This brochure provides an overview of the portion
of Earth atmospheric science activities at Goddard
that comprise the Earth Sciences Division’s Atmospheres
organization (Code 610AT). Inside you will find
descriptions of our scope of work, our people and
facilities, our place in NASA’s mission, and examples of
recent accomplishments.
ICESat-2 will take measurements across the globe and provide an incredibly precise height map of our planet in unprecedented detail. Its focus will be on Earth’s poles, including the Arctic region where temperatures are rising faster than at other latitudes. Read more about how this innovative spacecraft will help scientists check on the health of Earth's frozen regions.
NASA's Science Communication Support Office Annual Report 2017
11.06.2017
The Science Communications Support Office (SCSO) supported 18 domestic and international science conferences and 6 public events in 2017. The SCSO continues to provide an inspiring and interactive venue for every event during the year, using a unique storytelling approach that allows a variety of audiences worldwide to connect with NASA Science. The 2017 Annual Report provides an overview of these activities with details about new Hyperwall stories, publications, social media, key partnerships, and more!
The Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System, or CERES, instrument measures reflected sunlight and thermal radiation emitted by the Earth. Data products from CERES include both solar-reflected and Earth-emitted radiation from the top of the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface. These measurements, called radiative fluxes, represent the amount of energy radiated through a given area within a given time range. CERES provides the only global top of atmosphere energy budget dataset. In addition, the CERES science team uses measurements from a high spatial resolution visible/infrared imager flying alongside CERES to infer a variety of cloud properties, including cloud amount, altitude, thickness, and the size of cloud particles. Data from CERES FM6 will help scientists further develop a quantitative understanding of the links between the Earth’s energy budget and the properties of atmosphere and surface that define it.
View titles and descriptions of GMAO Research Highlights entries from 2013 through 2015. These write-ups are summaries of selected GMAO scientific research activities.
SAGE II on the International Space Station
11.02.2015
NASA’s Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) family of remote-sensing-satellite instruments has long measured ozone (O3) concentrations, stratospheric aerosols, water vapor, and other trace gases that influence Earth’s atmosphere. Launched in 2016, SAGE III on the International Space Station continues the legacy of accurate SAGE measurements. This brochure provides details about the instrument, launch and installation, ground system and data, and more!
NASA Science Program Support Office Annual Report 2015
10.21.2015
During FY2015, the Science Program Support Office (SPSO) supported 24 domestic and international science conferences and public events. Each year the SPSO strives to provide an inspiring and interactive venue, using a unique storytelling approach, that allows a variety of audiences worldwide to connect with NASA Science. The 2015 Annual Report provides a broad overview of these activities, along with details about new Hyperwall stories, publications, social media, key partnerships, and more!
A summary of awards, research, projects, missions, and education/public outreach activities of the Astrophysics Science Division at Goddard Space Flight Center.
In 2011 the International Space Station (ISS) NASA Research Office offered scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center a mounting location onboard the space station for a new lidar instrument called the Clouds and Aerosol Transport System (CATS). Described in this brochure, CATS provides vertical profiles of cloud and aerosol properties at three wavelengths (1064, 532, and 355 nanometers). The CATS mission seeks to build on the CALIPSO data record, provide observational lidar data to improve research and operational modeling programs, and demonstrate new lidar retrievals of clouds and aerosols from space. These technologies and the science gained from the CATS mission will be used to design future missions that will study clouds and aerosols and their affects on Earth’s climate and air quality for years to come.
A summary of awards, research, projects, missions, and education/public outreach activities of the Astrophysics Science Division at Goddard Space Flight Center.
The Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, mission (described in this brochure) is NASA’s first Earth-observing satellite mission designed to collect continuous global observations of surface soil moisture and freeze/thaw state every 2-3 days at 3 to 40 kilometer (~2 to 25 mile) spatial resolution. As suggested by the name “Active Passive,” SMAP will carry an active microwave radar and a passive microwave radiometer that will measure across a 1000-kilometer (~621-mile) wide swath. The ability to measure global soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state from space with unprecedented accuracy and spatial resolution will allow scientists to better understand the processes that link the Earth’s water, energy, and carbon cycles, as well as enhance the predictive skills of weather and climate models. In addition, scientists can use these data to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Societal benefits include improved water-resource management, agricultural productivity, and wildfire and landslide predictions.
The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is an international partnership co-led by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The mission centers on the deployment of the GPM Core Observatory and consists of a network, or constellation, of additional satellites that together will provide next-generation global observations of precipitation from space. In this brochure you will learn about the specifics of the GPM Core Observatory and its role in the GPM mission.
A summary of awards, research, projects, missions, and education/public outreach activities of the Astrophysics Science Division at Goddard Space Flight Center.