LPI Summer Intern Program in Planetary Science

The Lunar and Planetary Institute invites undergraduates with at least 50 semester hours of credit to experience cutting-edge research in the lunar and planetary sciences. Students with majors in a physical or natural science, engineering, computer science, or mathematics are preferred, but all eligible students will be considered.

The 10-week program runs from June 6–August 12, 2022. Summer interns will work one-on-one with a scientist from the LPI or the NASA Johnson Space Center on a research project. Interns are selected by the project advisors who look for academic excellence and scientific interest and backgrounds compatible with their specific project needs.

Given the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 internship program may be held in person, virtually, or as a combination of those formats. Selected participants will be notified in March 2022 of the internship format. Interns participating in person will be located either at the Lunar and Planetary Institute or the NASA Johnson Space Center, both in Houston, Texas.

Due to security issues, citizens of U.S. State Department Designated Countries are not eligible. Reference the Designated Country List at this website:  https://www.nasa.gov/oiir/export-control.

Effective July 21, 2014, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is required to enforce a Department of Homeland Security rule that prohibits the LPI from accepting certain states’ driver’s licenses as official documents to obtain access at NASA JSC. This rule, passed by Congress as part of the REAL ID ACT of 2005, establishes minimum standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and prohibits federal agencies from accepting, for official use, licenses and identity cards from states that have not met those standards. Selected candidates from a state whose driver’s license does not meet those standards can use an alternate form of ID, such as a U.S. passport, military ID, U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Card, or Native American tribal document. For more information on the REAL ID Act, please visit the official website of the Department of Homeland Security.