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 Logo of the Planetary Science Institute | |
| Abbreviation | PSI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1972 |
| Founders | William Kenneth Hartmann |
| Type | Nonprofit501(c)(3) |
| Focus | Planetary science |
| Headquarters | Tucson, Arizona, United States |
| Location |
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Official language | English |
Director | Mark V. Sykes |
| Website | psi |
ThePlanetary Science Institute (PSI)[1] is a501(c)(3) non-profitresearch institute based inTucson, Arizona, focusing onplanetary science.[2] As of 2025[update], its director and CEO is Dr.Amanda Hendrix.[3] PSI, along withSpace Science Institute (SSI)Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), and Eureka Scientific, were listed as501(c)(3) organizations in theUS in a special report byNature in 2007, which facilitatefederal grant applications of non-tenure-trackastronomers.[4]
Founded in 1972 byWilliam Kenneth Hartmann,[5] PSI is involved in manyNASA missions, the study ofMars,asteroids,comets,interplanetary dust, theformation of the Solar System,extrasolar planets, theorigin of life, and other scientific topics. It actively participated in theDawn mission,[6][7] which exploredVesta between 2011 and 2012, andCeres between 2015 and 2018. It managed theGRaND[8] a Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector spectrometer,[9] which mapped the surfaces of the two minor planets to determine how they were formed and evolved.
PSI'sorbit@home was adistributed computing project through which the public could help in the search fornear-Earth objects. The institute is also involved inscience education through school programs, popularscience books and art.
From 2004 to 2025 theMark V. Sykes served as director of PSI.[10]
32°15′51″N110°56′47″W / 32.2643°N 110.9464°W /32.2643; -110.9464
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