THE GODDARD INSTITUTE for Space Studies (GISS) is part of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. It is one of the laboratories in the Earth Sciences Division and is a component of Columbia University's Earth Institute. The focus at GISS is the study of global climate change. Dr. Robert Jastrow established GISS in 1961 to conduct basic research in the science of space. He served there until 1981. GISS's early tasks included the study of other planetary atmospheres using data collected by space probes and images captured by earthbound telescopes. The success of these endeavors led to its development into a world-class center for atmospheric modeling of Earth's atmosphere. Today, the mission of GISS embraces the scientific study of climate change.

Dr. James Hansen currently directs the ...