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MISSIONS
This section presents current and future Earth science missions supported
by the Earth Sciences Division.
The Earth Sciences Division, the Sciences and Exploration Directorate,
and the Goddard Space Flight Center have been charged by NASA with
providing scientific leadership, program and project management, systems
and discipline engineering, and spacecraft and instrument manufacturing.
Additionally, the Earth Sciences Division provides procurement, logistics
and other administrative functions that are necessary to place scientific
instruments into space, retrieve and distribute data, and advance knowledge
of space and the Earth. Our partnerships with industry, academia, and
international partners are key components of the United States' space
policy and help assure the best capabilities from all available sources
are brought together to attain NASA's vision.
In Operation
- ACRIMSAT
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ACRIMSAT is the latest in a series of long-term solar-monitoring
missions, utilizing the proven Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance
Monitor III (ACRIM III) instrument.
- Aqua
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Aqua, Latin for water, is a NASA Earth Science satellite mission named
for the large amount of information that the mission will be collecting
about the Earth's water cycle.
- Aura
- A mission researches the compostion, chemistry, and dynamics of Earth's
atmosphere as well as study the ozone, air quaility,
and climate.
- Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation
(CALIPSO)
- CALIPSO will provide the next generation of climate observations, drastically
improving our ability to predict climate change and to study the air
we breathe.
- CloudSat
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CloudSat's cloud-profiling radar is 1,000 times more sensitive than
typical weather radar and can detect clouds and distinguish between
cloud particles and precipitation.
- Earth Observing -1 (EO-1)
- As the first New Millennium Program Earth Observing Mission, EO-1 has
validated advanced land imaging and unique spacecraft technologies.
- Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES)
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GOES-N is the latest in a series of satellites that provide a constant
vigil for the atmospheric "triggers" for severe weather conditions
such as tornadoes and hurricanes.
- GOES-O
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The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
(GOES)-O represents the newest generation of environmental satellites.
- Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)
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Twin satellites launched in March 2002, are making detailed
measurements of Earth's gravity field which will
lead to discoveries about gravity and Earth's natural
systems.
- Ice Cloud and Land Elevation (ICESat) Mission
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The ICESat mission will provide multi-year elevation data regarding
ice sheet mass balance as well as cloud property information, especially
for stratospheric clouds common over polar areas.
- Jason
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Jason-1 is the first follow-on to the highly successful TOPEX/Poseidon
mission that measured ocean surface topography.
- Landsat
- The Landsat Program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions
jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.
- NOAA Environmental Satellites
- NOAA-N Prime is the latest in a series of polar-orbiting satellites
collecting information to improve weather prediction
and climate research across the globe.
- Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)
- OSTM measures sea surface height by using radar altimeter mounted on
a low-Earth observing sattelite called Jason-2
- QuikSCAT
- The Quick Scatterometer, or QuikScat, replaces the NASA Scatterometer
(NSCAT) instrument on Japan's Midori satellite.
- SeaStar/SeaWiFS
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The SeaStar satellite carries the SeaWiFS instrument
which is designed to monitor the color of the world's oceans.
- Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE)
- A NASA-sponsored satellite mission that will provide state-of-the-art
measurements of incoming x-ray, ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared,
and total solar radiation.
- Terra
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Terra is a multi-national, multi-disciplinary partnership between
the U.S., Canada and Japan that is an important part of helping us
better understand and protect our home planet.
- Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)
- TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall.
In Development
- Aquarius
-
Aquarius is a focused satellite mission to measure
global Sea Surface Salinity (SSS).
- Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)
- The GPM mission is one of the next
generation of satellite-based Earth science missions
that will study global precipitation (rain, snow, ice).
- Glory
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Glory will help increase our understanding of the Earth's
Enegy Balance.
- Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LCDM)
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The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) is the future
of Landsat satellites. It will continue to obtain valuable data and
imagery to be used in agriculture, education, business, science, and
government.
- Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (POES)
- POES is a cooperative effort between NASA and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United Kingdom and France.
- Soil Moisture Active-Passive (SMAP) Mission
- SMAP has been recommended
by the National Research Council (NRC) Earth Science
Decadal Survey Panel for launch in the 2010-2013 time
frame.
Of Other Interest
- ARCTAS
- Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft
and Satellites
- Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4)
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The TC4 study will tackle challenging questions about Earth's ozone
layer and climate using coordinated observations from satellites and
high-flying NASA airplanes.