The NASA Astrobiology Institute represents a partnership between NASA and a number of academic or other research organizations to promote, conduct, and lead integrated multidisciplinary astrobiology research and train young researchers. The Institute will showcase modern communications and information technology to bind together institutions and research teams in geographically separated locales to enable an unprecedented degree of remote interaction in pursuit of astrobiology research.
Astrobiology is the study of life in the universe.
This cross-disciplinary field addresses many fundamental questions concerning the origin, distribution, and future of life in the universe. As we approach the new millennium, we find that many of these questions are within our reach, and important new insights are likely to result as space-age technology is applied to biological research. The Astrobiology Institute represents one of several NASA initiatives in astrobiology, with a special charter to develop new institutional relationships that will nurture and promote astrobiology research and training into the future. The Astrobiology Institute will carry out world-class multidisciplinary research, coordinate and catalyze astrobiology across a range of disciplines and organizations, develop and demonstrate modern communications technologies in support of multidisciplinary research, provide advice to and develop technology for NASA missions, train students and young researchers, and provide outreach to the general public. In all of these areas, the Institute is designed to provide value above that of the NASA research programs for individual Principal Investigators.