Thomas R . McGetchin
Lunar and Planetary Institute was managed or directed by whom from 1977 to 1979?
Lunar and Planetary Institute The Lunar and Planetary Institute ( LPI ) is a scientific research institute dedicated to study of the solar system , its formation , evolution , and current state . The Institute is part of the Universities Space Research Association ( USRA ) and is supported by the Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) . Located at 3600 Bay Area Boulevard in Houston , Texas , the LPI maintains an extensive collection of lunar and planetary data , carries out education and public outreach programs , and offers meeting coordination and publishing services . The LPI sponsors and organizes several workshops and conferences throughout the year , including the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference ( LPSC ) held in March in the Houston area . History . In his March 1968 speech at the Manned Spacecraft Center ( MSC ) in Houston , Texas , President Lyndon B . Johnson announced the formation of the Lunar Science Institute ( LSI ) . We will welcome here all who are interested in the sciences of space . We will strengthen the cooperation between NASA and our universities . And we will set new patterns of scientific cooperation which will have profound effects on mans knowledge of his universe . -- President Lyndon B . Johnson , March 1 , 1968 The institute will provide a base for outside scientists , encouraging them to visit the Manned Spacecraft Center and use its laboratories , lunar photographs , and ( ultimately ) its rock samples . LSI is viewed as a major potential stimulus to lunar science at MSC and elsewhere . This announcement was the culmination of meetings and events involving NASA , the National Academy of Sciences , Universities Research Association and several major universities . Initially operated by the National Academy of Sciences , USRA took over the management of the Lunar Science Institute on December 11 , 1969 . Dr . William W . Rubey was appointed the first director of the Lunar Science Institute . Dr . Rubey led the institute through the transition to the new management operation under USRA . A program of visiting university-based scientists was established , the first symposium was organized , and the first lecture of the LSI seminar series was presented . The Lunar Science Institute was formally dedicated on January 4 , 1970 , at the former West Mansion on NASA Road 1 near the Manned Spacecraft Center . Dr . Thomas R . McGetchin was appointed director in 1977 . Under his leadership , Dr . McGetchin expanded the focus of the Lunar Science Institute to include the study of the entire Solar System , and the name was changed to the Lunar and Planetary Institute . In 1991 , under the leadership of Dr . David C . Black , the LPI moved into a new facility . This new building combined several USRA divisions and operations into one location . The building , dedicated in January 1992 , provided more office , meeting , computer and library space and improved USRA-Houston operations . Science . General focus . Research topics of the LPI include the formation and evolution of the Solar System , petrology and geochemistry of planetary materials and volatiles , planetary interiors , volcanism , tectonism , and impact cratering . Research interests range from Mercury to Pluto and the icy moons of the Solar System . The LPI currently maintains a staff of resident scientists as well as visiting scientists , postdoctoral fellows , and graduate fellows . Resident scientists provide planetary science expertise necessary for the LPI to achieve its goals and maintain their scientific proficiency through peer-reviewed activities . The Center for Lunar Science and Exploration , a collaborative effort of the Lunar and Planetary Institute and the Johnson Space Center and an integral part of the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute ( SSERVI ) ( formerly the NASA Lunar Science Institute ) , was established in 2009 . The Center is designed to develop a core , multi-institutional lunar science program , provide scientific and technical expertise to NASA , support the development of a lunar science community , and develop lunar science education and outreach programs . Analysis groups . The LPI provides support for a number of NASAs community analysis groups , including : Curation and Analysis Planning Team for Extraterrestrial Materials ( CAPTEM ) - responsible for the care and distribution of all extraterrestrial samples collected by NASA including the Apollo lunar samples , materials from sample return missions , and solid materials of the Solar System Lunar Exploration Analysis Group ( LEAG ) - responsible for analyzing scientific , technical , commercial , and operational issues associated with lunar exploration in response to requests by NASA Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group ( MEPAG ) - responsible for providing science input for planning and prioritizing future Mars exploration activities for the next several decades Outer Planets Assessment Group ( OPAG ) - responsible for identifying the scientific priorities and pathways for exploration in the outer solar system Optimizing Science and Exploration Working Group ( OSEWG ) - responsible for guiding exploration and science investigations during lunar sortie and outpost missions , with extensibility to future Mars missions Small Bodies Assessment Group ( SBAG ) - responsible for identifying scientific priorities and opportunities for the exploration of asteroids , comets , interplanetary dust , small satellites , and trans-Neptunian objects and for providing scientific input on the utility of asteroids and comets in support of human space activities Venus Exploration Analysis Group ( VEXAG ) - responsible for identifying scientific priorities and strategy for the exploration of Venus Mapping and Planetary Spatial Infrastructure Team ( MAPSIT ) - ensuring that planetary data are usable for any purpose , now and in the future Summer intern programs . The LPI hosts a Summer Intern Program providing undergraduates an opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research in the planetary sciences . LPI Summer Interns work one-on-one with scientists at the LPI or at the Johnson Space Center to complete research projects of current interest . The Summer Intern Program allows participants to experience a real research environment , to learn from leading planetary scientists , and to preview careers in research . From 2008 through 2013 , the LPI also hosted a Lunar Exploration Summer Intern Program designed to evaluate possible landing sites for robotic and human exploration missions . Interns worked with LPI scientific staff and other collaborators . The program was open to graduate students in geology , planetary science , and related fields , and undergraduates with at least 50 semester hours of credit . In 2015 , a new Exploration Science Summer Intern Program was established , building on the success of the previous program , but with a broader scope that includes both the Moon and near-Earth asteroids . Meetings . The LPI organizes and sponsors a number of planetary science workshops and conferences throughout the year in both domestic and international locations , including the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference . This important five-day meeting held in the Houston area in March brings together international specialists in petrology , geochemistry , geophysics , geology , and astronomy to present scientific findings in planetary science . The LPSC dates back to the days of the Apollo program and the early meetings focusing on the study of the lunar samples . After 50 years , this conference continues to thrive , drawing planetary scientists and researchers from around the world . Publications . The LPI has collaborated on a number of publications in the prestigious Space Science Series of the University of Arizona Press , including Asteroids III ( ) , Comets II ( ) , Europa ( ) , Meteorites and the Early Solar System II ( ) , Origin of the Earth and Moon ( ) , Protostars and Planets V ( ) , The Solar System Beyond Neptune ( ) , and Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets ( ) . The LPI also publishes a large number of planetary science workshop and meeting documents every year as well as a quarterly newsletter , Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin . Since June 2014 , eighteen lunar and planetary science books , most published by LPI such as Traces of Catastrophe and Lunar Stratigraphy and Sedimentology , have been available online . Education and public outreach . The LPI has a long tradition of space science education and public outreach through a number of programs and resources . This effort serves a wide variety of audiences , including K-12 students and educators , undergraduate , graduate , and postgraduate students , and the public in formal and informal venues and on local , regional , and national levels . These programs and resources include the following : Explore ! Fun with Science - a program designed to bring space science into libraries and informal learning environments SkyFest - a series of free programs open to all ages that offers night sky viewing opportunities and hands-on activities about four times a year Cosmic Explorations : A Speakers Series - a series of free public lectures presented by international experts in space science ( past lectures are made available online at the LPI website ) Library . The LPI library contains more than 60,000 cataloged books , documents , maps , films and videos , and print and electronic journals and newsletters . The subject emphasis of the collection is planetary science and geology , with limited collection development extending into the secondary support field of computer science remote sensing . There is an ongoing effort to scan and make available to the scientific community and the general public a number of out-of-print planetary science books , NASA documents and images , and related works . ( These publications are copyright-free or made available with permission. ) This collection is a NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility ( RPIF ) and includes photographs , maps , and other data from planetary missions including Apollo , Lunar Orbiter , Clementine , Mars Pathfinder , Voyager 1 , Voyager 2 , Magellan , Galileo , and Mars Global Surveyor . Directors of the LPI . - William Walden Rubey ( 1968-1971 ) - Joseph W . Chamberlain ( 1971-1973 ) - David W . Strangway ( 1973 ) - James W . Head ( 1973-1974 ) - Robert O . Pepin ( 1974-1977 ) - Thomas R . McGetchin ( 1977-1979 ) - John R . Sevier ( 1979 ) - Roger J . Phillips ( 1979-1982 ) - Kevin C . Burke ( 1982-1988 ) - David C . Black ( 1988-2002 ) - Arch M . Reid ( 2002 ) - Stephen J . Mackwell ( 2002–2016 ) - Louise Prockter ( 2016–2020 ) - Lisa Gaddis ( 2020–present )