The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit consortium of 105 institutions of higher education organized to promote space research and science education. USRA’s headquarters are located in Columbia, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., United States.
USRA was founded in 1969 by a group of ten universities that shared an interest in space research: Baylor College of Medicine (Houston), California Institute of Technology, Cornell University, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge), Rice University (Houston), Stanford University (Stanford, California), the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Florida at Gainesville and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The National Academy of Sciences advised these institutions on how best to structure USRA so as to “provide for effective utilization” by NASA “of the nation’s university resources.”
Over its 50-year history USRA has continued to expand its membership base and mission portfolio while maintaining strong ties with NASA. Today it is one of the largest academic consortia in the United States with over 100 member institutions from 38 states plus Puerto Rico and Washington D.C.. These range from large public flagship universities such as Ohio State and Texas A&M to small private colleges like Harvey Mudd College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute as well as international members such as Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
USRA conducts basic and applied research in many disciplines including astrophysics, planetary science, heliophysics, Earth science/remote sensing/geodesy/geophysics/environmental science/climatology; aerospace engineering; propulsion; materials & structures; mechatronics & robotics; human factors & operations; information technology & telecommunications; health care & biotechnology; policy & management sciences; education & workforce development. It also manages scientific satellites such as Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer Mission Operations Center and Hubble Space Telescope Science Data Analysis Center among others. Many important discoveries have been made possible through USRA’s contributions including confirmation of the existence black holes, detection water ice on Mars ,and most recently evidence for a ninth planet in our solar system.
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