Benefitting from Megagrant funding, the MIIGAiK Extraterrestrial Laboratory (MExLab) was established at the end of 2010 and began operation in summer 2011. The goal of MExLab is to provide education and training of students and young scientists to enable their effective work in current international planetary exploration and future Russian space missions (e.g. Luna-Glob, Luna-Resource). Specifically, MExLab deals with:
- Exploration of planets, satellites, asteroids and comets using remote sensing data
- Establishment of planetary reference frames, information systems, and maps
- Dynamics of natural and artificial satellites in complex gravitational fields
The Laboratory was established on floor space of approx. 300 sqm, generously provided by the University, and equipped with state-of-the-art computing equipment. In 2012, we had a staff of approx. 40, including 10 Ph.D. students, working actively in planetary science, and contributing to international conferences, workshops, and summer schools. In spite of the conclusion of the Megagrant project at the end of 2012, the laboratory is still in operation, supported by the 1000-Laboratories program of the newly established Russian Science Foundation and additional small grants – but greatly reduced in man power and work capacity.