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| Mission to Planet Earth | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mission to Planet Earth |
| Agency | National Aeronautics and Space Administration; coordinated with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Geological Survey |
| Launched | 1990s–2000s |
| Status | Programmatic initiative |
| Purpose | Global environmental observation, climate monitoring, Earth system science |
Mission to Planet Earth
Mission to Planet Earth was a United States-led initiative to create an integrated Earth science observing and modeling program to study global change and the Earth system. The initiative coordinated satellite missions, airborne campaigns, and interdisciplinary research to link observations from agencies such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Geological Survey, and academic institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, and Stanford University. It served as a foundation for later programs like Earth Observing System and informed assessments by organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the United Nations Environment Programme.
Mission to Planet Earth was conceived as a comprehensive effort to measure atmospheric composition, ocean dynamics, land surface change, and biosphere processes using spaceborne platforms such as the Terra (satellite), Aqua (satellite), and Landsat series alongside airborne observatories like ER-2 and ground networks including Global Climate Observing System. The program integrated modeling centers at institutions such as NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and European Space Agency partners like European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Its scope intersected with international efforts including Group on Earth Observations, World Meteorological Organization, and Committee on Earth Observation Satellites.
Origins trace to strategic reviews at National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the 1980s and to congressional directives tied to the Global Climate Protection Act and science priorities from the National Academy of Sciences. Early planning engaged leaders from NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Langley Research Center, NOAA laboratories, and university consortia including Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, and University of California, Berkeley. Key milestones included approval of the Earth Observing System mission suite, selection of principal investigators from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and coordination with international missions such as ERS-1, Envisat, and Jason-1. The program evolved alongside reports by the Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration and inputs from advisory bodies such as the National Science Foundation and the Office of Management and Budget.
Primary objectives included quantifying greenhouse gas fluxes, monitoring land cover change, assessing cryosphere dynamics, and improving weather and climate prediction through improved initial conditions and parameterizations at centers like European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and NOAA NCEP. Scientific goals connected to measurement of atmospheric constituents via instruments developed by teams at Goddard Space Flight Center, Ames Research Center, and Langley Research Center; oceanography objectives linked to Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; and terrestrial ecology targets engaged USDA Forest Service researchers and Smithsonian Institution scientists. The initiative supported synthesis work used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports and policy analyses by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change delegations.
Instrumentation included multispectral imagers, spectrometers, and radar systems deployed on spacecraft such as Terra (satellite), Aqua (satellite), Landsat 7, SeaWiFS, QuikSCAT, and ICESat. Instruments developed by teams at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, Ball Aerospace, and Raytheon delivered data on radiative fluxes, aerosol loading, cloud properties, and surface elevation. Complementary missions by international partners included ERS-1 and Envisat from European Space Agency, NOAA polar-orbiters, and altimetry missions like Jason-1 from a Franco-American partnership involving Centre National d'Études Spatiales. Airborne campaigns used platforms such as NASA WB-57 and ER-2, while in situ networks included Argo (oceanography), Global Atmosphere Watch, and the FluxNet tower network managed by researchers at University of California, Davis and Oregon State University.
Findings documented accelerating polar ice loss observed by ICESat and later ICESat-2, progressive sea level rise analyses used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, altered phenology reported by researchers at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and expanded detection of atmospheric methane plumes linked to studies at California Institute of Technology and University of Colorado Boulder. Results influenced international assessments by World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and national policy deliberations in the United States Congress and ministries such as United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The data supported operational services at National Weather Service, improved hurricane monitoring involving National Hurricane Center, and enhanced land management decisions by US Geological Survey and Bureau of Land Management.
The initiative fostered partnerships with European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Russian Federal Space Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation, and agencies including Australian Space Agency. Collaborative programs included the Group on Earth Observations architecture, joint missions such as Jason-2 and SMOS partnerships, and data sharing through consortia like Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. Academic collaborations spanned Imperial College London, University of Tokyo, Peking University, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, and international research networks like SCAR and IOC-UNESCO.
Legacy outcomes included institutionalization of integrated observing systems embodied by Earth Observing System, continuity missions at NOAA and renewed investments by NASA Earth Science Division, and contributions to modeling centers such as NCAR and Hadley Centre. Future directions build on missions like ICESat-2, Sentinel series by European Space Agency, and proposed programs at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Goddard. Ongoing priorities involve improving carbon cycle constraints with campaigns led by Carnegie Institution for Science and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, enhancing cryosphere monitoring with initiatives at Scott Polar Research Institute, and strengthening global networks coordinated through Group on Earth Observations and United Nations Environment Programme.
Category:Earth observation programs