The universities space research association (usra) acting by and through the lunar and planetary institute (referred to throughout the document as the institute or LPI) is proposing a science…

This is a $4,247,292.00 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), a nonprofit research organization. The agreement is to provide scientific analysis and expertise to complement the existing capabilities of NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division. USRA, through its Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), will leverage its world-renowned science expertise, facilities, and resources to assist NASA in addressing key planetary science questions. The agreement does not have a set-aside designation, reflecting USRA's status as a large nonprofit entity. In addition to this award, USRA has an Other Transaction Agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for $9.8 million to develop optimization techniques using near-term quantum hardware, demonstrating the organization's broad capabilities in supporting federal research priorities across civilian and defense agencies.

The universities space research association (usra) acting by and through the lunar and planetary institute (referred to throughout the document as the institute or LPI) is proposing a science collaboration to facilitate the efforts of the astromaterials research and exploration science (ares) division by providing scientific analysis and expertise to complement and extend the existing capabilities in ares. As a top quality, world renowned science institute, the LPI is uniquely positioned to provide technical personnel with strong research credentials that would provide a forum for developing research ideas in lunar and planetary science. LPI s experience in dealing with NASA badging and visas for foreign nationals brings a unique resource to the ares division. Additionally, the LPI will provide use of the facilities at the institute, including, but not limited to, meeting facilities outside the JSC fence to facilitate conversations with collaborators; IT resources and staff that provide complementary resources to those at JSC; a lunar and planetary science library collection that exceeds 62,000 books, journals, and archived NASA documents; the entire apollo image collection housed at the institute s regional planetary image facility (rpif); and access to scholars and students to address key planetary science questions.