Keck Institute for Space Studies
Encyclopedia
The Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) is a joint institute of the California Institute of Technology
and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
established in January 2008 with a $24 million donation from the W. M. Keck Foundation
. It is a privately funded think tank
focused on space mission concepts and technology.
In 2011, five studies and two student-led mini-programs were established.
Studies:
Student-Led Mini-Programs:
Completed studies include:
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
established in January 2008 with a $24 million donation from the W. M. Keck Foundation
W. M. Keck Foundation
The W. M. Keck Foundation is an American charitable foundation supporting scientific, engineering, and medical research in the United States. It was founded in 1954 by William Myron Keck, founder and president of Superior Oil Company . The Foundation's trust fund currently has assets in excess of 1...
. It is a privately funded think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
focused on space mission concepts and technology.
Programs
Three studies have completed their initial studies, and are currently in the technical development phase:- Robotic Exploration and Sampling of MarsMarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
- Large Space Structures
- Coherent Arrays for Astronomy and Remote Sensing
- Monitoring Earth Surface Changes from Space
- Single Photon Counting Detectors
In 2011, five studies and two student-led mini-programs were established.
Studies:
- AsteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
Return Mission Study - Digging Deeper: Algorithms for Computationally Limited Searches in Astronomy
- Next Generation Ultraviolet Instrument Technologies Enabling Missions in Astrophysics, Cosmology, and Planetary Sciences
- Monitoring of GeoengineeringGeoengineeringThe concept of Geoengineering refers to the deliberate large-scale engineering and manipulation of the planetary environment to combat or counteract anthropogenic changes in atmospheric chemistry The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in 2007 that geoengineering options, such...
Effects and their Natural and Anthropogenic Analogues - xTerramechanics - Integrated Simulation of Planetary Surface Missions
Student-Led Mini-Programs:
- High Altitude Ballooning for Space and Atmospheric Observation
- Caltech Space Challenge
Completed studies include:
- Climate Feedbacks and Future Remote Sensing Observations
- Shedding Light on the Nature of Dark MatterDark matterIn astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
- Mission Concepts for Accessing and Sampling High-Risk Terrains on Planetary Surfaces
- Innovative Concepts in IR/Submm Astronomy from Space
- Innovative Approaches to Exoplanet Spectra
- Quantifying the Sources and Sinks of Atmospheric CO2
- Innovative Approaches to Planetary Seismology
- Future Missions to TitanTitan (moon)Titan , or Saturn VI, is the largest moon of Saturn, the only natural satellite known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found....
: Scientific and Engineering Challenges - The First Billion Years
- Innovative Satellite Observations to Characterize the Cloudy Boundary Layer