Beyond the spacecraft! A journey through NASA's Earth observation missions by Vania Tucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft en-us 2022-10-02 23:26:11 UTC 2022-10-03 14:13:34 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f680.png Landsat 7, How is the global Earth system changing? vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323002534 Mission Category: Earth Observing System (EOS)
Launch Date: April 15, 1999

Science Goals:
  • Acquire sunlit, essentially cloud-free global seasonal coverage of Earth&rsquo's land masses.
  • Provide well-calibrated radiometric and geometric data.
  • Meet requirements for global-change research by providing imagery that are consistent with the acquisition geometry, spatial resolution, spectral characteristics, and calibration of previous Landsat data

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]]> 2022-10-03 00:52:19 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323002534 Sentinel-6B vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323004600 Mission Category: Inter-Agency Partnerships
Launch Date: 2026

These satellites will provide ongoing measurements of global sea level rise caused by climate change. The data will also support operational oceanography through improved forecasts of ocean currents as well as wind and wave conditions.

Learn more: click here]]> 2022-10-03 00:55:57 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323004600 Nimbus 1, How is the global Earth system changing? vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323006364 Mission Category: Historical Missions
Launch Date: August 28, 1964

Science Goals:
  • Provide improved photographs of local cloud conditions by an automatic picture transmission (APT) system and evaluate an advanced vidicon camera system (AVCS) for daylight coverage and a high-resolution infrared radiometer (HRIR) system for night-time cloud-cover observation.
Related Applications:
  • Weather Prediction

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]]> 2022-10-03 00:59:03 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323006364 Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), How does the Earth system respond to natural and human-induced changes? vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323010303 Mission Category: Earth System Science Pathfinder Program
Launch Date: February 24, 2009
Actual Completion Date: February 24, 2009

Science Goals:
  • Improve our understanding of the geographic distribution of CO2 sources and sinks (surface fluxes) and the processes controlling their variability on seasonal time scales. Validate a passive spectroscopic measurement approach and analysis concept that is well suited for future systematic CO2 monitoring missions.
  • Validate a passive spectroscopic measurement approach and analysis concept that is well suited for future systematic CO2 monitoring missions.

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]]> 2022-10-03 01:05:36 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323010303 Cloud-Aerosol Transport System on ISS (CATS on ISS) vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323017147 Mission Category: Other
Launch Date: January 10, 2015
Launch Location: NASA's Kennedy Space Center
Designed Life: January 10, 2018
Actual Completion Date: November 14, 2017

Science Goals:
  • Provide near-real-time measurements of clouds and aerosols that can be assimilated into aerosol transport models
  • Provide on-orbit tech demo for high rep-rate laser, photon-counting detection, and 355 nm laser operation in-space
  • Provide risk reduction for future Earth Science missions
  • Provide long-term (6 months to 3 years) operational science from ISS
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]]> 2022-10-03 01:16:16 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323017147 Glory, How will the Earth system change in the future? vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323019596 The Glory satellite consists of a spacecraft bus and three instruments and will be launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Taurus 2110 launch vehicle.
The fairing on the Taurus XL launch vehicle failed to separate.

Science Goals:
  • Use data collected on the optical, microphysical, and chemical properties of aerosols and clouds to analyze aerosols and aerosol-cloud interactions.
  • Measure total solar irradiance for long-term climate studies.

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]]> 2022-10-03 01:20:19 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323019596 Global Precipitation Measurement Low-inclination (GPM LIO) vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323021949 Mission Category: Precipitation Missions

Eliminated in President’s FY12 Budget.
An advanced core satellite with a first-of-its-kind dual frequency radar and passive microwave radiometer will provide key measurements of precipitation physics and serve as a calibrator for a set of constellation satellites.

Science Goals:
  • Climate Prediction-Improve climate prediction through progress in quantifying space-time variability of precipitation along with improvements in achieving water budget closure, plus focused research on relationships between precipitation and climate variations.
  • Weather Prediction-Improve the accuracy of global and regional numerical weather prediction models through accurate and precise measurements of instantaneous rain rates, made frequently and with global distribution, plus focused research on more advanced techniques in satellite rainfall data assimilation.
  • Flood/Fresh Water Resource Prediction-Improve flood and freshwater resource prediction through frequent sampling and complete Earth coverage of high-resolution precipitation measurements, plus focused research on more innovative designs in hydro-meteorological modeling.

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]]> 2022-10-03 01:23:59 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323021949 Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-N/O/P (GOES 13-15) vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323024215 Mission Category: Inter-Agency Partnerships
Launch Date: May 24, 2005

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is responsible for procuring, developing, and testing the spacecraft, instruments, and unique ground equipment. NOAA is responsible for the overall program, funding, system in-orbit operation, and determining satellite replacement needs.

Relevant Science Focus Areas:
  • Climate Variability and Chang
  • Weather

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]]> 2022-10-03 01:27:22 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323024215 Polarization & Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences coupled with Observations from a Lidar (PARASOL) vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323026195 Mission Category: A-Train
Launch Date: December 4, 2004
Designed Life: December 4, 2006
Actual Completion Date: December 18, 2013

The French Space Agency CNES launched the Polarization & Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences coupled with Observations from a Lidar (PARASOL) spacecraft into the A-Train orbit in December 2004. Originally designed to be a 2-year mission, PARASOL flew within ~30 seconds of the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites.

Relevant Science Focus Areas:
  • Atmospheric Composition
  • Carbon Cycle, Ecosystems, and Biogeochemistry
  • Climate Variability and Change
  • Water and Energy Cycles

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]]> 2022-10-03 01:30:25 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323026195 SeaWinds on the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite II (ADEOS II) (SeaWinds) vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323028711 Mission Category: Other
Launch Date: December 14, 2002
Actual Completion Date: October 24, 2003

The SeaWinds scatterometer flew onboard the ADEOS II spacecraft. ADEOS II was an international satellite mission led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) - formerly the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan - with U.S. (NASA) and French Centre Nationale d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) participation. Midori-II is the Japanese name for the mission.

Relevant Science Focus Areas:
  • Climate Variability and Chang
  • Weather

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]]> 2022-10-03 01:34:15 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323028711 Television Infrared Observation Satellite Program (TIROS) vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323030280 Mission Category: Historical Missions
Launch Date: April 1, 1960

The Television Infrared Observation Satellite Program (TIROS) was NASA’s first experimental step to determine if satellites could be useful in the study of the Earth.

Science Goals:
  • To test experimental television techniques designed to develop a worldwide meteorological satellite information system. To test Sun angle and horizon sensor systems for spacecraft orientation.

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]]> 2022-10-03 01:36:47 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323030280 Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III on ISS (SAGE III-ISS) vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323031569 Mission Category: Earth Systematic Missions Program
Launch Date: February 19, 2017

The SAGE III instrument is used to study ozone, a gas found in the upper atmosphere that acts as Earth’s sunscreen. More than 25 years ago, scientists realized there was a problem with Earth’s thin, protective coat of ozone...it was thinning. 

Relevant Science Focus Areas:
  • Atmospheric Composition
  • Climate Variability and Change

Learn more: click here
]]> 2022-10-03 01:38:50 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323031569 Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment-III Meteor-3M (SAGE-III) vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323034582 Mission Category: Earth Observing System (EOS)
Launch Date: December 10, 2001
Actual Completion Date: March 6, 2006

The third Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE III) Meteor-3M was the EOS component of the Russian Meteor-3M mission.

Science Goals:
  • SAGE III provided global, long-term measurements of key components of Earth's atmosphere. It also provided measurements of temperature in the stratosphere and mesosphere. Through profiles of trace gases, such as water vapor and nitrogen dioxide, SAGE III investigated the significant role of these gases in atmospheric radiative and chemical processes.

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]]> 2022-10-03 01:43:17 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323034582 The Global Change Observation Mission-Water (GCOM-W1) vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323039259 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission (No NASA contribution)

The “Global Change Observation Mission” (GCOM) aims to construct, use, and verify systems that enable continuous global-scale observations (for 10 to 15 years) of effective geophysical parameters for elucidating global climate change and water circulation mechanisms.

Science Goals:
  • Enhanced understanding of water in the Earth's climate system and the global water cycle.
  • Enhanced understanding of additional components of the Earth's climate system and their interactions.
  • Improved weather forecasting.

Learn more: click here
]]> 2022-10-03 01:50:09 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323039259 Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, USA vaniatucto https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323858700 Mission Category: Earth Observing System (EOS)
Launch Date: June 19, 1999
Designed Life: June 19, 2002
Actual Completion Date: November 23, 2009]]> 2022-10-03 14:13:34 UTC https://padlet.com/vaniatucto/BeyondTheSpacecraft/wish/2323858700