The NASA Lunar Science Institute is a new organization, established by NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 in 2008, that supplements and extends existing NASA lunar science

Moon

The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

 programs. Supported by the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), the NLSI is managed by the NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Ames Research Center

The Ames Research Center , is one of the United States of America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration 10 major field centers.The centre is located in Moffett Field in California's Silicon Valley, near the high-tech companies, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and other...

 and is modeled on the NASA Astrobiology Institute

NASA Astrobiology Institute

The NASA Astrobiology Institute was established in 1998 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration "to develop the field of astrobiology and provide a scientific framework for flight missions". The NAI is a virtual, distributed organization that integrates astrobiology research and...

 (NAI) with dispersed teams across the nation working together to help lead the agency's research activities related to NASA's lunar exploration goals. Competitively selected team investigations will focus on one or more aspects of lunar science—investigations of the Moon (including lunar samples

Moon rock

Moon rock describes rock that formed on the Earth's moon. The term is also loosely applied to other lunar materials collected during the course of human exploration of the Moon.The rocks collected from the Moon are measured by radiometric dating techniques...

), from the Moon, and/or on the Moon.

Teams

The Lunar Science Institute is composed of seven teams across the nation, each with a different focus for lunar science. The teams are listed below.
The Moon as the Cornerstone to the Terrestrial Planets: The Formative Years

PI: Carle Pieters, Brown University
Scientific and Exploration Potential of the Lunar Poles

PI: Ben Bussey, APL / JHU
Impact Processes in the Origin and Evolution of the Moon: New Sample-Driven Perspectives

PI: David Kring, LPI
Dynamic Response of the Environment at the Moon (DREAM)

PI: Bill Farrell, NASA Goddard
Center for Lunar Origin and Evolution (CLOE)

PI: Bill Bottke, SwRI
Lunar University Node for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR)

PI: Jack Burns, Univ. of Colorado / CASA
Colorado Center for Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Studies (CCLDAS)

PI: Mihaly Horanyi, Univ. of Colorado / LASP