What's New in Lunar & Planetary Science
Cosmos 482, a failed Soviet Venus probe launched in 1972 but left stranded in an elliptical Earth orbit, is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere within a few days of May 10. Because the probe was designed to withstand entry into the Venus atmosphere, it is possible it will not burn up on reentry and could impact the surface. Lucy mission flew within about 960 km of asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson on 20 April 2025 with closest approach at 17:51 UT (1:51 p.m. EDT). For images from the flyby and more information, see the Lucy news release. 128 new moons have been discovered around Saturn, bringing the total number of natural saturnian satellites to 274. More.....This Day in Planetary and Lunar Exploration History
- 1967
- Lunar Orbiter 4 goes into orbit around the Moon.
- 2024
- Chang'e 6 enters lunar orbit.
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- Last updated: 30 November 2018