KEY AQUA FACTS:

Data Links: earthdata.nasa.gov

Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920-10L rocket

Altitude: 705 km

Inclination: 98.2°

Local Node: 1:30 p.m.

Origination: Joint with Japan and Brazil

Instruments:

- AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder)

- AMSR-E (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System)

- AMSU-A (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A)

- CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System)

- HSB (Humidity Sounder for Brazil)

- MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)

Project Scientist(s): Claire Parkinson

Deputy Project Scientist(s): Lazaros Oreopoulos

Program Scientist(s): Ramesh Kakar

Other Key Personnel:

- William Guit - Aqua Mission Director

- Norman Loeb - CERES Team leader

- Joao Teixeira - AIRS / AMSU / HSB Team Leader

- Akira Shibata - Japanese AMSR-E Team Leader

- Roy Spencer - U.S. AMSR-E Team Leader

- Michael King - MODIS Team Leader

- Steve Graham - Aqua Outreach Coordinator

- Steven Platnick - Former Deputy Aqua Project Scientist

- Vince Salomonson - Former MODIS Team Leader

- Bruce Wielicki - Former CERES Team leader

- Moustafa Chahine - Former AIRS / AMSU / HSB Team Leader

- Marty Donohoe, George Morrow, and Phil Sabelhaus: Former Aqua Project Managers

The Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, is a spacecraft which orbits between Earth and the sun, observing and providing advanced warning of particles and magnetic fields emitted by the sun (known as the solar wind) which can affect power grids, communications systems, and satellites close to Earth. From its post at the Lagrange point 1 (or L1), approximately one million miles from Earth, DSCOVR also observes our planet and provides measurements of the radiation reflected and emitted by Earth and images of the sunlit side of Earth for science applications.

Key Aura Facts:

Mission/Portal Page: [http://science.nasa.gov/missions/aura/](http://science.nasa.gov/missions/aura/)

Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920 rocket

Altitude: 705 km

Inclination: 98.2°

Local Node: 1:45 p.m.

Origination: Joint with Netherlands, Finland, and the U.K.

Instruments:

- HIRDLS (High-Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder)

- MLS (Microwave Limb Sounder)

- OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument)

- TES (Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer)

Project Scientist(s): Bryan Duncan

Deputy Project Scientist(s): Joanna Joiner

Jason-3

Jason-3 is the fourth mission in U.S.-European series of satellite missions that measure the height of the ocean surface. Launched on January 17, 2016, the mission will extend the time series of ocean surface topography measurements (the hills and valleys of the ocean surface) begun by the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite mission in 1992 and continuing through the Jason-1 (launched in 2001) and the currently operating OSTM/Jason-2 (launched in 2008) missions. These measurements provide scientists with critical information about circulation patterns in the ocean and about both global and regional changes in sea level and the climate implications of a warming world.

Key Jason-3 Facts:

- Mission/Portal Page: [https://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/jason3/](https://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/jason3/)

- Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9

- Altitude: 336km

- Inclination: 66°

- Origination: Joint with NOAA, CNES, and EUMETSAT

- Instruments:

- Altimeter

- Microwave radiometer

- DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite)

- Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA)

- Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver

- Project Scientist(s): Joshua Willis, Lee-Lueng Fu

- Other Key Personnel: Margaret Srinivasan

July 23, 2012, was the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first of a series of Landsat satellites that have continuously supplied the world with global land surface images. Landsat 5, launched in 1984, continues to provide important observations of the landmass of the planet and has established a record for reliability in the civilian satellite fleet. Landsat 7 joined Landsat 5 in April 1999. Both Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 provide data for remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) science and applications around the world. NASA was responsible for the development and launch of Landsat 7 and the development of the ground system. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is responsible for operating the satellite, distributing the data, and maintaining an archive of Landsat 7 and other remotely sensed data.

Key Landsat 7 Facts:

-Altitude: 705km

-Inclination: 98.2°

- Local Node: 10:05 a.m.

- Origination: Joint with USGS

- Instruments: ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus)

- Project Scientist(s): Jeff G. Masek

- Deputy Project Scientist(s): James R. Irons

Aqua is a major international Earth Science satellite mission centered at NASA. Launched on May 4, 2002, the satellite has six differrent Earth-observing instruments on board and is named for the large amount of information it collects about water in the Earth system. Aqua gathers this information from its stream of approximately 89 Gigabytes of data a day. The water variables being measured include almost all elements of the water cycle and involve water in its liquid, solid, and vapor forms. Additional variables being measured include radiative energy fluxes, aerosols, vegetation cover on the land, phytoplankton and dissolved organic matter in the oceans, and air, land, and water temperatures.

Aura:

Aura's four instruments study the atmosphere's chemistry and dynamics. Aura's measurements enable us to investigate questions about ozone trends, air-quality changes and their linkage to climate change. Aura's measurements also provide accurate data for predictive models and useful information for local and national agency decision-support systems.

Key Deep Space Climate Observatory Facts:

- Mission/Portal Page: [http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/index.html](http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/index.html)

-Launch Vehicle: Space X Falcon 9

- Origination: NOAA

- Instruments:

- Plasma-Magnetometer (PlasMag)

- National Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Radiometer (NISTAR)

- Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC)

- Project Scientist(s): Adam Szabo