/strong>
This year Dr. Jacob Buffo\u2019s project, funded by a\u00a0Planetary Society STEP Grant, began studying Earth\u2019s salty lakes as analogs for extraterrestrial environments. His team\u2019s fieldwork in British Columbia\u2019s Cariboo Plateau involved multidisciplinary collaboration and advanced data collection using drones. These studies could inform future planetary exploration strategies and are possible thanks to our members\u2019 support.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Asteroid Thermal Inertia Analyzer (ASTERIA) project, funded by a Planetary Society STEP Grant, is an innovative tool to measure how well asteroids retain heat, giving insight into their composition and structure. This year, the tool was tested on 10 well-known asteroids, including Bennu and Didymos, and validated as a promising new method of independently confirming findings from other techniques. The project represents an important step forward in the global effort to understand asteroids that could someday pose a threat to our planet.<\/p>\n
UCLA\u2019s \u201cAre We Alone?\u201d project, supported by a Planetary Society STEP Grant, engages citizen scientists to analyze data from the Green Bank Telescope in the search for technosignatures. This year, the project expanded its reach by adding new language translations in Bengali, French, Portuguese, and Italian to further broaden the engagement of citizen scientists worldwide. They\u2019ve also continued to developing AI tools to accelerate data analysis, enhancing public involvement and scientific output.<\/p>\n
Five years after its launch, The Planetary Society\u2019s LightSail 2 continues to contribute to solar sailing research.\u00a0NASA\u2019s ACS3 mission, which launched on April 23, 2024 and successfully\u00a0deployed its sails in September, was informed by LightSail 2\u2019s results, in addition to Chief Scientist Bruce Betts supporting the mission\u2019s review process. This work showcases the long-term value of innovative, member-supported projects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n