[meteorite-list] NASA Selects Research Teams for Lunar Science Institute

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 14:25:35 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <200901092225.OAA08520_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

Jan. 09, 2009

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov

Michael Mewhinney
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-3937
michael.s.mewhinney at nasa.gov

RELEASE: 09-004

NASA SELECTS RESEARCH TEAMS FOR LUNAR SCIENCE INSTITUTE

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA has selected seven academic and research
teams as initial members of the agency's Lunar Science Institute.

The institute supports scientific research to supplement and extend
existing NASA lunar science programs in coordination with U.S. space
exploration policy. The selection of the members encompasses academic
institutions, non-profit research institutes, private companies, NASA
centers and other government laboratories. Selections were based on a
competitive evaluation process that began with the release of a
cooperative agreement notice in June 2008. The next solicitation
opportunity for new members will take place in approximately two
years.

"We are extremely pleased with the response of the science community
and the high quality of proposals received," said David Morrison, the
institute's interim director at NASA's Ames Research Center at
Moffett Field, Calif. "The institute represents a big step forward in
developing a new generation of lunar scientists."

The selected initial member teams are:

- The Moon as Cornerstone to the Terrestrial Planets: The Formative
Years; principal investigator Carle Pieters, Brown University in
Providence, R.I.

- Scientific and Exploration Potential of the Lunar Poles; principal
investigator Ben Bussey, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

- Impact Processes in the Origin and Evolution of the Moon: New
Sample-driven Perspectives; principal investigator David Kring, Lunar
and Planetary Institute in Houston

- Dynamic Response of the Environment at the Moon; principal
investigator William Farrell, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Md.

- Understanding the Formation and Bombardment History of the Moon;
principal investigator William Bottke, Southwest Research Institute
in Boulder, Colo.

- Lunar University Node for Astrophysics Research: Exploring the
Cosmos from the Moon; principal investigator Jack Burns, University
of Colorado in Boulder.

- NASA Lunar Science Institute: Colorado Center for Lunar Dust and
Atmospheric Studies; principal investigator Mihaly Horanyi,
University of Colorado in Boulder

"We look forward to solid contributions from these teams," said Jim
Green, director of the Planetary Division at NASA Headquarters in
Washington. "These are some of the key individuals who will be vital
to NASA successfully conducting the ambitious activities of returning
to the moon with robots and humans."

Teams were selected from 33 proposals. Based and managed at Ames, the
lunar facility is a virtual institute, enabling the newly selected
members to remain at their home institutions. Partnerships and
collaborations among members are highly encouraged and facilitated
through a variety of proven networking tools, such as frequent
videoconferences.

Opened in April 2008, the facility is modeled after the NASA
Astrobiology Institute, also based at Ames. That institute is a
virtual facility that has successfully sustained a productive
research program for more than a decade. The newly selected Lunar
Institute teams, along with the international associate and affiliate
teams, have members working together throughout the world.

The institutes are supported by the Science Mission Directorate and
Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in
Washington.

For further information on the institute and lunar science visit:

http://lunarscience.nasa.gov
        
-end-
Received on Fri 09 Jan 2009 05:25:35 PM PST