Universities Space Research Association
Encyclopedia
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
(NAS). Institutional membership in the Association has grown from 49 colleges and universities when it was founded, to the current 105 institutions. All member institutions have graduate programs in space sciences or technology. Besides the 95 member institutions in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, there are two member institutions in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, four in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, two in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, one in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and one in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Objective
USRA provides a mechanism through which universities can cooperate effectively with one another, with the government, and with other organizations to further space science and technology, and to promote education in these areas. Its mission is carried out through the institutes, centers, divisions, and programs. Administrative and scientific personnel now number about 420. A unique feature of USRA’s management is its system of standing panels of technical experts, drawn from the research community, to provide oversight for USRA’s institutes, centers, divisions and programs.Origin
USRA’s origins extend back to 1966, when the NASANASA
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...
Administrator requested the help of the NAS in forming a national consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
to assume management of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory
Lunar Receiving Laboratory
The Lunar Receiving Laboratory was a facility at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center that was constructed to quarantine astronauts and material brought back from the Moon during the Apollo program to mitigate the risk of back-contamination...
. The president of the NAS, Dr. Frederick Seitz, first turned to the Universities Research Association
Universities Research Association
The Universities Research Association, Inc. is a consortium of 87 leading research oriented universities, primarily in the United States, with members in Canada, Japan, and Italy. It is based in Washington, D.C.- History and purpose :...
(URA), which had recently been created to operate the National Accelerator Laboratory. Dr. Seitz raised the issue of NASA's involvement at a URA meeting in the fall of 1966. However, because of budgetary concerns with the National Accelerator Laboratory, URA did not wish to assume any additional responsibilities.
To satisfy its immediate needs, NASA took upon itself the management of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory but left open the possibility of wider participation of the academic community through an institute. At this time, the idea of a Lunar Science Institute (LSI) took form. To develop further the concept of the LSI, the NAS created a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Kenneth Pitzer to study NASA/University Relations. In the fall of 1967, the Pitzer Committee recommended the establishment of the LSI initially to be operated by Rice University under a subcontract with the NAS, but eventually to be operated by a university consortium. The Pitzer committee concluded that the pattern established at LSI could form the basis for the development of a much broader link between NASA and the academic community.
Charter
On March 1, 1968, PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Lyndon Johnson announced the creation of the Lunar Science Institute (LSI), and USRA was chartered the following year as the parent organization of the LSI. The initial headquarters of USRA was at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, where Professor A. R. Kuhlthau served as the first president of the Association.
In 1976, Dr. Alexander J. Dessler became the second USRA president. Dr. Dessler moved the headquarters of the association to Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, where he served as chairman of the Department of Space Physics and Astronomy.
In 1978 USRA headquarters moved to Columbia, Maryland
Columbia, Maryland
Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
. Dr. David C. Black was appointed USRA President in 2000. Dr. Black served as Director of USRA’s Lunar and Planetary Institute from 1988 to 2001, and is internationally recognized for research in theoretical astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
and planetary science
Planetary science
Planetary science is the scientific study of planets , moons, and planetary systems, in particular those of the Solar System and the processes that form them. It studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas giants, aiming to determine their composition, dynamics, formation,...
.
Other Programs
USRA initially concentrated on the management of LSI (later renamed the Lunar and Planetary InstituteLunar and Planetary Institute
The Lunar and Planetary Institute 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 and is supported by the Science Mission Directorate of the National...
) but, armed with its broad charter, the consortium began to explore other ways to serve the university space research community as early as 1970. Today, USRA researchers are involved with university, government and industry scientists and engineers in a broad array of space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
and aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
related fields, including astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, earth sciences, microgravity, life sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
, space technology
Space technology
Space technology is technology that is related to entering, and retrieving objects or life forms from space."Every day" technologies such as weather forecasting, remote sensing, GPS systems, satellite television, and some long distance communications systems critically rely on space infrastructure...
, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, and advanced concepts.
Most USRA research activities include related educational components.
There have been five presidents of USRA:
- Dr. A. Robert Kuhlthau (1969–1976);
- Dr. Alexander J. Dessler (1976–1981);
- Dr. Paul J. Coleman, Jr. (1981–2000);
- Dr. David C. Black (2000–2006); and
- Dr. Frederick A. Tarantino (2006–present)
Institutes and Programs
- Center for Advanced Space Studies (CASS)
- Center for Program/Project Management Research (CPMR)
- Cooperative Program in Space Science (CPSS)
- Center for Space Nuclear Research (CSNR)
- Division of Space Life Sciences (DSLS)
- Education Programs Office at CASS
- Earth Sciences Applications Research Program]] (ESARP)
- Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century (ESSE 21)
- Earth System Science Program (ESSP) in Huntsville
- NASA Summer Faculty Research Opportunities (NSFRO)
- Lunar and Planetary InstituteLunar and Planetary InstituteThe Lunar and Planetary Institute 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 and is supported by the Science Mission Directorate of the National...
(LPI) - National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE)
- National Center for Space Exploration Research on Fluids and Combustion (NCSER)
- Navy Astronomy Programs (NRL and USNO)
- Research Institute for Advanced Computer ScienceResearch Institute for Advanced Computer ScienceThe was founded June 1, 1983 as a joint collaboration between the Universities Space Research Association and the NASA Ames Research Center...
(RIACS) - Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts - Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Program
- Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared AstronomyStratospheric Observatory for Infrared AstronomyThe Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center to construct and maintain an airborne observatory. NASA awarded the contract for the development of the aircraft, operation of the observatory and management of the American part of the...
(SOFIASofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
) - Technology Development and Aerospace Environments (TDAE)
- USRA Astronomy Program in Huntsville
- Visiting Researcher Exchange and Outreach (VREO) Program