NASA's Perseverance rover captured an image of Phobos, Mars' small moon, passing in front of the Sun earlier this August. If Phobos orbited a few thousand kilometers closer to Mars, it could create a total solar eclipse as seen from the surface. However, tidal forces are expected to tear Phobos apart before it reaches that distance.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on August 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The next-generation observatory will study dark energy and exoplanets. Julie McEnery, senior project scientist for Roman at NASA Goddard, and Jason Rhodes, project scientist for Roman at JPL, will discuss the mission's objectives on Planetary Radio.
A new study found that some microbes living on humans can survive conditions in shadowed areas near the lunar south pole. This matters because the Artemis IV mission plans to land in that region, and researchers want to understand how potential contamination could affect science goals.
China postponed the launch of its Chang'e-7 lunar mission due to a powerful tropical storm. The mission, which may now launch in 2027, aims to search for water ice on the Moon using orbiting, landing, roving, and hopping spacecraft.