WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- NASA announced here Tuesday that it will establish a new lunar science institute in an effort, with dispersed teams across the nation, to help lead the agency's research activities for future lunar science missions related to U.S. "return to moon" exploration goals.

Named the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI), the effort will be managed from NASA's Ames Research Center in California. NLSI's operations are expected to begin March 1, 2008.

NLSI research teams will address current topics in basic lunar science, and perhaps astronomical, solar and Earth science investigations that could be performed from the moon. They also will offer a quick response capability for lunar science support to NASA's Exploration initiative.

A national search for an NLSI director is currently underway. Most work done under NLSI's banner will take place at other NASA centers, universities and non-profit research groups around the nations. These grou...

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