Complementing the laboratory based analytical and simulation studies, PSSRI has a strong stake in complementary science undertaken with space missions. Members of PSSRI have been involved with instrumentation for all the major ESA planetary missions to date, as well participating in many missions from other agencies. Much of our work today focuses on the on-going and imminent missions such as
Rosetta,
Cassini,
ESMO and
ExoMars.
As well as in situ instrumentation, recent sample return missions such as the NASA Stardust and Genesis missions have provided an invaluable link between the meteorite samples and distant objects that do not arrive on the surface of the Earth, at least in a readily identifiable form.
Space missions are planned and executed on a very long time scale - often measured in decades, and therefore PSSRI maintains a high profile in many future mission proposals related to planetary sciences - both within ESA, through programmes such as Aurora and Cosmic Vision and with other agencies, including the growing band of new space-faring nations.
