Airships: A New Horizon for Science
In recent years, aerospace has seen a revival in airship technology. As of yet, scientists have not capitalized on what could be an ideal platform for various types of instruments with a wide variety of key…
Studies
KISS studies convene experts from Caltech, JPL, and the wider space community to develop ideas and concepts that can revolutionize space science and engineering.
-
-
EarthCrucial Carbon Stores and Fluxes in Desert Environments
Understanding carbon stores and fluxes in desert environments is crucial to reach conservation, regeneration, and carbon goals locally and globally. In desert landscapes, carbon is primarily stored as inorganic carbon in the so-called caliche layer and…
-
AstrophysicsPulsar-based navigation and time keeping for space exploration
As the United States and its international partners prepare to expand human and robotic exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond, the need for precise, autonomous timekeeping and navigation has become critical. Current approaches rely on…
-
Bridging Exoplanet and Solar System Science
In recent decades, astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets, some like planets within our solar system, others unlike anything in our solar system. The sample thus far exhibits significant diversity and represents an opportunity to advance…
-
EngineeringToo distant, too uncertain, too unforgiving: assuring autonomous space explorers we’ve yet to trust
Future space exploration missions will increasingly depend on autonomy not as a convenience, but as an operational necessity. Missions to distant worlds such as Europa, subsurface explorers operating beneath ice shells, swarms of aerial or terrestrial…
-
EngineeringA New Era of Space Science: Actionable and Affordable Mission Plans
This study brings together experts from across science, engineering, and the emerging commercial space sector to tackle a central challenge: how to make ambitious Moon and Mars science missions dramatically more affordable and achievable in the…
-
Caltech Space Challenge
For centuries, humanity has looked to the skies with curiosity and wonder, seeking to understand whether we are alone in the universe. While that question remains unanswered, our solar system offers tantalizing clues—oceans beneath icy crusts,…
-
PlanetaryNext Frontiers in the Investigation of Extraterrestrial Organics
The study of the organic inventory of planetary materials occurs at an intersection of many fields including chemistry, biology, geology, and planetary science. In recent years, simple and complex organic materials have been identified and occur…
-
One-Shot Outer Solar System Exploration with Adaptive Space Systems
The surface and subsurface of any worlds beyond Mars still remain unexplored or underexplored. Yet it is these worlds that hold the key to some of the greatest questions in planetary science – for example, the…
-
No results found
We couldn’t find any content matching your current filters.