News

NASA Launches New Climate Mission to Study Ocean, Atmosphere

NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 1:33 a.m. EST, Feb. 8, 2024, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA News- From its orbit hundreds of miles above Earth, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite will study microscopic life in the oceans and microscopic particles in the atmosphere to investigate key mysteries of our planet’s interconnected systems.

NASA's PACE satellite will tackle the largest uncertainty in climate science

The Economist - Small things can have big effects. Take the plant plankton that populate the Earth’s oceans. When zooplankton eat them, the phytoplankton release a chemical called dimethyl sulphide (dms) and it is this that people are referring to when they speak of the “smell of the sea”.

Erin Urquhardt Talks PACE

Fox 5 San Diego - Erin Urquhart, Program Manager from NASA Water Resources talks about the PACE mission and what could be learned from the new satellite.

NASA's PACE Mission Aims to Vastly Increase Understanding of the Oceans, Atmosphere

Spaceflight Now - From the oceans to the atmosphere, there’s still quite a bit we don’t understand about our planet. NASA’s latest Earth-observing spacecraft hopes to greatly expand our knowledge of the globe in just a few years.
The PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft is the next payload to launch into orbit that will build upon more than 20 years of direct Earth observation. Dr. Nicola Fox, the associate administrator for   NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, described the spacecraft as a “jewel” among the Earth-observing fleet.

Rock Climber Alex Honnold and Oceanographer Ivona Cetinić Talk New NASA Ocean Mission

NASA - Professional rock climber Alex Honnold and NASA oceanographer Ivona Cetinić talk about ocean color, plankton, climate and all things PACE. PACE is the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission and is poised to measure the world's oceans with unprecedented resolution.

 
 

A New Satellite Could Help Scientists Unravel Some of Earth's Mysteries. Here's How.

USA Today - Imagine coloring a picture with 200 crayons instead of eight.That’s the difference in light and color that a new satellite bound for orbit will bring to the study of microscopic particles in our atmosphere and waterways, said Jeremy Werdell, a project scientist with NASA.

People of PACE: Kirk Knobelspiesse Keeps His Eyes on the Skies

NASA GSFC - Kirk Knobelspiesse is an atmospheric scientist and the project science team polarimeter lead for PACE at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He is also the polarimeter instrument scientist for the Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) constellation.