University of Hawai'i at Manoa professor and planetary scientist Klaus Keil has been reappointed to serve on the Space Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences until 2010.

Keil is one of 23 members chosen from across the United States that currently serve on the Space Studies Board.

Keil is a planetary scientist in the Hawaii Institute for Geophysics and Planetology, and the former Interim Dean for the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at UHM. He has received national acclaim for his scientific contributions to the understanding of the early history of the solar system and the origin and evolution of meteorites, asteroids and the terrestrial planets. He has published over 640 research papers in cosmochemistry, geochemistry, and petrology.

Keil also has the distinction of having both an asteroid and an extraterrestrial mineral named after him. Asteroid 5054 was named "Asteroid Keil" by the International Astronomical Union in 1993, and "Keilite", (Fe,Mg)S, was approved by the International Mineralogical Association in 2003.

The Space Studies Board is the focal point within the National Academies for all activities in space science and applications. The Board conducts advisory studies and program assessments, facilitates international research coordination, and promotes communications on space science and science policy between the research community, the federal government, and the interested public.