The Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) is soliciting concepts for Study Programs to be carried out during the 2024 calendar year. Concepts are solicited in the areas of space engineering, planetary science, remote sensing and earth system science, astrobiology, and astronomy and physics from space.
The Wilf Family Discovery Fund in Space Science, Planetary Science and Astrobiology is accepting proposals to fund one 2024 grant totaling up to $160k (direct cost) for innovative, early-stage research in all areas of space science, planetary science and astrobiology. The funding is designated for efforts on Campus (with Campus personnel), and the period of performance is two years.
The proposed ordinated sets of experiments and biological measurements decided during the team’s first workshop (July 2023) will be now integrated into the latter two goals for this workshop series. While still maintaining their science-driven approach for biological validation, this team will incorporate and organize the necessary astrobiology and life detection measurements into a measurement, instrument, and sample frameworks necessary for biological validation for in-situ and returned samples from outside our terrestrial biosphere.
Details for second workshop coming soon...
View videos and presentations that were given as part of the "Extrasolar Space Weather: The Hidden Hand in Exoplanet Evolution" Short Course hosted by the Keck Institute for Space Studies on Monday, November 6, 2023.
View »The final report of the 2021 KISS Study "Venus In Situ Sample Capture Mission" is now available.
The Venus In Situ Transfer and Analysis (VISTA) mission concept provides an opportuity to make measurements that cannot be obtained by a single, short-term in situ mission to Venus.
The targeted science aims to provide detailed knowledge of the surface and atmosphere to better understand the origin and evolution of Venus, changes in its habitability and the interaction of the surface with the atmosphere.
View Final Report »View videos and presentations that were given as part of the "What Do We Know About Uranus? Preparing for a Mission to Uranus" Short Course hosted by the Keck Institute for Space Studies on Monday, September 11, 2023.
View »The final report of the 2019 KISS Study "Data-Driven Approaches to Searches for the Technosignatures of Advanced Civilizations" is now available.
The report provides an evaluation of the possible technical approaches that can be applied on the existing and forthcoming data sets and streams from large sky surveys, and recommendations for the observing strategies that may increase the chances of the success.
View Final Report »