The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) is a research center for planetary science located in Tucson, Arizona. It is also a graduate school, constituting the Department of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona. LPL is one of the world's largest programs dedicated exclusively to planetary science in a university setting. It has a very high reputation in its field, and LPL scientists have played important roles in nearly every interplanetary mission to date, including missions from NASA, ESA, and even a few from the Russian Space Agency. Research is often described as an active, diligent, and systematic process of inquiry aimed at discovering, interpreting and revising facts. ... Planetary science, also known as planetology or planetary astronomy, is the science of planets, or planetary systems, and the solar system. ... A city street near downtown Tucson, Arizona. ... Official language(s) None Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq. ... A graduate school or grad school is a school that awards advanced degrees, with the general requirement that students must have earned an undergraduate (bachelors) degree. ... The University of Arizona (UA or U of A) is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona. ... Western Illinois University A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctor) in a variety of subjects. ... The physicist Albert Einstein is probably historys most widely recognized scientist. ... An Interplanetary Mission is a voyage or trip through space involving more than one planet. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... The European Space Agency (ESA), established in 1975, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 17 member states. ... The Russian Federal Space Agency, formerly the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (RKA) (in Russian: Российское авиационно-космическое агентство) is the government agency responsible for Russias space science program and general aerospace research. ...

Background

LPL was founded in 1960 by astronomer Gerard Kuiper. Kuiper had long been a pioneer in observing the solar system, especially the Moon, at a time when this was unfashionable among astronomers. Among his contributions are the discovery of Miranda and Nereid, the detection of carbon dioxide on Mars and of methane on Titan, and the prediction of the Kuiper Belt. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... An astronomer or astrophysicist is a scientist whose area of research is astronomy or astrophysics. ... Gerard Kuiper, circa 1963. ... The solar system comprises the Earths Sun and the retinue of celestial objects gravitationally bound to it. ... Bulk composition of the moons mantle and crust estimated, weight percent Oxygen 42. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Miranda (mi-ran-da) is the smallest and innermost of Uranus major moons. ... Voyager 2 view of Nereid. ... Carbon dioxide is an atmospheric gas comprised of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ... For the Roman god, see Mars (mythology). ... The simplest hydrocarbon, methane, is a gas with a chemical formula of CH4. ... Atmospheric characteristics Pressure 146. ... Artists rendering of the Kuiper Belt and hypothetical more distant Oort cloud. ...

Kuiper came to Tucson looking for greater independence than he had enjoyed at the University of Chicago, the chance to build a community dedicated to solar system studies, and also to be closer to southern Arizona's many potential sites for world-class observatories, such as Kitt Peak National Observatory (founded in 1958). LPL was established under the auspices of the University of Arizona, with Kuiper serving as director until his death. The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. ... Southern Arizona is a region of the United States. ... Categories: Stub | Astronomical observatories ... The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States astronomical observatory located on a 2,096 m (6,880 ft) peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono Oodham Nation, 88 kilometres (55 miles) southwest of Tucson. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Arizona (UA or U of A) is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona. ...

LPL's endeavors are truly interdisciplinary. The accumulated knowledge and techniques of astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, atmospheric science, and engineering are all brought to bear upon the single goal of studying planetary systems. Many students come to LPL having studied only one or two of these subjects in detail, so a broad-based curriculum is essential. Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ... Radio telescopes are among many different tools used by astronomers Astronomy (Greek: αστρονομία = άστρον + νόμος, astronomia = astron + nomos, literally, law of the stars) is the science of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the Earths atmosphere, such as stars, planets, comets, auroras, galaxies, and the cosmic background radiation. ... Physics is the Science of Nature The word Physics comes from the Greek, φύσις (physis) which means nature (or from its adjective form φυσικός (physikos) meaning natural) The deepest visible-light image of the universe, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. ... Chemistry (derived from alchemy) is the science of matter at or near the atomic scale. ... Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history and the processes that shape it. ... Geophysics, the study of the earth by quantitative physical methods, especially by seismic reflection and refraction, geodesy, gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, and radioactivity methods. ... The field of geochemistry involves study of the chemical composition of the Earth and other planets, chemical processes and reactions that govern the composition of rocks and soils, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earths chemical components in time and space, and their interaction with... Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. ... Bold text Engineering is the application of scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ... An artists concept of a protoplanetary disk. ...

In 1973, the university established a graduate Department of Planetary Sciences, operating continuously with LPL. This provided an administrative framework for LPL to admit graduate students and take a greater role in teaching. LPL's chief officer is simultaneously "head" of the department and "director" of the laboratory. The current Head and Director is Michael J. Drake. A graduate student (also, grad student or grad in American English, postgraduate student or postgrad in British English) is an individual who has completed a bachelors degree (B.A., B.S./B.Sc. ... In education, teachers are those who teach students or pupils, often a course of study or a practical skill. ...

Spacecraft Missions

The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has been involved in almost every interplanetary spacecraft sent. These are some of the major ones that it was or is involved:

• Phoenix Scout Mission- Mars- Responsible for building and operating of the spacecraft once it reaches Mars.
• Mars Reconaissance Orbiter- Mars- Responsible for building and operating the HiRISE camera, the most powerful camera to ever leave Earth orbit.
• Mars Global Surveyor- Mars- Dr. Alfred McEwen is a participating scientist on the Mars Orbital Camera Team. Dr. Steve Bougher is a member of the MGS aerobraking team which is conducting aerobraking exercises (Fall 1997 and Fall 1998).
• Deep Space 2- Mars- One of the science team members was from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.
• Mars Odyssey- Mars- Responsible for the GRS: The Gamma Ray Spectrometer, for building and maintaining it.
• MESSENGER- Mercury- Scientist participates in the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS).
• Galileo- Jupiter-Built part of the ultraviolet spectrometer onboard the spacecraft
• Cassini- Saturn- Major team contributer, the largest of any University in the world. Responsible for taking and analyzing images of the surface of Titan and Enceladus.
• Deep Impact- Comet Tempel 1- LPL Scientist helped to run many of the simulations to ensure the spacecraft would reach it's target.
• Mars Pathfinder- Mars- Desined, integrated, and operated one of the cameras on the lander.
• Huygens Probe- Saturn's moon Titan- The university built and operated the only camera on the probe, and is responsible for a number of movies that show the landing. See Huygens Site page for some more info, and the movies.
• Mars Polar Lander- Mars- Built Thermal Evolved Gas Analyzer, a similar instument is on the Phoenix Scout Lander.
• Voyager- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune- Built and operated the Ultraviolet Spectrometer, and participated on the imaging team on the spacecraft.
• Ulysses- Sun- Two scientists participated in the investigations of heliospheric cosmic ray physics and properties of the interplanetary medium.
• NEAR- Near-Earth asteroid Eros- Participated in the X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (XGRS) science team.

For the Star Trek spacecraft, see Phoenix (Star Trek). ... For the Roman god, see Mars (mythology). ... For the Roman god, see Mars (mythology). ... HiRISE The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera is a camera onboard the Mars Reconaissance Orbiter. ... Computer generated image of Global Surveyor spacecraft (NASA) The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) is an American spacecraft. ... For the Roman god, see Mars (mythology). ... The Deep Space 2 mission, which launched in January 1999 as part of NASAs New Millennium Program, consisted of two highly advanced miniature probes to Mars. ... For the Roman god, see Mars (mythology). ... Artists concept of the 2001 Mars Odyssey Spacecraft 2001 Mars Odyssey is an unmanned spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars. ... For the Roman god, see Mars (mythology). ... Look up messenger in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... Adjective Jovian Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... This is an artists concept of Cassini during the Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) maneuver, just after the main engine has begun firing. ... Adjective Saturnian Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 140 kPa Hydrogen >93% Helium >5% Methane 0. ... Atmospheric characteristics Pressure 146. ... In Greek mythology Enceladus was one of the Gigantes. ... Illustration of the Deep Impact space probe after impactor separation (artists conception) Deep Impact is a NASA space probe designed to study the composition of the interior of the comet Tempel 1. ... Comet Hale-Bopp For other uses, see Comet (disambiguation). ... Tempel 1 is a periodic comet (formally designated 9P/Tempel 1). ... The Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4, 1996 by NASA aboard a Delta II rocket, just a month after the Mars Global Surveyor was launched. ... For the Roman god, see Mars (mythology). ... This is an artists concept of Cassini during the Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) maneuver, just after the main engine has begun firing. ... The Saturnian System (photographic montage) Saturn Rings and Satellites. ... Atmospheric characteristics Pressure 146. ... Conceptual drawing of the Mars Polar Lander on the surface of Mars. ... For the Roman god, see Mars (mythology). ... For the Star Trek spacecraft, see Phoenix (Star Trek). ... The Voyager spacecraft Launch of Voyager 2 Voyager is also the name of a planned series of unmanned probes to Mars, cancelled in 1968. ... Adjective Jovian Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... Adjective Saturnian Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 140 kPa Hydrogen >93% Helium >5% Methane 0. ... Adjective Uranian Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 120 kPa (at the cloud level) Hydrogen 83% Helium 15% Methane 1. ... Adjective Neptunian Atmospheric characteristics Surface pressure ≫100 MPa Hydrogen - H2 80% ±3. ... The name Ulysses can mean: The Roman equivalent of Odysseus A 1922 novel by James Joyce: Ulysses (novel) A 1967 movie based on the novel, Ulysses (movie) A solar probe: Ulysses (spacecraft) A poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson A anime television program produced by DiC Entertainment: Ulysses 31 An indie... The Sun is the star at the center of Earths solar system. ... Look up near in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are asteroids whose orbits are close to Earths orbit. ... The asteroid 433 Eros (eer-os) was named after the Greek god of love Eros. ...

Astronomical Observations

The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory is involved with spacewatch, the program to identify near-earth asteroids, with the Planetary Atmosphere Project to measure the content of the atmospheres of various planets, with occultations, the art of measuring the spectography of a star when it passes behind a planet, to see what a planet's atmosphere is composed of, with studies of the planet Mercury, with the Catalina Sky Survey, related to the Spacewatch program, as well as interdisciplinary sciences such as Theoretical Astrophysics and Space Physics, helping to find the answers to such questions as: What is Dark matter? Spacewatch is a project at the University of Arizona that specializes in the study of minor planets, and including various types of asteroids and comets. ... In Islam the occulation is the name given to the disappearance of the Twelfth Imam. ... STAR is an acronym for: Satellite Television Asian Region, or STAR TV Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Labs, a fictional research organization in the DC Comics universe. ... A planet is generally considered to be a relatively large mass of accreted matter in orbit around a star. ... Saturns atmosphere is made up of hydorgen, helium and methane ... Catalina Sky Survey is a project to discover comets and asteroids, and to search for near_earth objects. ... Spiral Galaxy ESO 269-57 // Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties (luminosity, density, temperature and chemical composition) of astronomical objects such as stars, galaxies, and the interstellar medium, as well as their interactions. ... In cosmology, dark matter refers to matter particles, of unknown composition, that do not emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation to be detected directly, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter such as stars and galaxies. ...

External Links

• Lunar and Planetary Laboratory