Director: Dr. Ronald Greeley
Dr. Ronald Greeley, Director of the Space Photography Laboratory, has been involved in lunar and planetary studies since 1967. Current research is focused on understanding planetary surface processes and geological histories. The approach involves a combination of spacecraft data analysis, laboratory experiments, and geological field studies on Earth of features analogous to those observed on the planets.
The Space Photography Laboratory (SPL) was established with the move of Ron Greeley to Arizona State University (ASU) in 1977 from NASA-Ames Research Center. The original collections were based on materials he obtained as a Planetary Geology Principal Investigator and as a member of the Viking Orbiter science team. Planetary material included images of the Moon, Mars, Mercury, and Earth (for various areas in which field studies were conducted). First organized as a branch facility, drawing principally on the Regional Planetary Image Facility (RPIF) at the U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, the ASU SPL was later designated a full RPIF by NASA to respond to the growing Planetary Geoscience program at ASU.
Dr. Ronald Greeley's Home Page
Planetary Geology Group Home Page
greeley@asu.edu