NASA, JAXA Prepare Rain and Snow Satellite for Launch
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The world enters a new era of global weather observing and climate science in
February with the launch of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core
Observatory, a new international science satellite built by NASA.
GPM, a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
(JAXA), is scheduled to launch Feb. 27 from Tanegashima Space Center in
Japan. The observatory will link data from a constellation of current and
planned satellites to produce next-generation global measurements of rainfall
and snowfall from space.
The GPM mission is the first coordinated international satellite network to
provide near real-time observations of rain and snow every three hours
anywhere on the globe. The GPM Core Observatory anchors this network by
providing observations on all types of precipitation. The observatory's data
acts as the measuring stick by which partner observations can be combined
into a unified data set. The data will be used by scientists to study climate
change, freshwater resources, floods and droughts, and hurricane formation
and tracking.
The water-cycle, so familiar to all school-age young scientists, is one of
the most interesting, dynamic, and important elements in our studies of the
Earths weather and climate, said John Grunsfeld, associate
administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. GPM
will provide scientists and forecasters critical information to help us
understand and cope with future extreme weather events and fresh water
resources."
The GPM Core Observatory will fly 253 miles (407 kilometers) above Earth in
an orbit inclined 65-degrees to the equator. This orbit allows the Core
Observatory to observe precipitation from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic
Circle at different times of day so it is able to observe changing storm and
weather systems that behave differently during day and night. Normal
operations will begin about 60 days after launch. Data will be downlinked
through NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to the agency's
Goddard Space Flight Center's Precipitation Processing Center in Greenbelt,
Md., where it will be processed and distributed over the Internet.
GPM's Core Observatory carries two instruments to measure rain and
snowfall: the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR), designed by JAXA
and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology in
Japan, and built by NEC Toshiba Space Systems Ltd., Tokyo; and the GPM
Microwave Imager (GMI), provided by NASA and built by Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. Together, these two instruments will
collect improved observations that will allow scientists to better "see"
inside clouds. In particular, they both provide new capabilities for
observing smaller particles of rain, ice and snow.
"Knowledge of how water moves around the Earth system through precipitation
is vital for monitoring freshwater resources," said Gail Skofronick-Jackson,
GPM project scientist at Goddard. "The data from the GPM mission provides
unprecedented measurements of global precipitation. The GPM Core Observatory
will observe detailed characteristics of rain and snow systems that are also
extremely important for improving weather and climate forecasts."
The DPR precipitation radar adds a new frequency with which to observe
precipitation, allowing it to capture ice and light rain. It will return
three-dimensional profiles and intensities of liquid and solid precipitation
that will reveal the internal structure of storms within and below clouds.
The GMI is a microwave radiometer designed to sense the total precipitation
within all cloud layers. In addition to collecting data on heavy to moderate
rain, four new channels will be sensitive to light rain and snowfall, two
types of precipitation that are especially prevalent in mountain regions and
the higher latitudes over North America, Europe and Asia.
Together, DPR and GMI will provide observations on the size, intensity and
distribution of raindrops and snowflakes. Scientists will be able to use this
data to look at how precipitation behaves and influences weather and climate
patterns. These patterns affect the distribution of fresh water around the
world, impacting supplies for drinking water and agriculture.
The GPM Core Observatory, built by Goddard, will launch on an H-IIA rocket
provided by JAXA. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. is managing the launch.
GPM Core Observatory is the latest mission to support NASA's mission to
monitor Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of
satellites and airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops
new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with
long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our
planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global
community and works with institutions in the United States and around the
world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.
For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnowFor more information about GPM, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/gpm
