Goddard Space Flight Center
Planetary Systems Laboratory

Planetary Systems Laboratory

Two Columns

MISSION

The mission of the Planetary Systems Laboratory is to study the origin, structure and evolution of planetary systems. Observational and theoretical investigations conducted by the Lab focus on bodies in our own solar system, but also encompass the study of planetary systems and extra-solar planets around other stars. Special emphasis is placed on the study of the atmospheres of solar system bodies utilizing observations in the infrared spectral region, and on understanding atmospheric physical processes in a broad context, e.g., by comparisons to the Earth's and other planets' atmospheres. This research program is conducted in partnership with colleagues in the national and international scientific communities, and is intended to extend and disseminate fundamental knowledge of planetary phenomena. In addition, the Lab specializes in the design of novel optical and infrared instruments and detectors. The Lab thereby contributes to the role of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Space Science, Earth Science, and Technology, in the context of NASA's mission to serve the Nation as a whole.

"I want to be reminded and delighted and surprised once again, through interplanetary exploration, with the infinite variety and novelty of phenomena that can be generated from such simple principles."

Richard P. Feynman

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

-T. S. Eliot

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Planetary Systems Laboratory

NASA Fact

The term "aeronautics" originated in France, and was derived from the Greek words for "air" and "to sail."

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