PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Mary A. Hardin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 1997
MAJOR EARTH SCIENCE SPACECRAFT REACHES CRITICAL MILESTONE
The first of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS)
Spacecraft, EOS AM-1, has reached a critical milestone with the
delivery of its last science instrument, allowing completion of
module testing and integration of the instruments and the
spacecraft.
The last instrument arrived on Aug. 25.
EOS AM-1 begins a new generation of Earth science - one
that studies the Earth as a global system. EOS will carry a
complement of five synergistic instruments. "We're absolutely
thrilled to reach this milestone," said Dr. Robert Price,
Director of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth Program Office at the
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. "We're now well on
our way to having the spacecraft ready for its June 1998 launch."
There are two JPL instruments on this platform that are
designed to measure the amount of radiation that is absorbed and
reflected by Earth's surface and atmosphere. The Multi-Angle
Imaging Spectro Radiometer (MISR) is built by JPL; The Advanced
Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is
provided by the Japan's Ministry of International Trade and
Industry with scientific support provided by JPL. Both these
instruments will help scientists study clouds, volcanoes, and how
energy, carbon and water are exchanged between the air-land and
the air-sea.
The next critical step for EOS AM-1 is to complete
systems tests which validate the ability of the integrated
spacecraft to withstand the harsh environment of space and to
work with its ground system. Following that, the spacecraft will
be delivered to Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, for launch
processing.
The EOS AM-1 spacecraft is being assembled and tested
by Lockheed-Martin at its Valley Forge, PA, production facility.
The EOS series spacecraft are the cornerstone of NASA's
Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) Enterprise, a long-term
coordinated research effort to study the Earth as a global system
and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the
global environment. EOS AM-1 will use this unique perspective
from space to observe the Earth's continents, oceans and
atmosphere with five state-of-the-art instruments with
measurement capability and accuracy never flown before. This
unique approach enables scientists to study the interactions
among these three components of the Earth system, which determine
the cycling of water and nutrients on Earth.
"EOS AM-1 will study simultaneously clouds, water
vapor, aerosol, particles, trace gases, terrestrial and oceanic
properties, the interaction between them and their effect on
atmospheric radiation and climate," said Dr. Yoram Kaufman, EOS
AM-1 project scientist. "Moreover, EOS AM-1 will observe changes
in Earth's radiation energy budget, together with measurements of
changes in land/ocean surface and interaction with the
atmosphere through exchanges of energy, carbon, and water.
Clearly comprehending these interactive processes is essential to
understanding global climate change," he said.
A polar-orbiting spacecraft, EOS AM-1 is scheduled for
launch in June 1998 aboard an Atlas-Centaur IIAS launch vehicle
from Vandenberg AFB. Because the AM series emphasizes
observations of terrestrial surface features, its orbit is
designed to cross the equator at 10:30 a.m., when cloud cover is
minimalized.
MISR will measure the amount of sunlight that is
reflected and absorbed by the Earth's surface and by particle's
in the atmosphere. This information will help scientists
determine how different types of clouds affect the amount of
sunlight that is reflected back into space and what role clouds
play in the overall global climate. MISR will also monitor the
amount of aerosols -- tiny, solid particles -- in the atmosphere
to understand where these particles come from and how they
influence the climate. The instrument will also record
information about land conditions and measure photosynthesis of
plants on a global scale.
The ASTER instrument is also a radiometer and it will be
used to monitor long-term local and regional changes on the
Earth's surface. Such changes often lead to or occur as a
response to global climate change. ASTER will study land use
patterns, deforestation, desertification, glacial movements,
coral reefs and volcanic activity.
The Cloud's and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)
instrument will perform measurements of the Earth's "radiation
budget," or the process in which the Earth's climate system
constantly tries to maintain a balance between the energy that
reaches the Earth from the Sun, and the energy that goes from
Earth back out to space. The components of the Earth system that
are important to the radiation budget are the planet's surface,
atmosphere, and clouds.
Meanwhile, the Moderate-Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) will measure atmosphere, land and ocean
processes, including surface temperature of both the land and
ocean, ocean color, global vegetation, cloud characteristics,
temperature and moisture profiles, and snow cover. The
Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument
is an infrared gas-correlation radiometer that will take global
measurements of carbon monoxide and methane in the troposphere.
The CERES, MISR, and MODIS instruments are provided by
the United States; MOPITT by Canada; and ASTER by Japan. Several
hundred scientists from the U.S. and abroad have been preparing
to take full advantage of EOS AM-1 observations to address key
scientific issues and their environmental policy impacts.
EOS is managed by Goddard for NASA's Mission to Planet
Earth strategic enterprise, Washington, DC.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information about MISR access the
homepage at URL: http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov or ASTER at URL:
http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/asterhome/; or the EOS AM project
homepage at URL: http://eos-am.gsfc.nasa.gov