WASHINGTON, May 7, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- NASA has selected four proposals for concept
studies of missions to help us better understand Earth science key
focus areas for the benefit of all including greenhouse gases, the
ozone layer, ocean surface currents, and changes in ice and
glaciers around the world.
These four investigations are part of the agency's new Earth
System Explorers Program – which conducts principal
investigator-led space science missions as recommended by the
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2017
Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space. The
program is designed to enable high-quality Earth system science
investigations to focus on previously identified key targets. For
this set of missions, NASA is prioritizing greenhouse gases as one
of its target observables.
"The proposals represent another example of NASA's holistic
approach to studying our home planet," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science
Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "As we continue to confront our
changing climate, and its impacts on humans and our environment,
the need for data and scientific research could not be greater.
These proposals will help us better prepare for the challenges we
face today, and tomorrow."
As the first step of a two-step selection process, each of these
proposals will receive $5 million to
conduct a one-year mission concept study. After the study period,
NASA will choose two proposals to go forward to launch with
readiness dates expected in 2030 and 2032. The total mission cost
cap is $310 million for each chosen
investigation, excluding the rocket and access to space, which will
be provided by NASA.
Most of what we know about our changing planet is rooted in more
than 60 years of NASA's Earth observations. NASA currently has more
than two dozen Earth-observing satellites and instruments in orbit.
The missions ultimately selected from this set of proposals will
make their own unique contributions to this great Earth observatory
– which works together to provide layers of complementary
information on Earth's oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere.
The four proposals selected for concept studies are:
- The Stratosphere Troposphere Response using Infrared
Vertically-Resolved Light Explorer (STRIVE)
This mission
would provide daily, near-global, high-resolution measurements of
temperature, a variety of atmospheric elements, and aerosol
properties from the upper troposphere to the mesosphere – at a much
higher spatial density than any previous mission. It would also
measure vertical profiles of ozone and trace gasses needed to
monitor and understand the recovery of the ozone layer – another
identified NASA Earth sciences target. The proposal is led by Lyatt
Jaegle at the University of Washington in
Seattle.
- The Ocean Dynamics and Surface Exchange with the Atmosphere
(ODYSEA)
This satellite would simultaneously measure ocean surface currents
and winds to improve our understanding of air-sea interactions and
surface current processes that impact weather, climate, marine
ecosystems, and human wellbeing. It aims to provide updated ocean
wind data in less than three hours and ocean current data in less
than six hours. The proposal is led by Sarah Gille at the University of California in San Diego.
- Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer (EDGE)
This mission
would observe the three-dimensional structure of terrestrial
ecosystems and the surface topography of glaciers, ice sheets, and
sea ice as they are changing in response to climate and human
activity. The mission would provide a continuation of such
measurements that are currently measured from space by ICESat-2 and
GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation). The proposal is led
by Helen Amanda Fricker at the
University of California in San
Diego.
- The Carbon Investigation (Carbon-I)
This
investigation would enable simultaneous, multi-species measurements
of critical greenhouse gases and potential quantification of ethane
– which could help study processes that drive natural and
anthropogenic emissions. The mission would provide unprecedented
spatial resolution and global coverage that would help us better
understand the carbon cycle and the global methane budget. The
proposal is led by Christian
Frankenberg at the California Institute
of Technology in Pasadena.
For more information about the Earth System Explorers Program,
visit:
https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/2023ESE/
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SOURCE NASA