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

[Ron Baalke]

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-