Keck Institute for Space Studies
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.
Programs
Three studies have completed their initial studies, and are currently in the technical development phase:
- Robotic Exploration and Sampling of Mars
- 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:
- Asteroid 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 Geoengineering 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 Matter
- 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 Titan: Scientific and Engineering Challenges
- The First Billion Years
- Innovative Satellite Observations to Characterize the Cloudy Boundary Layer
External links