Earth Science Division

NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has selected Lockheed Martin Corp. of Littleton, Colorado, to build the spacecraft for NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite program. This cost-plus-award-fee contract is valued at approximately $2.27 billion.

Posted June 18, 2024

SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)

Earth

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

Water on Earth

NASA-Led Study Provides New Global Accounting of Earth’s Rivers

The novel approach to estimating river water storage and discharge also identifies regions marked by ‘fingerprints’ of intense water use. A study led by NASA researchers provides new estimates of how much water courses through Earth’s rivers, the rates at which it’s flowing into the ocean, and how much both of those figures have fluctuated […]

Posted April 26, 2024

PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem)

Earth

Earth Science Division

Earth Science Technology Office

Goddard Space Flight Center

Goddard Technology

Science Mission Directorate

Technology

NASA’s ORCA, AirHARP Projects Paved Way for PACE to Reach Space

It took the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission just 13 minutes to reach low-Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in February 2024. It took a network of scientists at NASA and research institutions around the world more than 20 years to carefully craft and test the novel instruments that allow PACE […]

Posted April 26, 2024

NASA History

Airborne Science

DC-8

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

NASA Aircraft

Contributions of the DC-8 to Earth System Science at NASA: A Workshop

Call for Papers Date: August 13–14, 2024Location: Washington, D.C. Jointly organized by the NASA History Office and the Earth Science Division, this workshop seeks to document the important contributions of airborne campaigns implemented on NASA’s DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory.

Posted December 11, 2023

EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation)

Dust Storms

Earth

Earth Science Division

International Space Station (ISS)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Sensor Produces First Global Maps of Surface Minerals in Arid Regions

EMIT delivers first-of-a-kind maps of minerals in Earth’s dust-source areas, enabling scientists to model the fine particles’ role in climate change and more.

Posted December 11, 2023

EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation)

Dust Storms

Earth

Earth Science Division

Greenhouse Gases

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Mission Excels at Spotting Greenhouse Gas Emission Sources

Since launching 16 months ago, the EMIT imaging spectrometer aboard the International Space Station has shown an ability to detect more than just surface minerals.

Posted November 17, 2023

NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)

Earth

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

Earth System Observatory (ESO)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Trailblazing New Earth Satellite Put to Test in Preparation for Launch

During three weeks in a thermal vacuum chamber in Bengaluru, India, the joint NASA-ISRO satellite demonstrated its hardiness in a harsh, space-like environment. NISAR, the trailblazing Earth-observing radar satellite being developed by the United States and Indian space agencies, passed a major milestone on Nov.

Posted November 14, 2023

NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)

Earth

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

Earth System Observatory (ESO)

NASA-ISRO Radar Mission to Provide Dynamic View of Forests, Wetlands

NISAR will help researchers explore how changes in Earth’s forest and wetland ecosystems are affecting the global carbon cycle and influencing climate change.

Posted October 27, 2023