Milestones

  Planetary Science Institutes’s (PSI’s) Pamela Gay received the American Humanist Association’s 2019 Isaac Asimov Science Award at the group’s 78th Annual Conference at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Gay, a Senior Scientist at PSI, is an astronomer, writer, and podcaster focused on using new media to engage people in science and technology. She is […]
 
The Dwornik Award was started in 1991 with a generous endowment by Dr. Stephen E. Dwornik, who wished to encourage U.S. students to become involved with NASA and planetary science. The Award consists of a plaque and a monetary award given for outstanding student presentations (in both poster and oral categories) or a plaque for […]
 
The National Space Society (NSS) has named astronaut Al Worden the 2019 recipient of NSS’ Space Pioneer Award for Historic Space Achievement. Worden flew to the Moon on Apollo 15. The prestigious award was presented to Worden at the Society’s 38th annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC®), which was held in the Washington, DC, area at the Sheraton […]
 
The Lunar and Planetary Institute is pleased to announce the grant awardees of the Barringer Family Fund for Meteorite Impact Research: Jean-Guillaume Feignon University of Vienna, Austria Elianara Fagundes Ferreira Federal University of Bahia, Brazil Pim Kaskes Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium Fazia Kassab University of Sciences and Technologies Houari Boumediene, Algeria Carolinna da Silva Maia […]
 
NASA has selected eight new research teams to collaborate on research into the intersection of space science and human space exploration as part of the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). The new SSERVI teams, selected via peer review from a pool of 24 competitive proposals, are: Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science […]
 
NASA has selected 11 companies to conduct studies and produce prototypes of human landers for its Artemis lunar exploration program. This effort will help put American astronauts — the first woman and next man — on the Moon’s south pole by 2024 and establish sustainable missions by 2028. The awardees, from eight states across the […]
 
NASA has selected 12 new science and technology payloads that will help us study the Moon and explore more of its surface as part of the agency’s Artemis lunar program. These investigations and demonstrations will help the agency send astronauts to the Moon by 2024 as a way to prepare to send humans to Mars for the first […]
 
NASA has selected three commercial Moon landing service providers that will deliver science and technology payloads under Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) as part of the Artemis program. Each commercial lander will carry NASA-provided payloads that will conduct science investigations and demonstrate advanced technologies on the lunar surface, paving the way for NASA astronauts to […]
 
The National Space Society (NSS) applauds NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine’s April 29 endorsement of building and operating an orbiting infrared telescope, NEOCam, to detect and track near-Earth objects (NEOs). NEOs are objects that approach or cross Earth’s orbit and are best detected outside of Earth’s atmosphere using the infrared electromagnetic spectrum. His endorsement came during […]
 
NASA’s social media presence, which has grown from a few accounts more than a decade ago to dozens of channels with millions of followers, was honored with a pair of Webbys and People’s Voice awards as part of the 2019 Webby Awards. “Social media has become NASA’s primary way of connecting with the public,” said […]
 
NASA hosted a range of activities and demonstrations, including a virtual reality chair and Oculus Go trip to the Moon, at the COSI Science Festival, May 1–4, in Columbus, Ohio. The 2019 COSI Science Festival culminated in an exciting and fun celebration of science. The free event featured dynamic experiments, incredible demonstrations, and engaging hands-on activities hosted by Franklin County’s […]
 
On July 20, 1969, the United States achieved the most profound milestone of human accomplishment when it landed NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, while their command module pilot Michael Collins orbited above. The extraordinary team of experts that guided these first three brave astronauts on their journey ran the hour-by-hour […]
 
Robotically surveying lunar craters in record time and mining resources in space could help NASA establish a sustained human presence at the Moon – part of the agency’s broader Moon to Mars exploration approach. Two mission concepts to explore these capabilities have been selected as the first-ever Phase III studies within the NASA Innovative Advanced […]