Explore Planetary and
Solar Systems Science at LPL
Welcome to the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
X Marks the Spot: NASA Selects Site for Asteroid Sample Collection
The OSIRIS-REx mission team evaluated data from four candidate sites in order to identify site Nightingale as the best option for the sample collection, with site Osprey named as the backup.
Beyond Jupiter, Researchers Discovered a 'Cradle of Comets'
Researchers have discovered a region just beyond Jupiter that acts as a "comet gateway," funneling icy bodies from deep space into the inner solar system, where they can become regular visitors of Earth's neighborhood.
A New Lens for Life-Searching Space Telescopes
UA researchers have designed a new kind of telescope that is a cheaper, lighter and more powerful option than creating telescopes using ever-larger mirrors. With a fleet of the newly designed space telescopes, they aim to scour a thousand worlds for the chemical signatures of life.
Research Focus Areas
Pursuing interdisciplinary research spanning the breadth and depth of planetary science.
Planetary Surfaces
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
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
Planetary Analogs
LPL scientists investigate surface processes to understand the history of terrestrial bodies in the Solar System.
Asteroid Surveys
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®
Spacecraft Missions and Instrumentation
Exploring the Universe as investigators on spacecraft mission and instrumentation teams.
HiRISE (MRO)
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
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
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
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.
Discover Planetary Sciences
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 engage with diverse communities.
Space Drafts
Space Drafts is Tucson’s flavor of Astronomy on Tap. Talks are held one Wednesday of every month at one of Tucson’s finest microbreweries, The Borderlands Brewing Company . Space Drafts is free and open to all ages (of humans and dogs alike).
OSIRIS-REx
The OSIRIS-REx mission is an Asteroid Sample Return Mission— Exploring our Past, Securing our Future through Pioneering Asteroid Science....
Arizona/NASA Space Grant
The Arizona/NASA Space Grant Consortium , headquartered at LPL, contributes to the nation's science enterprise by implementing research, education and...