NASA Endorses Jackson School Lab for Planetary Science

December 12, 2023

The University of Texas Computed Tomography Facility (UTCT) has been selected by NASA as a facility for planetary science. These facilities have undergone peer review and are supported and endorsed by NASA’s Planetary Science Division.

The UTCT is part of the Jackson School of Geosciences. It is equipped with two high-resolution X-ray computed tomography scanners that can image specimens inside and out with a resolution down to 1 micrometer per voxel (the 3D equivalent of a pixel).

The facility has a long record of advancing planetary science by scanning samples from space, including meteorites left over from the formation of the solar system and lunar samples brought back to Earth by Apollo astronauts.

Research Associate Romy Hanna is the principal investigator on the NASA grant supporting the lab and point person for planetary research projects.

To view a full list of NASA facilities, visit: science.nasa.gov/researchers/ planetary-science-enabling-facilities.