Renee Juhans
Headquarters, Washington, DC               November 21, 2000
(Phone: 202/358-1712)

RELEASE:  00-183

NASA ANNOUNCES RESEARCH GRANTS IN FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS

     NASA has selected 41 researchers to receive grants totaling 
more than $15 million over four years to conduct fundamental 
physics research on Earth and in space. This research will seek 
knowledge that will expand understanding of space, time and 
matter.

Sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research, 
the research offers investigators the advantage of a low-gravity 
environment to enhance understanding of physical, biological and 
chemical processes associated with fundamental physics. 

Researchers will use NASA's microgravity research facilities such 
as drop-tubes, drop-towers, aircraft flying parabolic 
trajectories, and sounding rockets. Flight-definition 
investigators will work toward experiments on a space-flight test 
bed, such as the International Space Station and Space Shuttle. 

Thirty-six of the grants are for ground-based research, while the 
remaining five are for flight-definition projects. Sixteen of 
these grants are to continue work currently being funded by NASA, 
but the majority (24) represent new research efforts.

NASA received 109 proposals in response to its research 
announcement in this area. These proposals were each peer reviewed 
by scientific and technical experts from academia and government. 

A list of awardees (by state), their institutions, and research 
titles can be found on the Internet at:

    ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2000/00-183a.txt

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