The Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Troposphere (FIRST) Instrument: New Technology for Measuring Earth’s Energy Balance and Climate Change

Earth’s climate is determined by a balance between the amount of radiant energy it receives from the Sun and the amount of energy it rejects to space in the form of infrared (IR)radiation. There is mounting evidence that human activities, particularly the production of gases such as carbon dioxide, are changing the climate through modifications to the flow of energy within Earth’s atmosphere. For the past decade, NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) has been investing in new observation technologies to open a completely new window on the measurement of Earth’s climate. In particular, the Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Troposphere (FIRST) instrument has been developed to observe a portion of the infrared spectrum relevant to climate, but for which there are currently no space-based observations.