The Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), jointly sponsored by the

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 ...

(LPI) and

NASA Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in ...

(JSC), brings together international specialists in

petrology Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rocks, their mineralogy, composition, texture, structure and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous ...

geochemistry Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the e ...

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

, and

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

to present the latest results of research in

planetary science Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of ...

. Since its beginning in 1970, the LPSC has been a significant focal point for planetary science research, with more than 2000 planetary scientists and students attending from all over the world.

History

In a speech delivered at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas in March 1968, President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

announced the formation of the Lunar Science Institute (LSI). The creation of the LSI was the culmination of meetings and events involving the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...

, the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

Universities Research Association The Universities Research Association (URA) is a non-profit association of more than 90 research universities, primarily but not exclusively in the United States. It has members also in Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1965 ...

, and several major universities. Initially operated by the National Academy of Sciences, the

Universities Space Research Association The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) was incorporated on March 12, 1969, in Washington, D.C. as a private, nonprofit corporation under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Institutional membership in the assoc ...

took over the management of the Lunar Science Institute on December 11, 1969. 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 first science conference, known as the

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...

Lunar Science Conference, was held in Houston from January 5–8, 1970. During the early days of the

Apollo Program The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...

, meetings focused on the study of the lunar samples. In 1978, the name of the conference was changed from the Lunar Science Conference to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference to reflect the expanded scope of research that included planetary science. After five decades, this conference continues to draw planetary scientists and researchers from around the world. The conference has been held every year since 1970 except for 2020. The first three were held in January, and from 1973 on have been held in March. In 2020, the conference was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In 2021, the conference was held virtually for the same reason. Since 2022, the conference has been held as a hybrid meeting (both in person and virtual). The most recent conference was held March 10–14, 2025, in

The Woodlands, Texas The Woodlands is a Special district (United States), special-purpose district and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Texas in the Greater Houston, Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area. The Woodlands ...

, 31 miles north of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

LPSC today

The schedule for the five-day conference consists of parallel sessions of contributed presentations that emphasize planetary processes and those related to planetary bodies. Contributed abstracts are peer-reviewed, and selections for presentation are based on the overall relevance of the subject matter to the conference and the quality of the science. The conference features five full days of oral and poster sessions covering a variety of topics in planetary science research. A number of special sessions and events are also scheduled. Every year special sessions are held covering a variety of topics, including recent events in planetary science and current planetary missions and their results. Special sessions are scheduled throughout the week of the conference and throughout the event venue. Highlighted events of the conference include a welcome event, a briefing from the Planetary Sciences Division of NASA's

Science Mission Directorate The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is one of the six directorates that constitute NASA. Its responsibility is to define and direct research into scientific questions of interest, shari ...

, plenary sessions, education/public outreach presentations, peripheral team meetings and workshops, and networking opportunities. Special events for students are also featured. Each year, a lecture series is held at the conference, in honor of Harold Masursky (1922-1990), an American astrogeologist. The series began in 1992. Every ten years a Planetary Science Decadal Survey Briefing is held as part of the conference. This decadal survey "shall broadly canvas the field of space- and ground-based planetary science to determine the current state of knowledge and then identify the most important scientific questions expected to face the community...In addition, the survey and report shall address relevant programmatic and implementation issues of interest to NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF)."Planetary Science Decadal Survey: 2013-2022 Statement of Task (Revised)

References

External links

*
Lunar and Planetary Institute
on

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