Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado

LASP, at the University of Colorado, was born in 1948 as the Upper Atmosphere Lab (UAL) along with a handful of other American universities and the military to initiate the era of space exploration. The first experiments in space were lofted by sub-orbital rockets. The challenge: these first rocket flights required a stabilized platform for cameras and other experiments. With support from the Naval Research Center and the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory (now the Phillips Laboratory), the University of Colorado formed the Upper Atmosphere Lab to help solve this problem. Their solution - called biaxial pointing platform - cleared the way for some of the first major scientific discoveries made in space.

Researchers and engineers from the UAL flew experiments into space on over 50 rocket flights before Sputnik. By 1965, the UAL had grown substantially. Along with this growth came a new building on campus and a new name: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.

It has really only been in the 20th century - and primarily the last 40 years - that scientists have arrived at the relatively clear picture of solar activity and its effect on the Earth. We are now exploring mysteries close to home, in our own Earth's atmosphere. Human beings are measuring phenomenon in the sky and sending spacecraft, both manned and unmanned, into space, seeking the answers to our questions.

This is LASP's goal: to make discoveries through the research and technology efforts of our atmospheric, space physics, solar, planetary, engineering, and mission ops divisions.