Friendswood Library

HistoryDuring the mid 1960s, as NASA was aggressively working toward President John F. Kennedy's desire to land a man on the Moon, NASA administrator James Webb asked that a committee be established to engage the academic community in NASA's efforts. In July 1967, the concept of a Lunar Science Institute was born out of those discussions. The Lunar Science Institute (now the Lunar and Planetary Institute) was formally established on October 1, 1968, by NASA contract with the National Academy of Sciences. On December 11, 1969, Universities Space Research Association (USRA) assumed management of the Institute under contract to NASA. USRA, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, manages the Lunar and Planetary Institute to this day.SpecialtiesThe Lunar and Planetary Institute provides independent intellectual leadership to enable world-class lunar and planetary research in cooperation with NASA and the academic community.