Lunar and Planetary Institute
The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) is a scientific research institute dedicated to study of the solar system, its formation, evolution, and current state. The Institute is part of the Universities Space Research Association[1] (USRA) and is supported by the Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration[2] (NASA). Located at 3600 Bay Area Boulevard in Houston, Texas, the LPI is an intellectual leader in lunar and planetary science. The Institute serves as a scientific forum attracting world-class visiting scientists, postdoctoral fellows, students, and resident experts; supports and serves the research community through newsletters, meetings, and other activities; collects and disseminates planetary data while facilitating the community's access to NASA astromaterials samples and facilities; engages and excites the public about space science; and invests in the development of future generations of scientists. The LPI sponsors and organizes several workshops and conferences throughout the year, including the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference[3] (LPSC) held in March in the Houston area.
Established
1969
3600 Bay Area Blvd.
Science[edit]
General focus[edit]
Research topics of the LPI include the formation and evolution of the solar system, petrology and geochemistry of planetary materials and volatiles, planetary interiors, volcanism, tectonism, impact cratering, and planetary sample science. Research interests range from Mercury to Pluto and the icy moons of the solar system.
Meetings[edit]
The LPI organizes and sponsors a number of planetary science workshops and conferences throughout the year in both domestic and international locations, including the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC). This important five-day meeting held in the Houston area in March brings together international specialists in petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geology, and astronomy to present scientific findings in planetary science. The LPSC dates back to the days of the Apollo program and the early meetings focusing on the study of the lunar samples. After over 50 years, this conference continues to thrive, drawing planetary scientists and researchers from around the world.
Publications[edit]
The LPI has collaborated on a number of publications in the prestigious Space Science Series of the University of Arizona Press, including Asteroids III (ISBN 0816522812), Comets II (ISBN 0816524505), Europa (ISBN 9780816528448), Meteorites and the Early Solar System II (ISBN 9780816525621), Origin of the Earth and Moon (ISBN 0816520739), Protostars and Planets V (ISBN 9780816526543), The Solar System Beyond Neptune (ISBN 9780816527557), Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets (ISBN 9780816530595), and The Pluto System After New Horizons (ISBN 9780816540945).[9] The LPI also publishes a large number of planetary science workshop and meeting documents every year. From March 1974 through July 2023, the LPI published the quarterly newsletter, the Lunar Science Information Bulletin, which later became the Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin. Since June 2014, eighteen lunar and planetary science books, most published by LPI such as Traces of Catastrophe[10] and Lunar Stratigraphy and Sedimentology, have been digitized and made available online.[11]
Scientist engagement and public outreach[edit]
The LPI has a long tradition of space science education and public outreach through a number of programs and resources. This effort serves a wide variety of audiences, including informal educators, undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students, and the public in informal venues and on local, regional, and national levels.
These programs and resources include the following:
Professional Development - a series of seminars and workshops on topics like communication, networking, career exploration, and more
Explore - a program designed to bring space science into libraries and informal learning environments
Planetary Science News for Students - information and resources for students and early-career researchers in planetary science
Planetary ReaCH - a program that enhances the ability of the planetary science and astrobiology community, aka "Content Heroes," to engage Black and Latinx youth and their families
VIRTEX - a program connecting Boys & Girls Clubs with researchers who study unique extreme environments
Cosmic Explorations: A Speakers Series - a series of free public lectures presented by international experts in space science (past lectures are made available online at the LPI website)
Library[edit]
The LPI library contains more than 63,000 cataloged books, documents, maps, films and videos, and print and electronic journals and newsletters. The subject emphasis of the collection is planetary science and geology, with limited collection development extending into the secondary support field of computer science remote sensing. There is an ongoing effort to scan and make available to the scientific community and the general public a number of out-of-print planetary science books, NASA documents and images, and related works. (These publications are copyright-free or made available with permission.)
This collection was a NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility[12] (RPIF) and includes photographs, maps, and other data from planetary missions including Apollo, Lunar Orbiter, Clementine, Mars Pathfinder, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Magellan, Galileo, and Mars Global Surveyor.