Emily Lakdawalla of The Planetary Society regularly provides updates on the status of various intra-solar probes of all nationalities. Here’s part of her latest:
Parker Solar Probe is racing away from perihelion number 3, which it passed on 1 September, and will fly by Venus for its second time on 26 December. The Spitzer Space Telescope, advancing ahead of Earth in its orbit, is nearing the end of its mission; it will be shut down on 30 January.
Asteroid Ryugu is near perihelion, which takes it closer to the Sun than Earth. The asteroid is too warm for Hayabusa2 to do any further touchdown activities. Late this quarter, Hayabusa2 will begin its journey home. …
For the space enthusiast, The Planetary Society is a delightful way to contribute and gain some insight.
For those of us who require more than just enthusiasm, keep in mind that one of the ways to avoid plague and famine brought on by overcrowding is to expand the amount of available, usable real estate. While the territory being explored is not directly usable, we’re learning, and that’s the start for gaining access to that territory. I’ll omit the traditional citation of Secular Cycles …
