NASA's PACE mission is one of the most exciting Earth-based missions the space agency has launched in a while. Here's why it matters.
NASA is getting ready to launch one of its most important space missions of 2024 into orbit. PACE, which stands for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, will collect data on clouds, phytoplankton growth, and more to help determine the ocean's color.
The mission might not sound like anything that important, but it will actually go a long way to helping us understand the ocean and even how global warming and climate change might be affecting our oceans at the most basic scale. It's an admirable mission that NASA says it hopes to use for at least three years. Set to launch on Thursday, February 8, the mission will climb into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Once it reaches 676.5 kilometers of orbital altitude, NASA's PACE mission will start collecting data. It's comprised of three primary instruments, all of which will play an important part in PACE's mission. The Ocean Color Instrument will measure the properties of light over portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. It will then analyze that data to check ocean color data records for climate studies. The second instrument, the Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration , will strive for accurate characterization of aerosols in the atmosphere. It'll do this by measuring the sunlight that is reflected back from Earth's atmosphere, land surface, and even the ocean itself. Finally, the Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter will try to measure clouds and aerosol particles, as well as the properties of various water and land surfaces. All of this data will help NASA's PACE mission paint a better picture of what the ocean will look like as climate change continues to change our planet. It will also help us learn more about the quality of the air that we breathe and the overall health of our oceans as they are today.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NASA Ingenuity Mars helicopter, broken and alone, spotted by Perseverance rover on Martian dune (photo, video)Brett is curious about emerging aerospace technologies, alternative launch concepts, military space developments and uncrewed aircraft systems. Brett's work has appeared on Scientific American, The War Zone, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery and more.
Read more »
NASA's Juno Probe Makes Another Close Flyby of IoSpace and astronomy news
Read more »
Tiny NASA Cameras to Picture Interaction Between Lander, Moon’s SurfaceSay cheese, Moon. We’re coming in for a close-up.
Read more »
Mars Sample Return in Trouble After Mass NASA LayoffsScience and Technology News and Videos
Read more »
New Pterosaur Discovery Shows the Winged Reptiles Soared the Skies for 25 Million YearsLearn why the pterosaur fossils are difficult to find and why this discovery explains their evolution.
Read more »
Why Go to Space - NASAAt NASA, we explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all, creating new opportunities and inspiring the world through discovery.
Read more »