Science Communication Material

A-Train Fact Sheet
A-Train_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Over the next five years, NASA’s ESE plans to launch four satellite missions that will fly in formation with each other and with the Aqua satellite, which has been in orbit since May 2002. Each individual mission has its own objectives and will improve our understanding of aspects of the Earth’s climate. The real advantage of formation flying, however is that the data from the various satellites are synergistic.

Aerosols: More than Meets the Eye
NASA-Facts-Aerosols.pdf

You can’t really see individual aerosol particles with your eyes—but you can see the impact they have all around you. Aerosols are extremely important to life on Earth. Every time you see a cloud form, you are seeing aerosols at work. Without them, cloud formation would be next to impossible in Earth’s atmosphere.

MODIS-Rapid Response
2003_MODIS_Rapid_Response.pdf

In mid-July 2002, lightning started a fire in the Klamath Mountains in southwestern Oregon that eventually burned over the state line into California and consumed more than 400,000 acres by late August. The Biscuit fire became one of the largest in the state’s history, threatening not only human life and property, but also three nationally designated wild and scenic rivers and habitat for several species of plants and animals already at risk of extinction. Firefighters also had their hands full with other fires across the state, including the Tiller Complex Fire to the northeast.

Aqua
Aqua_brochure.pdf

Aqua is a satellite mission aimed at improving our understanding of the Earth/atmosphere system, along with changes occurring within it, through the monitoring and analysis of dozens of Earth variables from a space-based platform orbiting the Earth. Aqua is part of the Earth Observing System (EOS), an international Earth-focused satellite program centered at the United States (U.S.) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Aqua
2002Aqua_Sci_Writer's_Guide.pdf

The launch of NASA’s Aqua spacecraft continued the Earth Observing System (EOS) series of comprehensive satellites to monitor the Earth from a space-based platform. Aqua was so named because it obtains significant information about water in the Earth system including ocean surface water, humidity, precipitation infiltration, and runoff. Data from six Aqua instruments provide continuous, long-term records of the hydrologic cycle around the world, which are combined with data from other Earth-monitoring satellites launched by NASA and other countries.

Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE)
GRACE.pdf

While gravity is much weaker than other basic forces in nature, such as magnetism and electricity, its effects are ubiquitous and dramatic. Gravity controls everything from the motion of the ocean tides to the expansion of the entire Universe. To learn more about the mysteries of gravity, twin satellites named GRACE, short for the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, are being used to make detailed measurements of Earth’s gravity field.

ICESat
ICESat_Brochure.pdf

The primary goal of ICESat is to quantify ice sheet mass balance and understand how changes in the Earth’s atmosphere and climate affect the polar ice masses and global sea level. ICESat also measures global distributions of clouds and aerosols for studies of their effects on atmospheric processes and global change, as well as land topography, sea ice, and vegetation cover.

Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
MODIS.pdf

The first EOS satellite, called Terra, was launched on December 18, 1999, carrying five remote sensors. The most comprehensive EOS sensor is MODIS, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. MODIS offers a unique combination of features: it detects a wide spectral range of electromagnetic energy; it takes measurements at three spatial resolutions (levels of detail); it takes measurements all day, every day; and it has a wide field of view.

MODIS Monitoring Sea Surface Temperature, Chlorophyll Concentration, and Phytosynthetic Activity
2002_MODIS_sst_Jason.pdf

A sensor orbiting the Earth aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites is now collecting the most detailed measurements ever made of the ocean’s surface environment. Like a sophisticated thermometer in space, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) can measure sea surface temperature every day over the entire globe.

SORCE
2002SORCE_SWG.pdf

SORCE, launched in March 2003, aims to enable solar-terrestrial studies by providing precise daily measurements of the Total Solar Irradiance and the Spectral Solar Irradiance at wavelengths extending from the ultraviolet to the near infrared.