
X Marks the Spot: NASA Selects Site for Asteroid Sample Collection

Beyond Jupiter, Researchers Discovered a 'Cradle of Comets'

A New Lens for Life-Searching Space Telescopes

Planetary Surfaces
Planetary surfaces are influenced by their interior processes (e.g. volcanoes), exterior effects (e.g. impact cratering) and their atmospheres (e.g. wind...

Theoretical Astrophysics
The Theoretical Astrophysics Program (TAP) is an interdisciplinary research program that includes the departments of Physics, Astronomy, Planetary Sciences, and Applied Mathematics, as well as the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.

Planetary Analogs
LPL scientists investigate surface processes to understand the history of terrestrial bodies in the Solar System.

Asteroid Surveys
LPL is home to two programs dedicated to scanning the sky for near-earth objects, including potentially hazardous asteroids: Catalina Sky Survey and SPACEWATCH®

HiRISE (MRO)
HiRISE, the high resolution imaging science experiment onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, is the most powerful camera ever sent to another planet.

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.

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.

Mars Odyssey
Mars Odyssey is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars. Its mission is to use spectrometers and a thermal imager to detect evidence of past or present water and ice, as well as study the planet's geology and radiation environment.

Public Education and Outreach
Faculty, staff, and students engage with diverse communities.

Space Drafts

OSIRIS-REx
