The Space Science Institute (SSI) in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

, is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

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formed in 1992. Its purpose is to create and maintain an environment where scientific research and education programs can flourish in an integrated fashion. SSI is among the four non-profit institutes in the US cited in a 2007 report by Nature, including

Southwest Research Institute Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is an independent and nonprofit applied research and development (R&D) organization. Founded in 1947 by oil businessman Tom Slick, it provides contract research and develop ...

Planetary Science Institute The Planetary Science Institute (PSI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research institute based in Tucson, Arizona, focusing on planetary science. , its director is Dr. Mark V. Sykes. PSI, along with Space Science Institute (SSI) Southwest Researc ...

, and

Eureka Scientific Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying t ...

, which manage

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for non-tenure-track astronomers.

Description

SSI's research program encompasses the following areas:

space physics Space physics, also known as solar-terrestrial physics or space-plasma physics, is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere (aeronomy) and within the Solar System. As such, it encompasses a far-ranging number of ...

earth science Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...

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 their f ...

, and

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

. The flight operations branch manages the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft's visible camera instrument and provides spectacular images of Saturn and its moons and rings to the public. SSI participates in mission operations and is home to the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for OPerations (CICLOPS).CICLOPS
/ref> The primary goal of SSI is to bring together researchers and educators to improve science education. Toward this end, the institute acts as an umbrella for researchers who wish to be independent of universities. In addition, it works with educators directly to improve teaching methods for astronomy. SSI has also produced several traveling exhibits for science museums, including Electric Space, Mars Quest, and Alien Earths. It is currently producing Giant Worlds. SSI provides management support for research scientists and

principal investigators In many countries, the term principal investigator (PI) refers to the holder of an independent grant and the lead researcher for the grant project, usually in the sciences, such as a laboratory study or a clinical trial. The phrase is also often us ...

, which help them to submit proposals to major public funding agencies such as

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding th ...

(NASA), National Science Foundation (NSF), Space Telescope Science Institute (STSci), Department of Energy (DOE), and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Principal investigators In many countries, the term principal investigator (PI) refers to the holder of an independent grant and the lead researcher for the grant project, usually in the sciences, such as a laboratory study or a clinical trial. The phrase is also often us ...

are supported by SSI though proposal budget preparation, proposal submission, and project reporting tools, and have competitive negotiated overhead rates. The institute is loosely affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder. SSI has obtained several grants in astrophysical sciences since 1992 from

NSF NSF may stand for: Political organizations *National Socialist Front, a Swedish National Socialist party *NS-Frauenschaft, the women's wing of the former German Nazi party *National Students Federation, a leftist Pakistani students' political gr ...

and NASA funding agencies.

Divisions

SSI has five research centers: * Center for Space Plasma Physics (CSPP), * Center for Extrasolar Planetary Systems (CEPS), * Center for Mars Science (CMS), * Center for Polarimetric Remote Sensing (CPRS), * Center for Data Science (CDS). SSI's National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) is dedicated to expanding the understanding of educators, and citizens in science through educational and outreach programs by SSI researchers in four interconnected groups: Exhibition Development, Digital Learning, rofessional Development, and Public Engagement. SSI is managed by a board of 12 directors for Aerospace, Academic Research, Small Business Consultant, Astronomy, Science and Technology, Engineering, Civil Space, Martin, Planetarium, Innovation, Legal and Policy, and 4 acting directors for Research, National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL), Information Systems and Technology (IST), and Business Operations.

Gallery

SSI has participated in NASA's Cassini mission and hosted the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for OPerations (CICLOPS). File:Saturn during Equinox.jpg, NASA's Cassini color view of the planet Saturn. File:The Day the Earth Smiled - PIA17172.jpg, NASA's Cassini image of the planet Saturn. File:PIA08166 - Saturn's Subtle Spectrum.tif, Cassini-Huygens Image of Saturn's Subtle Spectrum. File:Mimas_Cassini.jpg, NASA's Cassini image of Saturn's moon Mimas. File:Iapetus as seen by the Cassini probe - 20071008.jpg, NASA's Cassini image ofSaturn's moon Iapetus.

References

External links

*
National Center for Interactive Learning

Scientific Publications (INSPIRE-HEP)

Scientific Publications (ResearchGate)
Space organizations :Non-profit organizations based in the United States :Organizations established in 1992 :Research institutes established in 1992 :Companies based in Boulder, Colorado :Astronomy institutes and departments :Astrophysics institutes :Research institutes in Colorado :1992 establishments in Colorado {{Nonprofit-org-stub

Description

Divisions

Gallery

See also

References

External links