The Planetary Science Institute (PSI) is a research institute based in Tucson, Arizona, focusing on planetary science. Founded in 1972 on a non-profit basis, it is involved in many NASA missions, the study of Mars, asteroids, comets, interplanetary dust, the formation of the Solar System, extrasolar planets, the origin of life, and other scientific topics. It is now actively participating in the Dawn mission, scheduled to explore Vesta between 2011 and 2012, and Ceres in 2015. PSI manages the spacecraft's Gamma-Ray and Neutron Detector, which will map the surfaces of the two minor planets to determine how they were formed and evolved. The Institute's orbit@home is a distributed computing project through which the public can help in the search for near-Earth objects. The Institute is also involved in science education through school programs, popular science books and art. Its scientific Staff are distributed in 16 US states and in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Russia and Australia. Its present director (2009) is Dr. Mark V. Sykes.
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Observations during a stellar occultation detected the presence of evolving material orbiting around Centaur (2060) Chiron, rather than a two-ring system interpretation, according to a paper by Planetary Science Institute ...
Astronomy
Nov 29, 2023
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Scientists from the Planetary Science Institute have uncovered evidence of potential salt glaciers on Mercury, opening a new frontier in astrobiology by revealing a volatile environment that might echo habitability conditions ...
Astrobiology
Nov 17, 2023
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271
Lunar swirls have been traditionally considered to be unaffected by topographic changes, but a new study shows a correlation between the two. Lunar swirls are high-albedo markings on the moon that occur in both mare—dark, ...
Planetary Sciences
Nov 9, 2023
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Refined mapping tools that identify subsurface water ice on Mars will help determine the best targets for robotic and human missions to the planet.
Space Exploration
Oct 26, 2023
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A landmark discovery by a collaborative team led by the Planetary Science Institute's Alexis Rodriguez has unveiled evidence of sedimentary plains created by aquifer drainage within Martian collapse formations termed chaotic ...
Astrobiology
Oct 18, 2023
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A new study maps the infall of protons and electrons from the solar wind to geographical location on the surface of Mercury, giving scientists new insight into how interactions with the sun alters the surface and produces ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 13, 2023
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72
Most of the moon's permanently shadowed areas arose less than 2.2 billion years ago and some trapped ice during the recent past, according to research led by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Norbert Schorghofer.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 13, 2023
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118
A new study of lunar swirls shows evidence of highly mobile regolith on the moon, according to a team of PSI scientists led by Deborah Domingue.
Planetary Sciences
Aug 29, 2023
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72
After 15 years of attempts, researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have for the first time successfully detected water outgassing from a main-belt comet.
Planetary Sciences
May 15, 2023
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81
Mars' south polar layered deposits of H2O and CO2 ice record its climate history. A new study links the long-term global movement of Mars' water from midlatitude to pole to a function of the planet's orbital configuration ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 7, 2023
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