Embedded Files
1999
Launch Date: April 15, 1999
Status: On-going
Main observation: To provide important observations of the landmass of the planet and has established a record for reliability in the civilian satellite fleet.
Science Objectives:
Acquire sunlit, essentially cloud-free global seasonal coverage of Earth and land masses.
Provide well-calibrated radiometric and geometric data.
Meet requirements for global-change research by providing imagery that is consistent with the acquisition geometry, spatial resolution, spectral characteristics, and calibration of previous Landsat data
Launch Date: June 19, 1999
Status: Completed
Days of Operation: June 19, 1999 - November 23, 2009
Main observation: Accurate, high-resolution, continuous, all-weather measurements of global (land, ice, and ocean) radar cross-sections and near-surface vector winds over the ice-free global oceans.
Science Objectives:
The wind measurements are used for research investigations as well as in operational weather prediction.
Radar cross-sections from land and ice-covered regions are used for vegetation classification/monitoring, cryospheric investigations, and operational ice-edge and iceberg detection and monitoring.
Launch Date: December 18, 1999
Status: On-going
Main observation: Terra is the first EOS (Earth Observing System) platform and provides global data on the state of the atmosphere, land, and oceans, as well as their interactions with solar radiation and with one another.
Science Objectives:
Provide the first global and seasonal measurements of the Earth system, including those of snow and ice, surface temperature, clouds, water vapor, land cover, and land and ocean biological productivity.
Improve our ability to detect human impacts on the Earth system and climate, identify the footprint of human activity on climate, and predict climate change by using the new global observations in climate models.
Help develop technologies for disaster prediction, characterization, and risk reduction from wildfires, volcanoes, floods, and droughts.
Start long-term monitoring of global climate change and environmental change
Launch Date: December 20, 1999
Status: Completed (Unrecoverable & Terminated) - In December 2013, ACRIMSAT suffered a mission-ending failure when its degrading batteries could no longer sustain operations. The spacecraft has not responded to ground commands since December 14, 2013. After several unsuccessful recovery attempts and extensive failure analysis, the mission was determined to be unrecoverable and officially terminated July 30, 2014.
Days of Operation: December 20, 1999 - July 30, 2014
Main observation:
Climate Variability and Change
Weather Water and Energy Cycle
Science Objectives:
Extend the TSI observational database with maximum precision and traceability.
With ACRIM3 results, relate past and future TSI databases using comparisons with the UARS/ACRIM2 experiment, the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/Variability of Solar Irradiance and Gravity Oscillations (VIRGO) experiment, and the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE)/Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) experiment.
Develop a composite TSI time series incorporating results from satellite TSI observations since 1978.
Investigate the multidecadal upward TSI trend during solar cycles 21-23 using ACRIM3 observations of the solar activity minimum preceding cycle 24.
Provide a redundant monitoring capability to prevent catastrophic loss of the TSI longterm database in the event of a SORCE/TIM experiment failure.
2000
Launch Date: November 21, 2000
Status: Completed
Days of Operation: November 21, 2000 - March 30, 2017,
Main observation:
Carbon Cycle
Ecosystems
Biogeochemistry
Earth Surface and Interior
Science Objectives:
Validate and test new technologies that could significantly reduce costs and improve future Landsat missions' performance.
Provide a science-grade space-borne hyperspectral instrument, thus providing a new class of Earth observation data for improved Earth surface characterization.
Provide the first space-based test of an onboard atmospheric corrector to increase surface reflectance estimates' accuracy.
2001
Launch Date: December 7, 2001
Status: Completed
Days of Operation: December 7, 2001 - July 1, 2013
Main observation:
Climate Variability and Change
Water and Energy Cycles
Ocean surface topography
Science Objectives:
Determine general ocean circulation and understand its role in Earth's climate, particularly how ocean circulation impacts Earth's hydrological and biogeochemical cycles.
Study the variation of ocean circulation, on time scales ranging from seasonal and annual to decadal, and how this variation impacts climate change.
Collaborate with other global ocean-monitoring programs to produce routine models of the global ocean for scientific and operational applications.
Study large-scale ocean tides.
Study geophysical processes and their effects on ocean surface topography.
Launch Date: December 10, 2001
Orbital Position:
Status: Completed
Days of Operation: December 10, 2001 - March 6, 2006
Main observation:
Atmospheric Composition
Climate Variability and Change
Science Objectives:
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.
SAGE III investigated the significant role of these gases in atmospheric radiative and chemical processes.
2002
Launch Date: May 4, 2002
Status: On-going
Main observation:
Atmospheric Composition
Carbon Cycle, Ecosystems, and Biogeochemistry
Climate Variability and Change
Water and Energy Cycles
Weather
Science Objectives:
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.
2003
Launch Date: January 12, 2003
Status: Completed
Days of Operation: January 12, 2003 - August 14, 2010
Main observation:
Climate Variability and Change
Earth Surface and Interior
Water and Energy Cycles
Science Objectives:
Provide repeated, precision, polar ice sheet elevations through time for improved mass-balance measurements
Provide atmosphere-cloud heights and aerosol distribution data
Provide land topography and vegetation cover data
Launch Date: January 25, 2003
Status: On-going
Main observation:
Atmospheric Composition
Climate Variability and Change
Water and Energy Cycles
Science Objectives:
SORCE is part of the NASA Earth Observing System of satellites, a series of satellite missions designed to monitor the Earth system from space. These sustained and comprehensive observations include the measurement of solar irradiance as the dominant direct energy input to land, ocean, and atmosphere. As an integral part of this, the SORCE mission aims to:
Make precise and accurate measurements of the total solar irradiance (TSI). These observations are connected to previous TSI measurements to form a long-term record of solar influences on Earth.
Establish a precise data set of visible and near infrared solar spectral irradiance (SSI) measurements suitable for future climate studies.
Compare daily measurements of solar ultraviolet irradiance with bright, early-type stars for in-flight calibration and correction of possible changes in the instrument responsivity.
2004
Launch Date: July 15, 2004
Status: On-going
Main observation:
Atmospheric Composition
Climate Variability and Change
Weather
Science Objectives:
The Aura mission seeks to answer three main science questions:
Is the stratospheric ozone layer recovering?
What are the processes controlling air quality?
How is Earth's climate changing?
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