Lunar Studies
About
Lunar research was one of the hallmarks of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in its first decade (the 1960s) as the United States prepared for the Apollo missions and LPL led the way in mapping possible landing sites. In the half-century since, the kinds of lunar research performed have changed, but the Moon is still an object of intense scrutiny. Our nearest neighbor in space lacks many of the processes occurring on the surface of Earth today, including the effects of wind, water and biology, so the rocks on its surface contain records of a much earlier era of Solar System history. On the other hand, because it lacks either an atmosphere or a strong internal magnetic field, its surface experiences effects that the Earth’s surface does not. Current LPL researchers study many different aspects of the Moon, including its composition, history, surface properties, magnetic field, interior structure, and even its tenuous atmosphere. Although the first studies were done with telescopes, we now have everything from the samples returned in the Apollo missions to modern spacecraft missions in orbit around the Moon. Read more about our history with lunar research.
Faculty
Lunar Studies Faculty
Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna
Lunar Studies, Planetary Geophysics, Planetary Surfaces, Titan & Outer Solar System
Erik Asphaug
Lunar Studies, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Geophysics, Planetary Surfaces, Small Bodies, Theoretical Astrophysics, Titan & Outer Solar System
Jessica Barnes
Cosmochemistry, Lunar Studies, Planetary Analogs
William Boynton
Astrobiology, Cosmochemistry, Lunar Studies, Small Bodies
Veronica Bray
Lunar Studies, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Surfaces
Lynn Carter
Earth, Lunar Studies, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Geophysics, Planetary Surfaces, Titan & Outer Solar System
Christopher Hamilton
Astrobiology, Earth, Lunar Studies, Photogrammetry, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Geophysics, Planetary Surfaces
Lon Hood
Earth, Lunar Studies, Planetary Geophysics
Angela Marusiak
Lunar Studies, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Geophysics, Small Bodies, Titan & Outer Solar System
Isamu Matsuyama
Astrobiology, Exoplanets, Lunar Studies, Planetary Formation and Evolution, Planetary Geophysics, Theoretical Astrophysics, Titan & Outer Solar System
Alfred McEwen
Astrobiology, Lunar Studies, Photogrammetry, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Geophysics, Planetary Surfaces
Timothy Swindle
Cosmochemistry, Lunar Studies, Small Bodies, Theoretical Astrophysics
Other Researchers
Lunar Studies Researchers
Brett Carr
Earth, Lunar Studies, Photogrammetry, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Surfaces
Rishi Chandra
Earth, Lunar Studies, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Geophysics, Planetary Surfaces, Small Bodies
Sarah Sutton
Earth, Lunar Studies, Photogrammetry, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Surfaces, Small Bodies
Support Staff
Lunar Studies Support Staff
Elana Alevy
Cosmochemistry, Lunar Studies, Small Bodies