The Planetary Society

History

The Planetary Society was founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman as a champion of public support of space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. Until the death of Carl Sagan in 1996, the society was co-led by Sagan, who used his celebrity and political clout to influence the political climate of the time, including protecting SETI from congressional cancellation in 1981. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the society pushed its scientific and technological agenda, which led to an increased interest in rover-based planetary exploration and NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. The principal investigator of New Horizons, Alan Stern, has credited The Planetary Society with having helped prevent the mission from being cancelled at multiple points during its development.

In the 1990s, The Planetary Society began advocating for a mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa and assess its potential to host life. This mission would eventually be officially developed as NASA’s Europa Clipper. In 2013, when the United States Congress was considering cancelling the mission, The Planetary Society launched a multi-year advocacy campaign and met frequently with Congressman John Culberson, then chair of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. As part of this advocacy campaign, Society members sent over 380,000 letters to their political representatives in support of Europa Clipper. In addition to its advocacy efforts, the society has created and sponsored a number of space-related science and technology projects. In 1981, The Planetary Society partnered with NASA to fund Suitcase SETI, a project which eventually grew into Sentinel, the first dedicated high-resolution survey to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Since then, the society has supported several other SETI surveys. In the 1990s, it began expanding assistance to a wider variety of scientific projects, including a network of amateur astronomers dedicated to the study of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects. In the 2010s, the Society crowdfunded and built a pair of spacecraft dedicated to testing solar sailing technology. Society members also helped fund the development of Honeybee Robotics’ PlanetVac instrument, which landed on the Moon as part of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 on March 2, 2025. In the 2020s, the society announced the creation of a regular grant program to support space-related research projects.

On April 11, 2025, The Planetary Society launched its "Save NASA Science" advocacy campaign in response to the White House Office of Management and Budget's proposal to cut NASA's science funding by 47% for the 2026 fiscal year, with the society stating the cuts were "unprecedented, unstrategic, and wasteful." On July 30, 2025, The Planetary Society and several other scientific advocacy organizations announced a joint Day of Action on October 5 and October 6 in Washington, D.C.

Organization

The Planetary Society membership structure follows a centralized, Board-directed, staff-managed model. Rather than being organized as regional chapters, members in the US and around the world may interact with each other and the organization through its active online member community. Membership is offered at tiered levels and may be maintained on either an annual or recurring monthly basis.

The Planetary Society is currently governed by a 12-member volunteer Board of Directors chosen for their passion about and knowledge of space exploration. The Board has a Chair, President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, and normally meets twice per year to set the society's policies and future directions. Nominations are sought and considered periodically from a variety of sources, including from members of the Board and Advisory Council, Society Members, staff, and experts in the space community. On June 7, 2010, the society announced that American science educator Bill Nye would become the new executive director of the society.

Board of directors

The Planetary Society's current board of directors consists of:

• Bill Nye, chief executive officer
• Daniel Geraci, chairman of the board
• Bethany Ehlmann, president and member of executive committee
• Heidi Hammel, vice president and member of executive committee
• Lon Levin, treasurer of the board and member of executive committee
• Jim Bell, secretary and member of executive committee
• John Grunsfeld
• Dipak Srinivasan
• Britney Schmidt
• Bijal (Bee) Thakore
• Newton Campbell Jr.
• Robert Picardo
• Lorne Trottier

The advisory council consists of: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sirisha Bandla, David Brin, Nagin Cox, G. Scott Hubbard, Gary E. Hunt, Mark Hunter, Ryan Johnson, Ryan Kriser, Rosaly Lopes, Brian Murphy, Brian Pope, Pete Slosberg, and Kevin Stube.

A number of major public figures have served on the board or advisory council of The Planetary Society in the past, including astronauts Sally Ride and Michael Collins; authors Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Stephen Jay Gould, and Isaac Asimov; Hollywood stars Paul Newman, Steven Spielberg, and John Rhys-Davies; Nobel Prize winner Harold Urey; senators Harrison Schmittand Adlai Stevenson III; former Secretary of Education Shirley Hufstedler; and astronomers Neil Degrasse Tyson, James Van Allen, and Frank Drake.

Additionally, The Planetary Society has been endorsed by James Cameron, Brian May, Seth MacFarlane, Gene Roddenberry, and a variety of actors famed for their roles in Star Trek.

Science and technology

The Planetary Society sponsors science and technology projects to seed further exploration. All of these projects are funded by the society's members and donors. Some projects include:

LightSail

In 2015, The Planetary Society launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance two solar sailing space missions. The first mission, LightSail 1, launched on May 20, 2015, and demonstrated a test deployment of its solar sail. The second mission, LightSail 2, launched on June 25, 2019, and successfully used sunlight to change its orbit. The mission was recognized as one of TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019 and also won an award from Popular Science. The Planetary Society published data from the flights in a number of scientific papers. Its chief scientist, Bruce Betts, has since consulted with NASA teams working on their own solar sail missions.

SETI

The Planetary Society has supported several different projects related to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In 1981, the society partnered with NASA to fund Suitcase SETI, an instrument which eventually grew into the first dedicated high-resolution SETI survey. Four years later, the society collaborated with Steven Spielberg to help finance the Megachannel ExtraTerrestrial Array (META), the most advanced SETI search at the time. Subsequent Society-sponsored SETI projects included the META II and SERENDIP radio surveys, the first dedicated all-sky optical SETI survey, the “Are we alone in the universe?” citizen science project, and the SETI@home initiative to process SERENDIP data using a volunteer network of personal computers.

STEP grants

In 2021, The Planetary Society established its Science and Technology Empowering the Public (STEP) Grants as a means of providing dedicated support to projects related to the search for life, planetary exploration, and planetary defense. The society regularly holds open calls for STEP Grant proposals and has awarded nearly $200,000 to four different projects so far. Grant winners have included an asteroid research program at the University of Belgrade, a space agriculture program at the University of Florida, a citizen science SETI project based out of the University of California, Los Angeles, and an astrobiology project at Dartmouth College related to saline marine environments on other worlds.

Shoemaker NEO grants

In 1997, The Planetary Society founded the Shoemaker NEO Grant program to support a global network of amateur astronomers dedicated to finding, tracking, and studying potentially dangerous near-Earth objects. Awardees receive funds to upgrade their equipment so they can better observe their targets. More than 50 astronomers in over 20 different countries have received grants since the program’s founding, with over $500,000 awarded to date. As of 2025, Shoemaker grants have helped amateur astronomers discover nearly 500 NEOs and perform observations of over 19,000 others. One recent grant winner, Leonardo Amaral, discovered a rare kilometer-sized asteroid in 2020. This asteroid, 2020 QU6, is large enough to cause global devastation if it ever hit Earth, though no impact is anticipated based on its current orbital trajectory.

PlanetVac

In 2013, The Planetary Society helped fund a prototype and laboratory test of Honeybee Robotics’ PlanetVac instrument, a technology designed to perform reliable, low-cost sample collection on other worlds. Five years later, Society members helped fund another test of PlanetVac, this time on a live rocket. The test was a success and increased PlanetVac’s technology readiness level.

In 2025, a version of PlanetVac landed and operated on the Moon as part of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1. Another version, called “P Sampler”, will collect samples as part of JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission to bring back material from Phobos, scheduled to launch in 2026.

The society has also funded research into the Pioneer anomaly, exoplanet detection, panspermia, asteroid deflection, the Chicxulub impact, and Mars rovers and drills.

Public outreach and education

The Planetary Society produces articles, videos, children’s books, podcasts, and other educational programming to promote public engagement with space science and exploration. It has published a quarterly magazine, The Planetary Report, since its founding in 1980. Space science and policy experts at the Planetary Society are regularly interviewed by media outlets and also contribute op-eds to publications such as The New York Times and SpaceNews.

Names and messages with spacecraft

As part of their mission to connect individuals with space exploration, the Planetary Society has helped members of the public send names and other messages aboard a number of different spacecraft. It has also helped organize public contests to name space missions and Solar System objects themselves.

Missions that have carried names and messages include: the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx, Cassini-Huygens, Mars Pathfinder, Phoenix, Dawn, Deep Impact, MAVEN, Hayabusa2, IKAROS, Akatsuki, Glory, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Kaguya (SELENE), LightSail 2, Cosmos 1, Hayabusa, and Stardust. Some of these missions, like LightSail 2, were built by The Planetary Society. In other cases, The Society worked with other groups to collect and send the messages.

The minor planets Bonestell, Nereus, and Braille were all named through contests co-organized by The Planetary Society. So was Bennu, the target asteroid of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx sample return mission. In partnership with the LEGO Group, the Planetary Society ran the naming contest for the Mars Exploration Rovers, from which NASA selected Spirit and Opportunity.

''Planetary Report''

The Planetary Report is the quarterly internationally recognized flagship magazine of the Planetary Society, featuring articles and that provide comprehensive coverage of discoveries about the worlds of our Solar System and beyond. This magazine reaches 40,000 members of The Planetary Society all over the world, with news about planetary missions, spacefaring nations, space explorers, and the latest findings in humankind's exploration of the Solar System.

''Planetary Radio''

In 2002, the Planetary Society inaugurated a weekly radio program and podcast, Planetary Radio, hosted and produced by science communicator and radio reporter Mat Kaplan. Planetary Radio episodes typically feature conversations and visits with astronomers, planetary scientists, engineers, space mission project managers, astronauts, artists, writers, advocates, and others who can provide insight into the current state of space science and exploration. The program also covers major space news events, such as launches and advocacy updates. In 2023, Sarah Al-Ahmed became the new host and producer of Planetary Radio.

The society also releases monthly episodes of Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition, which features interviews between The Planetary Society's Chief of Space Policy, Casey Dreier, and guests with a background in space policy and politics.

References

References

1. "About Us".
2. (2004). "Carl Sagan: a biography". [[Greenwood Publishing Group]].
3. "About Us".
4. (May 1, 1983). "The Planetary Society encourages exploration of the universe to find extraterrestrial life". [[Los Angeles Times]].
5. The Planetary Society. (2022). ["About Us"](http://www.planetary.org/about/). *The Planetary Society*.
6. "The Day of Action to Save NASA Science".
7. "How The Planetary Society's grassroots movement shapes the future of…".
8. "Europa Clipper: A mission backed by advocates".
9. "A joint-letter in support of NEO Surveyor".
10. "Science & Technology".
11. "SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence".
12. "LIFE Project".
13. [http://www.planetary.org/about/press/releases/2011/0601_Planetary_Society_Welcomes_Home_Shuttle.html "Planetary Society Welcomes Home Shuttle LIFE Passengers"], press release, The Planetary Society website, June 1, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
14. "LightSail, a Planetary Society solar sail spacecraft".
15. "Liftoff! LightSail Sails into Space aboard Atlas V Rocket".
16. "Deployment! LightSail Boom Motor Whirrs to Life".
17. "LightSail 2 Has Launched!".
18. "Planetary Radio".
19. "Space Books for Kids".
20. "Online courses".
21. "The Planetary Report".
22. BASIC®. "NEW Webby Gallery + Index".
23. "Microrovers for Assisting Humans".
24. "The Pluto Campaign".
25. "Red Rover Goes to Mars".
26. "Planetary Society Statement on Proposed Cuts to Planetary Science…".
27. "Planetary Society President Testifies Before Congress".
28. "John Culberson and Bill Nye (and Europa)".
29. "Europa Beckons".
30. "Is There Anybody out There?".
31. "Gene Shoemaker Near-Earth Object Grants".
32. "PlanetVac".
33. "Tech funded by Planetary Society launches to the Moon next month".
34. "Blue Ghost Lands on Moon - NASA".
35. "STEP Grants: Science and Technology Empowered by the Public".
36. "The Planetary Society warns of dark age for space science under…".
37. "The Space Review: NASA's 2026 budget in brief: Unprecedented, unstrategic, and wasteful".
38. Feldscher, Jacqueline. (August 19, 2025). "Organizations Band Together to Save NASA Science". Payload.
39. "Welcome to your member community!".
40. [http://www.planetary.org/about/board-of-directors/ "Board of Directors"], The Planetary Society webpage. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
41. [http://www.planetary.org/about/press/releases/2010/0607_Bill_Nye_Signs_on_as_Planetary.html "Bill Nye Signs on as Planetary Society's New Executive Director"] {{webarchive. link. (November 28, 2010 , press release, The Planetary Society website, June 7, 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-15.)
42. "Board of Directors".
43. "A Conversation with Sally Ride".
44. "Planetary Society Kicks Off First World Space Week with Major Events".
45. "Curiosity's landing site named for Ray Bradbury".
46. "Gene Roddenberry asks Star Trek fans to join The Planetary Society".
47. "Planetary Society Adds Lord of the Rings Actor to Advisory Council".
48. "OPAG, Day 2: Update from the NASA Advisory Committee meetings this…".
49. "Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, & Space Stars Gather for Celebration…".
50. "James Van Allen".
51. "Alone but not lonely with Louis Friedman".
52. Admin. (2023-08-28). "James Cameron - DEEPSEA CHALLENGE".
53. "New Horizons Flyby: Join the Celebration!".
54. "LightSail in the Clean Room - The Planetary Post with Robert Picardo".
55. "Star Trek actors endorse The Planetary Society over the years".
56. "The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 Named One of TIME's 100 Best…".
57. Team, Popular Science. (2019-12-03). "The 100 greatest innovations of 2019".
58. "LightSail Academic Resources".
59. "Project META".
60. (2007-06-01). "Initial results from Harvard all-sky optical SETI". Acta Astronautica.
61. (2023-02-14). "Are we alone in the universe? You're not alone if you want to find out! - NASA Science".
62. "08.08.00 - SETI@home teams with The Planetary Society and Project Voyager to continue search for intelligent signals from space".
63. "STEP Grants: Science and Technology Empowered by the Public".
64. "Demystifying Near-Earth Asteroids Homepage".
65. Lowenstein, Adam. (2023-06-02). "Palmer Wins Planetary Society Grant to Study Deep-Space Agriculture".
66. "Dartmouth Research Engineer Receives Planetary Society STEP Grant".
67. "Needles in the haystack".
68. (2020-09-12). "Amateur astronomer discovers large asteroid that flew by Earth this week".
69. (2024-03-11). "PlanetVac: Regolith Mining Systems for CLPS Blue Ghost Lander". 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
70. "PlanetVac Successfully Tested on Sub-Orbital Xodiac Rocket".
71. cosmos. "Gathering Moon dust with Honeybee Robotics".
72. (2015-06-18). "Agencies, Hoping to Deflect Comets and Asteroids, Step Up Earth Defense (Published 2015)".
73. SpaceRef. (2020-10-12). "NASA, JAXA to Send Sampling Technology to Moon and Phobos".
74. (2025-04-21). "Opinion {{!}} E.T., Phone the White House".
75. "Messages from Earth".
76. (2008-10-07). "Millions of Names Sent to Space".
77. "Naming X: A contest for kids to name small bodies".
78. Fitzgibbons, Ryan. (2012-09-04). "NASA Scientific Visualization Studio {{!}} Name That Asteroid!".
79. Oberhaus, Daniel. (2015-09-08). "Here's How NASA Names the Spacecraft It Hurls Into the Void".
80. "Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science".
81. "A Personal Message to Planetary Radio Listeners".
82. "Planetary Radio has a new host".