Explore Planetary and
Solar Systems Science at LPL
Welcome to the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
Summer Science Saturday
Summer Science Saturday, July 20. Join us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon landing and to learn about current and future lunar exploration.
Moon Maps, Lunar Origins and Everything Between
A theory for the origin of the moon germinated in the mind of a UA graduate student as he mapped the surface. The theory is still cited today as scientists continue to learn more about our celestial neighbor.
Exploring A Desert Portal to Other Worlds
The merge between astronomy and geology, necessary to get humans to the moon, led to the birth of modern-day planetary science and a long history of field trips that continue to this day, enabling fledgling scientists to interpret data from far-off worlds without leaving Earth.
Research Focus Areas
Pursuing interdisciplinary research spanning the breadth and depth of planetary science.
Lunar Studies
Lunar research was one of the hallmarks of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in its first decade (the 1960s) as...
Lunar Studies
Cosmochemistry
Planetary Materials are those pieces of condensed matter that were leftover from the time that our solar system formed over...
Cosmochemistry
Exoplanets
Understanding how planets form and evolve and how life emerged on Earth are among the most fundamental questions in planetary...
Exoplanets
Earth
Collecting information about Earth from space provides new information about how Earth systems work, how they are changing, and how humans might anticipate and respond to changes.
Earth
Spacecraft Missions and Instrumentation
Exploring the Universe as investigators on spacecraft mission and instrumentation teams.
HiRISE (MRO)
The HiRISE operations center, which includes not only observation planning, but the execution of commands sent to the spacecraft along with actual image processing, is located within LPL at the University of Arizona.
HiRISE (MRO)
OSIRIS-REx
LPL is home to the OSIRIS-REx mission. OSIRIS-Rex arrived at asteroid Bennu in 2018; it has begun to survey and map Bennu, navigating in close proximity to the asteroid, and will ultimately touch the surface for five seconds to gather a sample of the asteroid.
OSIRIS-REx
NEOWISE
NEOWISE is a NASA infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope with the mission to identify and characterize the population of near-Earth objects. NEOWISE is also characterizing more distant populations of asteroids and comets to provide information about their sizes and compositions.
NEOWISE
MRO
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has studied the Red Planet's atmosphere and terrain from orbit since 2006 and also serves as a key data relay station for other Mars missions, including the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.
MRO
Discover Planetary Sciences
Explore asteroids, exoplanets, and beyond. Earn a Ph.D. with a major in Planetary Sciences.
Graduate Program
The Department of Planetary Sciences offers multidisciplinary programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in planetary sciences.
Undergraduate Program
The Department of Planetary Sciences offers an undergraduate minor in Planetary Sciences.
Astrobiology Minor
Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary field that combines astronomy, geology, biology and chemistry.
Public Education and Outreach
Faculty, staff, and students at LPL take every opportunity to share their research with the community.
UA SEDS
LPL hosts the University of Arizona Chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space .
LPL Evening Lecture Series
Each fall semester, the LPL Evening Lecture Series presents LPL scientists discussing their latest scientific research and space mission...
Mt. Lemmon Sky Center
Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter is an exceptional science learning facility located at Steward Observatory's "sky island" observing site. The SkyCenter builds upon the uniqueness of the 9,157 foot summit of Mt. Lemmon and the extensive knowledge base at the University of Arizona to deliver educational programs.