Sign in

Private company

Lunar and Planetary Institute

American research institute in Houston

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).2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Feb 1978Founded1
  • HeadquartersHouston1
  • Websitewww.lpi.usra.edu
  • Slogan“The Lunar and Planetary Institute’s (LPI’s) mission is to advance understanding of the solar system by providing exceptional science, service, and inspiration to the world.”1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

USRA-Houston building
Photo: The original uploader was Lchappell at Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

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 Institute serves as a scientific forum attracting visiting scientists, postdoctoral fellows, students, and resident experts; supports and serves the research community through newsletters, meetings, and other activities; collects and disseminates planetary data while facilitating the community's access to NASA astromaterials samples and facilities; engages and excites the public about space science; and invests in the development of future generations of scientists. 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.2

Corporate structure

Lunar and Planetary Institute is part of a group headed by Universities Space Research Association. 5 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • Universities Space Research Association Washington, the District of Columbia, United States
    • Lunar and Planetary Institute Houston
    • NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts Subsidiary
    • Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab Subsidiary · United States
    • Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science Subsidiary · Mountain View, United States

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

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 man's 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 (a university consortium founded to run what became Fermilab) and several major universities. Initially operated by the National Academy of Sciences, USRA, a newly-formed university consortium, took over the management of the Lunar Science Institute on December 11, 1969.

William W. Rubey was appointed the first director of the Lunar Science Institute. 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.

Thomas R. McGetchin was appointed director in 1977. Under his leadership, 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 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.

From Wikipedia’s article on Lunar and Planetary Institute, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Leadership

Who has led Lunar and Planetary Institute, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Board members and other officers (1)

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. Feb 1978Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4