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LASP

@laspatcu.bsky.social
307 followers 221 following 112 posts

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder is at the forefront of space weather and climate monitoring, solar and planetary research, and the search for evidence of habitable worlds.

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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
SPRITE's taking flight! 🚀 🌌 On October 1, this LASP-led mission is scheduled to launch and begin its journey to investigate some of astronomy’s biggest questions about the early universe. Learn more about SPRITE and how to watch the launch: lasp.colorado.edu/2026/09/29/s...
lasp.colorado.edu
SPRITE mission set to launch, opening a new window on the ultraviolet universe
NASA’s SPRITE (Supernova Remnants and Proxies for ReIonization Testbed Experiment) mission, scheduled to launch in October 2026, will collect unprecedented observations in the far-ultraviolet…
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Happy Launchiversary IMAP! 🚀🎂 One year ago today, The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe set off on its journey with LASP’s Interstellar Dust Experiment (IDEX) along for the ride. We are happy to celebrate all the LASPians on the IDEX team on this accomplishment! #IMAPLaunchiversary
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Congratulations to LASPian Ryan French on receiving AGU’s 2026 Athelstan Spilhaus Award. This award recognizes individuals who have enhanced public engagement with Earth and space science! ☀️ Learn more about Ryan and this incredible honor here: lasp.colorado.edu/2026/09/23/l...
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Come to think of it, I've never seen my bestie and Jupiter's Great Red Spot in the same room 🤨
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
It's been 20 years since Pluto was demoted from major planet status, and reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Because it's not gravitationally dominant enough to clear its own orbital path, and can’t be considered a major planet. 😔🪐💔
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
LASP is #SmallSat26 bound! Our lab is powered by advanced research, hardware innovation, and collaboration. Each mission is designed to support scientific discovery with the next generation of space technology. Stop by booth 319 to learn how LASP can transform your SmallSat vision into a success.
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Today is the twelfth launch anniversary of LASP’s HySICS Instrument Incubator Project. HySICS measured sunlight reflected by the atmosphere and surface of Earth. ☀️ These measurements help us understand environmental changes, monitor global temperature trends, and conduct environmental research. 🔬🌳
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Pushing the limits of space science and exploration is so chic 😌🚀✨
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
What is a Thermal Vacuum Chamber? Why do we use them to test our instruments? Alyse works with thermal vacuum chambers here at LASP and does a great job explaining why we use them, how they work, and how she got started working with them! 📸 NASA
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Happy 150th Birthday, Colorado! We’re so lucky to live in a state with such unique beauty, diverse landscapes, and unparalleled charm ⛰️☀️🌲🏕️🦬 📸 from LASPians: Bryan Button, Ravyn Cullor, Liam Kleinberg, Kisa Minardi, Michelle Salyer
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Where’d all the time go? 😞 🦬 Our BSA REU program has reached its bittersweet conclusion. We’re sad to see the program end, but we’re looking forward to seeing what they accomplish with everything that they’ve learned! lasp.colorado.edu/2026/07/31/s...
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Since we’ve been to every planet and Pluto, we can confirm that this is entirely accurate 😜
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
On Monday, the LASP ASTRO Academy went on a field trip to Rocky Mountain National Park! The students learned about the history of glaciers in the Rockies and how glaciers are influenced by a planet's orbit. Learn more about student opportunities at LASP: buff.ly/yy9Zo4z
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Reposted by LASP
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) @colorado.edu · 20/07/2026
Happy #NationalMoonDay! CU Boulder scientists are involved in five upcoming trips to the moon. 🌒 Researchers will explore everything from volcanoes on the moon’s surface to signals washing through our galaxy from the dawn of the universe. Read more ↓ bit.ly/459FS5w @laspatcu.bsky.social
bit.ly
5 upcoming trips to the moon and how CU Boulder scientists are involved
Researchers will explore everything from volcanoes on the moon's surface to signals washing through our galaxy from the dawn of the universe.
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Last Thursday, our BSA REU cohort toured the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder. We’re so grateful to our friends at NOAA who allowed us to tour! It was the perfect way to kick off a long weekend- with a little science! 🌤️🌎🔭
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Do you know why these stars appear red, white, and blue? 🔴⚪🔵 It all has to do with differences in their temperature! Researching our Sun and stars across the universe is an important part of how LASP revolutionizes our understanding of the cosmos!⭐🌏 📸 NASA
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Spoiler alert!
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
🚀 Happy National Logistics Day! ✈️ Logistics plays a critical role in our exploration of the cosmos. In 2022, FedEx transported the LASP-built Surface Dust Analyzer from CO to CA, starting this instrument on the first leg of its 3-billion-kilometer journey through the solar system.
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
A new day is dawning at LASP! ☀️ 🌍️ 🛰️ A huge thank you to our team here at LASP, CU Boulder, and the DAPHNE team across the country! This mission will help us better understand how weather here on Earth and space weather interact at the very edge of our atmosphere. buff.ly/GnlL9XF
colorado.edu
NASA selects LASP mission to study how Earth and space weather connect
NASA has selected a mission concept led by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics to investigate the complex system of space weather that surrounds
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
A LASPian was among the eight CU Boulder researchers and four university-connected startups to receive a combined $2.2 million in funding through the annual Advanced Industries Accelerator Program. Read more👇️ buff.ly/71Wbw9j
colorado.edu
Eight CU Boulder researchers and four startups receive funding through Colorado’s Advanced Industries Accelerator
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) has announced that eight University of Colorado Boulder researchers and four
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
🔭✨️ See that bright yellow dot up there? That’s Venus - visible in the sky every evening until late October! LASP has been to Venus twice, with the Mariner 5 and Pioneer Venus missions. 📸 Space lasp.colorado.edu/missions/pio...
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Ad astra, MAVEN 🫡 🛰️ ✨️ For more than a decade, MAVEN and its amazing team have given us an unprecedented understanding of the Martian atmosphere and its evolution. We are so proud and grateful to everyone on the mission who has enabled MAVEN's exploration of Mars. www.nasa.gov/news-release...
nasa.gov
NASA Says Farewell to MAVEN Mars Mission, Hosts Media Call Today - NASA
The first mission devoted to observing the Martian atmosphere and its evolution, NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution), has ended after more
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Reposted by LASP
AGU Advances @aguadvances.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Read the #OpenAccess article by Mutschler et al. [2026] for free on @wiley-stem.bsky.social! 🔗 doi.org/10.1029/2025... @laspatcu.bsky.social
doi.org
First Results of a New Inversion Tool for Thermospheric Neutral Mass Density Computations During Severe Geomagnetic Storms
An Ensemble Kalman Filter inversion tool estimates temporally deconvolved densities from Energy Dissipation Rates, adjusting MSIS ap inputs to match observed conditions Estimated densities are co...
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Last week, the BSA REU kicked off its 2026 program. The program offers students from a variety of backgrounds and home institutions the opportunity to collaborate with professional mentors on hands-on solar and space physics research. Stay tuned to see what the cohort accomplishes! buff.ly/JlzOsnL
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Today marks the 55-year launch anniversary of the Mariner 9 mission. Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, and the information that it returned transformed our understanding of the red planet and Earth. 📸 from NASA & LASP
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Today is astronaut and physicist Sally Ride's birthday! 🎂 In June 1983, Ride became the first American woman to travel to space. Her legacy and cosmic curiosity serve as an inspiration for all of us at LASP as we persevere in our mission to explore the cosmos! Happy Birthday, Sally! 📸 from NASA
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Congrats to Alex! 🎉 lasp.colorado.edu/2026/05/22/l...
lasp.colorado.edu
LASP awards inaugural Frank J. Crary Fellowship to Alex Doner
The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) has announced Alex Doner as the inaugural 2026 recipient of the Frank J. Crary Endowed…
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
In our space science era since day one 😏 🌌 🛰️
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
NASA's next big astrophysics mission won't launch for quite a while, but we're already working on it! While people like LASP's own Dr. Kevin France hammer out the technology needed to do the HWO's science, take a listen to this story to learn more about the mission.
kunc.org
Finding another Earth: CU Boulder’s role in the search for habitable planets
Kevin France, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder, discusses the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a new space telescope that could help us find new worlds.
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
May the 4th Be With You! 💫 Wouldn't living with a bunch of helpful little droids be great? Well, LASP kind of does! They help us explore a bunch of other cool space stuff. CubeSats can be as small as a cereal box, but they do big science like investigating galaxies far, far away. Can R2D2 do that?
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Reduce, reuse, recycle - but make it space! This month, the LASP Sustainability Group won a CU Campus Sustainability award in the Lab Achievement category in recognition of the nitrile lab glove recycling which diverted at least 600lbs of gloves from the landfill! #EarthDay
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Reposted by LASP
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) @colorado.edu · 10/04/2026
New @laspatcu.bsky.social research may give lunar explorers hints about where to go looking for water. 🌓 Learn about the moon craters that are top candidates for storing ice ↓ bit.ly/4ccWuN0
colorado.edu
Water on the moon? New study narrows down the mostly likely locations
Astronauts on the moon could mine ice for drinking water or to make rocket fuel. A new study pinpoints a few cold, dark craters where water likely accumulated
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Thank you to @hickenlooper.senate.gov for visiting us at LASP on Friday and learning about the amazing science happening here at CU Boulder. We hope you had fun checking out LASP's SmallSat labs and learning about the great science and vital hands-on student training they enable!
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Reposted by LASP
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) @colorado.edu · 02/04/2026
NASA’s Artemis II mission has sent astronauts to the moon for the first time in over 50 years. Scientists at @laspatcu.bsky.social and the College of Arts and Sciences are supporting the Artemis program by studying the moon’s extreme thermal environments. bit.ly/4s9KgL5
bit.ly
Astronauts are going back to the moon. Planetary scientist talks about what we can learn
The crew of NASA's Artemis II mission are slated to launch for the moon in March. CU Boulder researcher Paul Hayne talks about why it's important for humans to
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
We still have goosebumps from the Artemis II launch yesterday! lasp.colorado.edu/2026/04/01/s...
lasp.colorado.edu
Six ways LASP is leading in lunar science and enabling exploration
With the launch of Artemis II, the first mission to send humans to fly by the Moon in more than half a century, the Artemis program enters its next exciting phase with the eventual goal of landing…
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Step right up and behold the world of tomorrow, Spaceman! Don’t just imagine the future—experience it. Explore all that LASP has in store and secure your complimentary video tour today. The next frontier awaits! lasp.colorado.edu/building-the... #aprilfoolsday
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Do you love books and space? ☀️ 💫 📖 Meet LASPian Dr. Ryan French at a talk and signing of his book "Space Hazards" at Boulder Bookstore on Thursday! Learn more at the link below! boulderbookstore.net/event/2026-0...
boulderbookstore.net
Ryan French -- "Space Hazards"
Main navigation
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
💫 Shaping the future of space exploration starts with you! 💫 It's #BuffsAllIn, which means you can directly support LASP in our mission to explore the cosmos and train the next generation of space professionals. Donate below! giveto.colorado.edu/schools/Univ...
giveto.colorado.edu
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP)
I’m All In! Join me and contribute to support CU Boulder and the community we love.
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Congratulations to Paul! We know you'll 🪨 it studying the 🌒 with Artemis! lasp.colorado.edu/2026/03/27/n... #artemis #nasa #moon
lasp.colorado.edu
NASA names CU Boulder-LASP planetary scientist Paul Hayne to Artemis geology team
Paul Hayne is an associate professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and a researcher at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). He…
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
New CubeSat incoming! Read more about what AtmOCube will investigate here: lasp.colorado.edu/2026/03/23/n...
lasp.colorado.edu
NASA selects LASP’s AtmOCube mission for development
Atmospheric gravity waves are oscillations in the atmosphere caused by vertical displacement of air by weather or topography. These waves can propagate through the atmosphere, like ripples in a pond,…
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
🌟 💥 😮 IXPE digging into the cosmos! Did you know the satellite is operated out of LASP? And by CU students who we trained and certified as mission operators! www.nasa.gov/image-articl...
nasa.gov
NASA X-Ray Mission Gets Fresh Look at 2,000-Year-Old Supernova - NASA
NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) mission has taken a new observation of a supernova, RCW 86, helping fill in a fuller picture of what other
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
📢 Calling CU undergrads! LASP is hiring undergraduate interns this summer, and not only STEM roles! Openings will be posted over the next few weeks on the page linked below. Just navigate to the "Undergraduate Students" tab. We hope to see you this summer! lasp.colorado.edu/careers/
lasp.colorado.edu
Careers
Want to help deliver the future of space science? As the only academic research institute in the world to explore every planet in our solar system, our societal impact is measured at truly cosmic…
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Looking for a weekend activity? Don't miss a LASPian at Astronomy on Tap Boulder! Dr. Fran Bagenal will give a talk on what we've learned about Jupiter from the Juno mission. And you might be able to catch her for a chat about our solar system's gas and ice giants! 🪐
astronomyontap.org
AoT Boulder X Rosetta Hall – Astronomy On Tap
« All Events
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
🛰️ 🧑‍🎓 Did you know undergrads can train as mission operators and fly real space missions at LASP? CU Boulder undergrads can take LASP's summer-long course, pass certification, and work as operators, sending commands to SmallSats, instruments, and NASA missions. Learn more here:
lasp.colorado.edu
Student Flight Controllers Program
Certifying undergraduates to operate NASA missions One of the most exciting and unusual aspects of mission operations at LASP is the opportunity for CU Boulder undergraduate students to become…
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Reposted by LASP
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) @colorado.edu · 27/02/2026
After six years, @laspatcu.bsky.social has said goodbye to Libera. The space instrument will now be integrated onto a satellite to be launched next year. It'll continue a 26-year record of Earth's "energy budget," or how energy flows to Earth from the sun and back into space. bit.ly/4shhfxt
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
🌖 Are you an early riser? ☀️ Tomorrow morning, you might be able to catch a total lunar eclipse before sunrise, especially on the west coast of the US! 📸 NASA
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
I spy LASP! Thanks for the shout-out, @colorado.gov ! We've seen a ton of stuff in space! 🛰But not these guys...yet👽
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Happy Valentine's Day to the LASP community! Our world orbits around you!
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Congrats to LASPian Lynn Harvey, who is the Co-Investigator on STRIVE! Earth is a part of space we love studying, too! www.nasa.gov/news-release...
nasa.gov
NASA Selects Two Earth System Explorers Missions - NASA
These two missions were selected for continued development as part of NASA’s Earth System Explorers Program, which conducts principal investigator-led Earth
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LASP @laspatcu.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Discover SunCET! This SmallSat will capture images of the Sun in extreme UV to observe coronal mass ejections during their acceleration phase. LASP and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory are eager for SunCET's upcoming launch!
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