1. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Earth Observing Satellites

2. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High A-Train Afternoon Constellation The A-Train is a group of Earth Observing Satellites (EOS)

3. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High A-Train Afternoon Constellation The A-Train is a group of Earth Observing Satellites (EOS) which will fly in formation, each within minutes of each other, on polar orbits. All six satellites will cross the equator within a few minutes of one another at around 1:30 p.m. local time. A-Train Animation

4. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) A-Train Afternoon Constellation The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is tentatively scheduled for launch in October 2007. It will measure the total mass of the atmosphere, the concentration of carbon dioxide, and how much of the carbon dioxide variation is caused by changes in atmospheric thickness.

5. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Aqua was launched May 2002. Aqua is studying atmospheric temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation and radiative balance, terrestrial snow, sea ice, sea surface temperature, ocean productivity, and soil moisture, as well as the monitoring of terrestrial and marine ecosystem dynamics. Aqua A–Train Afternoon Constellation

6. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High CLOUDSAT A-Train Afternoon Constellation CloudSat will use advanced radar to "slice" through clouds to see their vertical structure. ** Current satellites can only produce images of the uppermost layers of clouds. CloudSat will be one of the first satellites to study clouds on a global basis. The key observations will be cloud structure, composition, vertical profiles, liquid water and ice contents, and related physical and radiative properties. CloudSat and CALIPSO will be launched together on the same vehicle, tentatively set for October 2004.

7. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Parasol A-Train Afternoon Constellation Parasol’s main purpose is to study the characterization of clouds and the microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols. This is needed to understand and model the radiative impact of clouds and aerosols. Parasol will be launched in 2005 by the French Space Agency and will join four other A-Train satellites already launched by NASA.

8. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Aura A – Train, Afternoon Constellation Aura will help answer these scientific questions: Is the Earth’s protective ozone layer recovering? What are the processes controlling air quality? How is the Earth’s climate changing? How does the composition of the atmosphere affect and respond to Earth’s changing climate? Aura was launched on July 15, 2004.

9. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Aura A-Train Afternoon Constellation Animation of Aura

10. CCAG Educator Workshop – Fort Collins, Colorado – July 2004 S.O.A.R. High Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations CALIPSO http://www-calipso.larc.nasa.govhttp://calipsooutreach.hamptonu.edu

11. CCAG Educator Workshop – Fort Collins, Colorado – July 2004 S.O.A.R. High CALIPSO: is a joint satellite mission between the United States and France. will be launched March 2005, on a Delta II launch vehicle, with CloudSat. will fly in a polar orbit in formation with the Aqua satellite. will daily down-link all data and transfer the data to NASA Langley Research Center where it will be processed and archived. What is CALIPSO?

12. CCAG Educator Workshop – Fort Collins, Colorado – July 2004 S.O.A.R. High Image courtesy CloudSat Provide key measurements of aerosol and cloud properties needed to improve climate predictions Improve our understanding of the role of aerosols and clouds in the processes that govern climate responses and feedbacks Improve the representation of aerosols and clouds in models, leading to more accurate predictions of climate change What will CALIPSO do?

13. CCAG Educator Workshop – Fort Collins, Colorado – July 2004 S.O.A.R. High Unique to CALIPSO is LIDAR

14. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High What is LIDAR? A pulse laser source provides range (distance) information from the time delay between the transmitted and received pulse. The light scattered from the aerosols and molecules is collected by a telescope and focused on an optical detector. The detector converts this light into an electronics signal. The signal is digitized, processed and displayed by a computer. A pulse laser source provides range (distance) information from the time delay between the transmitted and received pulse. The light scattered from the aerosols and molecules is collected by a telescope and focused on an optical detector. The detector converts this light into an electronics signal. The signal is digitized, processed and displayed by a computer. Light Detection And Ranging

15. CCAG Educator Workshop – Fort Collins, Colorado – July 2004 S.O.A.R. High CALIPSO data will provide a vertical image of aerosols and clouds Aerosols affect cloud formation and properties Vertical measurements are necessary to understand the effects of aerosol on clouds. 15 0 Altitude, km 10 5 20.6°N, 40°W Clouds underneath Sahara dust (LITE, 8/94) 20 9.4°N, 32.9°W

16. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High One Big Uncertainty: The Effects of Multilayer Clouds 20 o N, 3 o E 17 o N, 6 o E 20 10 0 Altitude, km LITE data, West Africa, September1994

17. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High CALIPSO Simulated 1 Day Orbit Coverage 82 o N 82 o S CALIPSO will provide global measurements of clouds and aerosols. The orange ground tracks show the locations of where CALIPSO will measure clouds and aerosols over a one day period.

18. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Satellite covers a fixed grid every 16 days 16-day repeat cycle produces a grid spaced by 172 km at the equator

19. CCAG Educator Workshop – Fort Collins, Colorado – July 2004 S.O.A.R. High Click on image to start movie CALIPSO LIDAR Animation

20. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Conclusion CALIPSO will make important measurements of cloud and aerosol properties that will significantly improve our understanding of both direct and indirect effects on climate. Both students and scientists can contribute to this important research

21. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Movie Time: Did anyone bring popcorn? Sit back and enjoy a 6-minute movie on LIDAR

22. Earth System Science Teachers of the Deaf Workshop, August 2004 S.O.A.R. High Langley Research Center: mission lead, program management, system engineering, payload mission operations, validation, and data processing and archival Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales: provide Alcatel PROTEUS spacecraft and IIR instrument, payload-to-spacecraft integration, and spacecraft mission operations Hampton University: lead algorithm implementation and manage educational and public outreach Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation: develop the lidar and WFC and provide instrument-to-payload integration, launch vehicle support, and science data downlink Institut Pierre Simon Laplace: lead French science studies, validation, IIR algorithm development and provide data archival CALIPSO is a Partnership