Last updated 3/26/97 by Matt Peterson
| Mission to Planet Earth | 3/19/97 | 1:00 pm | 2325 Rayburn House Office Building | House Sbcmte. on Space & Aeronautics (Chrm. Rohrabacher); Science Cmte. | William Townsend |
Members Present: Rohrabacher (R-CA), Cramer (D-AL), Bartlett (R-MD), Roemer (D-IN), Present: Weldon (R-FL), Calvert (R-CA), Capps (D-CA), Lampson, (D-TX) Jackson Lee (D-TX), Gordon (D-TN), Davis (R-VA), and Luther (D-MN).
Witnesses:
Hearing Summary:
In continuation of their FY 1998 NASA oversight hearings, the Subcommittee met to hear testimony on the Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) program. Chairman Rohrabacher’s opening remarks tried to set the tone for the hearing by reminding Members that he viewed global warming as “liberal clap-trap” and was skeptical about the program, but that he was prepared to be open-minded. Other witnesses included the Chairman of NASA’s Earth Science Advisory Committee which recently made recommendations to NASA for changes in the Earth Observing System program. Dr. Krimigis of the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins testified in support of the use of the BMDO developed MSX mission in support of Mission to Planet Earth requirements.
The Chairman called a last minute witness, Edward Hudgins from the CATO Institute who recommended not reauthorizing MTPE, canceling Space Station, Space Shuttle and phasing out NASA altogether. The witness was intended to stimulate discussion, however, his recommendations were so extreme, Members did not appear to take his views seriously.
Mr. Townsend presented testimony in support of MTPE and highlighted the significant progress the program had made from the previous year - development of a detailed science plan, augmented international and interagency cooperation, development of a commercial strategy, and a plan for technology infusion which will reduce costs in the second series of EOS spacecraft by 30% per year. Of concern to the Chairman was the level of uncosted carryover in the MTPE program. Mr. Townsend reviewed MTPE’s plan to reduce uncosted carryover by $150 million in FY 1997 and stated that they were halfway through the year and slightly ahead of plan. Mr. Rohrabacher suggested that uncosted carryover was an area which could be considered for some level of funding reduction by the Committee.
Opening Statements:
Acknowledging his past negative position on MTPE programs, particularly those relating to global warming, Chairman Rohrabacher stated that he was going to discuss the MTPE program with healthy skepticism, but also with an “open mind.” The Chairman expressed concern that funding for MTPE programs was increasing when overall discretionary spending as well as total NASA funding was declining; adding that he was looking for potential savings in all programs. Chairman Rohrabacher stated he was hopeful NASA would consider new ways of doing business such as cooperation with other agencies and commercialization of remote sensing data.
Ranking Minority Member Cramer called Chairman Rohrabacher to task for adding a last minute witness which was in violation to Committee rules. Mr. Cramer commented that MTPE’s weather and climate prediction research has delivered “tremendous” benefit to his district.
Mr. Townsend provided an overview of the MTPE program highlighting the following areas: global warming is only one of five principle science themes of MTPE; NASA management has instituted significant changes in the program in response to congressional, NASA Advisory Committee and the National Academy of Sciences direction; MTPE is addressing emerging science questions through the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program; MTPE program runout costs for the second series have been reduced by 30% due to planned technology infusion; EOS spacecraft are smaller, cost less and have shorter development times; NASA has strong cooperation with NOAA on weather satellites; MTPE has strong international cooperation; the commercial strategy includes partnerships with industry including science data purchase and commercial remote sensing; MTPE is doing interesting research in mapping large scale flooding and fires in California; MTPE will undergo a rigorous biennial review; and NASA is working hard to address the Advisory Committee recommendations.
Mr. Venneri discussed the findings and recommendations of the Reshape Implementation Options Study (the 60-day study) which examined ways MTPE could use advanced technology to design a complete space-to-ground system. He noted that MTPE had adopted the recommendations of the 60-day study. He stressed that MTPE developed technologies are leading the way to more aggressive technology development in the rest of the Agency.
Dr. Wofsy discussed the three recommendations of the Earth Systems Science Applications Advisory Committee (ESSAAC). Although Dr. Wofsy was pleased with NASA progress in addressing the first two recommendations, he was still concerned with the balance of funding between R&A and space hardware, and suggested that it be returned to what it was 4 or 5 years ago. Dr. Wofsy concluded by stating that the overall NASA response to the ESSAAC recommendations had been “vigorous and creative.”
Dr. Krimigis discussed the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization’s (BMDO) Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) and its potential applications to MTPE. The BMDO has not identified funds to operate the MSX for the remainder of this year, and Dr. Krimigis believes that the spacecraft could make observations that address both MTPE and Space Science requirements of NASA.
Dr. Hudgins conveyed the CATO Institute position that MTPE should not be reauthorized this year because: MTPE is part of NASA’s pattern of running costly, politically popular projects supported by powerful clients that receive taxpayer largess; MTPE continues to cement NASA in the mode of operation that discourages private sector development of space infrastructure; and, the MTPE mission objectives are questionable and represent “mission creep.”
Member Questions:
Congressman Cramer (D-AL) was interested in the benefits of weather forecasting. He also asked why NASA could not rely on the private sector to supply communication protocols to handle the information products from EOS. Mr. Cramer then asked Dr. Hudgins what he thought NASA should be doing. Dr. Hudgings responded that MTPE should not be reauthorized and that the Station and Shuttle programs should be canceled.
Congressman Weldon (R-FL), after disassociating himself from Dr. Hudgins’ remarks, questioned how much EOS data would be archived, and whether it would still be “interesting” when it was eventually viewed. Although substantial amounts of data would be archived, Mr. Townsend responded that there were plenty of scientists available, and interested, in processing the data. He went on to acknowledge that some people felt the R&A budget was not robust enough, and mentioned that there would be an independent study which looked at the atmospheric chemistry program end-to-end to address the appropriate balance of R&A and space hardware and data systems.
Congressman Capps (D-CA) questioned how a $200 million funding reduction would impact the MTPE program. Mr. Townsend responded that there would be a substantial delay in the full set of observation capability relative to land, water and atmosphere. Mr. Capps asked for a status on Landsat 7. Mr. Townsend commented that, despite a troubled history, the program was on schedule and budget, with launch expected in May 1998.
Congressman Lampson (D-TX) asked whether NASA could afford to have a program grow in these tight fiscal times and questioned if MTPE should be capped at a lower level.
Mr. Townsend responded that funding for the four NASA Enterprises was appropriately balanced, and that the 4% increase in funds for MTPE was necessary. In addition, Mr. Townsend indicated that as part of the last EOS review, MTPE had decided to cap EOS at $1 billion per year after 2000.
Congressman Bartlett (R-MD), who was responsible for inviting Dr. Krimigis, expressed interest in how the MSX could be of use to NASA. Dr. Krimigis described the MSX sensing capabilities and commented that the spacecraft could supplement NASA data far before EOS data is available. Mr. Townsend indicated that NASA has in place a 2-year-old MOU for MSX data acquisition. However, NASA just received initial MSX data and needed at least 3 months to analyze the data and determine its possible use.
Congresswoman Jackson Lee (D-TX) stated that NASA has been responsive to Congressional concerns expressed in years past relative to MTPE. She emphasized the value of the program, commenting that it is difficult to “hold residence” here without attempting to analyze how we may be impacting Earth systems. Ms. Jackson Lee asked Dr. Wofsy if NASA had been responsive to his concerns. Dr. Wofsy responded positively, indicating that he had been in continuing communication with NASA relative to his recommendations. Ms. Jackson Lee expressed her support for the Globe program and asked if it had stable support at $5 million. Mr. Townsend responded that funding for Globe is secure, with the consent of Congress, and mentioned that education -- teaching our children to be good stewards of the Earth -- is an important aspect of the MTPE program. Mr. Townsend offered to provide a copy of the MTPE Education Strategy.
Congressman Luther (D-MN) requested information on the cost sharing of MTPE international partners. Mr. Townsend stated that NASA has partnerships with 19 countries, and Brazil was recently added. The total international direct funding contribution is $4 billion (with Japan representing 50% of the total) through year 2000, which compares with an approximately $6 billion US contribution for the same time period. Mr. Townsend also mentioned he had recently attended an international meeting of the Committee on Earth Observing Systems (CEOS) consisting of 30 space agencies of the world to informally adopt the concept of an International Global Observing System (IGOS) which would identify measurement redundancies and gaps in global observing.
Chairman Rohrabacher (R-CA) raised a long-standing concern and asked what the MTPE uncosted carryover at the end of FY 1997 would be. Upon hearing that the uncosted balance would be $650 million, down from $765 million, the Chairman questioned what the impact of a $250 million reduction would be to the program. Mr. Townsend responded that the appropriate level of uncosted carryover for MTPE was about $400 million, but that the program could not get there right away; it would need to be a gradual process. Chairman Rohrabacher stated that MTPE was involved in things that could be done in the private sector and asked if the program was moving in this direction. Mr. Townsend responded that Stennis Space Center is doing just that and is NASA’s Lead Center for Commercial Remote Sensing. He read the major areas of responsibility for Stennis from their charter as Lead Center for Commercial Remote Sensing. Chairman Rohrabacher commented that when MTPE has proven benefits, it is important for people to see them.
Statement of
William F. Townsend
Acting Associate Administrator for Mission to Planet Earth
NASA Headquarters
before the
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
Committee on Science
House of Representatives
March 19, 1997
Since its creation in 1958, NASA has been studying the Earth and its changing environment by observing the atmosphere, oceans, land, ice, and snow, and their influence on climate and weather. We now understand that the key to gaining a better understanding of the global environment is exploring how the Earth's systems of air, land, water, and life interact with each other. This approach-called Earth System Science-blends together fields like meteorology, oceanography, biology, and atmospheric science.
In 1991, NASA initiated a comprehensive program to study the Earth as an environmental system. It is called Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE). By using satellites and other tools to intensively study the Earth, we hope to expand our understanding of how natural processes affect us, and how we might be affecting them. Such studies will yield improved weather forecasts, tools for managing agriculture and forests, information for fishermen and local planners, and, eventually, the ability to predict how the climate will change in the future.
For example, MTPE data could lead to better characterization of disaster risk from floods, droughts, and earthquakes, which would assist emergency planning agencies, urban planners, and insurers. Images of “crop greenness” could assist in the development of a new generation of farming techniques called “precision farming,” which will spur productivity by informing farmers how much water and fertilizer they should apply. Many industries will also benefit from forecasts of precipitation and temperature a season to a year in advance. The fishing industry will benefit greatly from instantaneous satellite data which will pinpoint concentration of the sea plants where large schools of fish can be found.
Mission To Planet Earth has three main components: a series of Earth-observing satellites, an advanced data system, and teams of scientists who will translate the data into new and useful understanding of fundamental science questions. Key areas of study include clouds; water and energy cycles; oceans; the chemistry of the atmosphere; land surface; water and ecosystem processes; glaciers and polar ice sheets; and the solid Earth.
Phase I of Mission To Planet Earth has been comprised of focused, free-flying satellites, Space Shuttle missions, and various airborne and ground-based studies. Phase II begins in 1998 with the launch of the first Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite. EOS is the first observing system to offer integrated measurements of the Earth's processes, and will generate a 15-year environmental database focusing on climate change. We have initiated a period of unprecedented observational capability for understanding the planet.
Just as the first weather and communications satellites fundamentally changed our way of thinking about those fields, so the elements of Mission to Planet Earth will expand our perspective of the global environment and climate. Working together with the nations of the world, we are well on our way to improving our knowledge of the Earth and using that knowledge to the benefit of all humanity.
MTPE is instituting significant changes in line with advice from the House Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. The Subcommittee asked that we work with the National Academy of Sciences to restructure MTPE and we have accomplished that and more. Twenty months ago we met with the National Academy of Sciences in LaJolla, CA, and in the following months we added a new technology development and infusion component to the program so that we could aggressively pursue those technologies with the potential to substantially reduce program cost. We have committed to developing and flying smaller instruments and spacecraft to reduce program life cycle cost. As a concrete step in that direction, with this budget we are initiating EO-1, an advanced land imager, the first in a series of New Millennium Program (NMP) technology demonstrations. NMP is an innovative program focusing on demonstration of technologies and techniques which can enable science missions of the future. NMP is a coordinated NASA-private industry activity incorporating next generation technologies such as lightweight, low cost instruments with improved performance. Recognizing that every new technology does not need to be demonstrated in space, we have also begun an Instrument Incubator Program that will test innovative technologies on the ground.
Another innovative MTPE program is the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP). ESSP capitalizes on new scientific understanding and today’s cutting-edge technologies to define a series of small, low cost, rapid-development science missions. Realizing the need to respond inexpensively to emerging science questions complementary to the existing program, we will select the first Earth Science System Pathfinders (ESSP) missions this month, which are scientist-managed from beginning to end, and will be developed quickly—in 2-3 years—and launched every year. For example, soil moisture is an emerging science question that would benefit from hydrology measurements which can also be used in agriculture, industry, and urban development. The first ESSP mission will be launched in the Spring of 2000, with a launch per year after that.
These and other important changes in Mission to Planet Earth make it a program of which we can all be proud. But to more completely understand where we are and where we are going, it is important to know where we came from. The MTPE program has evolved significantly in the past few years based on improved scientific understanding, the better-faster-cheaper challenge from Administrator Goldin, and advice of Congress.
The MTPE program has evolved substantially from its new start in 1991, both in terms of program content and budget. The costs of MTPE through 2000 have been reduced over 60%. To help reduce costs while preserving science, NASA has sought the assistance and advice of several external science and engineering communities over the years. When the Agency has been required to replan the program, we have sought to preserve the fundamental contributions of the program to global change science and its commitments to the objectives of the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Previously, we planned to fly the two very large spacecraft 3 times over 15 years; but MTPE has evolved its philosophy to use advanced technologies resulting in smaller spacecraft, some of which will fly in formation, thus eliminating the need for larger spacecraft with multiple instruments while at the same time making the program more robust and flexible. For example, development cost per spacecraft is being reduced by over one-half and development time by just under one-third. Based on these innovations, for the second series of the Earth Observing System (EOS) missions the run-out costs will be reduced by 30%.
MTPE has a comprehensive Science Plan to focus and guide our research efforts and spacecraft programs. We have developed a solid science program based on following 5 principal themes that emphasize promising scientific advances and practical benefits for the US economy:
Partnerships now play a key role in accomplishing our mission goals. MTPE has developed intensive interagency partnerships over the last few years. For example, NASA, NOAA, and DOD are working together to produce next generation weather satellites, thereby preventing the development of duplicative satellite systems. Additionally, we are working closely with our DOD and NOAA partners to work out arrangements to fly instruments that meet both research and operational requirements, thus eliminating the need to fly separate instruments. Outside the US, we have continuously expanded our international partnerships to the point that 19 countries are investing over $4.0 billion in MTPE activities. To further expand this cooperation, we are talking to non-traditional partners such as India and China. We have also developed a growing industry partnership that is based on our just-released MTPE Commercial Strategy, which will encourage the private sector to provide NASA satellite systems and data products that we have traditionally procured ourselves through spacecraft development. There is a potential for a strong Government-industry partnership for a lower-cost Synthetic Aperture Radar (LightSAR) mission. MTPE has initiated a study to determine the degree to which NASA and industry can partner such a system. We have initiated a three step process for determining potential Government involvement in a LightSAR mission. First, a Government-commercial workshop held last year recommended that NASA fund a study to determine a precise industry share for a potential LightSAR mission and, as a result, last week we selected four study teams to complete this analysis in the next eight months. If industry proposes a partnership arrangement with NASA that makes sense for a Government role, they would have an opportunity to market the data to non-Government customers. Stennis Space Center is responsible for managing the commercial applications development effort for a possible LightSAR. Second, NASA may select a SAR-type activity through ongoing solicitations in MTPE: a $50 million Science Data Purchase and the first Earth System Science Program (ESSP) missions mentioned above. Third, if LightSAR is not selected in either of these open competitions, then NASA may still pursue the project based on affordability, scientific priority, and industry cost share.
MTPE conducted a Government-industry workshop last summer to determine how NASA could form a partnership with industry that meet our scientific needs while enhancing the commercial remote sensing industry. This workshop led to the development of MTPE’s Commercial Strategy, a copy of which has been submitted for the record. Based on a great track record gained from the Commercial Remote Sensing Program, Stennis Space Center has been recently designated as NASA’s lead center for stimulating commercial remote sensing. In this role, Stennis will manage MTPE’s $50 million science data purchase, an innovative vehicle for obtaining priority scientific data without procuring spacecraft and instruments. As Lead Center, Stennis will support development of the commercial remote sensing industry and contribute to long term MTPE strategic goals, such as transferring MTPE technology to industry, when appropriate, and enhancing knowledge of commercial data applications, as well as encouraging development of a first class U.S. remote sensing infrastructure. This “new way of doing business” with U.S. companies will reduce costs and extend benefits of NASA remote sensing science and technology programs and, at the same time, promote U.S. industrial leadership in commercial remote sensing. As an example of this growing partnership, Stennis’s Commercial Remote Sensing Program is working with a Maryland company to use science data from the NASA Scatterometer for TV weather broadcasts on wind direction and its effects on weather.
But I would be remiss if I did not discuss some fundamental challenges confronting MTPE. We will overcome these challenges with persistence and vigor. One of the most serious challenges we face concerns the development of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). We began to receive indications last fall that the EOSDIS Core System (ECS), representing about a third of the overall EOSDIS system, would not be ready for its first release on schedule. The first release is a part of a series of incremental parts of the ECS that directly supports the TRMM launch. Because support of the TRMM launch was being compromised, a NASA-issued Stop Work Order to the contractor (12/27/96) for the first release, and restructured the contract to focus the ECS contractor’s entire effort on supporting Landsat-7 and EOS-AM-1, both scheduled for launch next year. We have moved aggressively to put in place a back-up plan to support the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) launch later this year. To take maximum advantage of emerging technologies and partnering arranging, we are experimenting with a commercial-Government-university “federation” partnership to prototype an innovative data system which may ultimately lead to data product development outside the Government. We will also assess other options and alternatives for EOSDIS, including accelerating the federated approach and scientist-generated data. The Biennial Review, a concept arising from this subcommittee’s advice, is a regular NASA-generated review. NASA has instituted the Biennial Review process to insure continuous evolution of MTPE. The first Biennial Review, now underway and to be completed this summer, will identify and incorporate new science and advanced technology, will tap into commercial potential, and will enhance international/interagency partnerships.
We also intend that the Biennial Review provide guidance on MTPE’s strategic direction based on improved scientific understanding and changing national science priorities, evolving new technologies, and new opportunities for partnering within the international, interagency, and commercial sectors. The National Research Council’s Committee on Global Change Research is in the process of evaluating future directions for the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Any revisions to MTPE science priorities resulting from the review will be reflected in the FY 1999 budget process. For subsequent reviews, measurement requirements will be re-evaluated in light of improved scientific understanding and changing national science priorities. The goal of the Biennial Review is to evolve the program as technologies becoming available, as new science questions emerge, and as new partnering possibilities develop. The focus of the first review will be on the flight and ground system implementation through FY 2004, and development of technology roadmaps and program architectures to support evolving science priorities, with the emphasis on the post-2000 time period. We are continuously seeking an improved strategy for achieving the goals and objectives of the MTPE Enterprise.
We are also actively considering more accelerated changes to MTPE’s data system in response to advice from the Earth System Science and Applications Advisory Committee of the NASA Advisory Council (ESSAAC). First, we are studying alternatives to the EOSDIS Core System integration functions beyond EOS-AM-1, looking at accelerating implementation of the federation, and allowing principal investigators to do more data processing according to interoperability standards. Secondly, we are closely examining possible changes to the structure of our first EOS atmospheric chemistry mission (Chem-1) by using even smaller, perhaps commercial spacecraft, and by accelerating innovative management techniques that were planned to begin during the second series of EOS. Specifically, we have asked the Principal Investigators (PI’s) for the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Principal Investigators (PI’s) to study a PI-managed mode of implementing total missions where the assumption is that these will be one customer’s perspective and thus creating previously unavailable flexibility in design. We will also ask ESSAAC to reassess atmospheric chemistry science questions and prioritize the Chem-1 measurements. In line with the last ESSAAC recommendation, we are striving for a better overall balance in MTPE to provide the taxpayer with the most science for the dollar.
In this regard, we will ask ESSAAC to review MTPE’s total approach to performing one of our five MTPE science themes, atmospheric chemistry, and recommend appropriate balance among satellite missions, in-situ observations, modeling and analysis-- as a pathfinder for achieving balance within the total MTPE program.
Another fundamental challenge facing MTPE this year involves uncosted funds for our programs. We have put in place measures designed to reduce our program’s uncosted level to a steady state level over the next few years. Uncosted funds reflect approved work that remains to be performed, but for which the costs do not accrue until after the work has occurred. It is critical to note that the vast majority of these uncosted funds have already been obligated on approved program contracts and grants. All programs have a natural, healthy level of uncosted as a result of the time lags between receiving appropriations, authorizing work and completing it, and as the result of changing plans. MTPE intends to manage the program with the goal of reducing the uncosted to a steady state level based on approximately two months of uncosted funds for flight and ground system development projects, one month of uncosted funds for mission operations, and six months of uncosted funds for research and analysis (grant-based activities). This year, in fact, we have a plan to reduce our uncosted levels by $150 million. Half way through the year, we are slightly ahead of the plan.
MTPE is not just about planning for the future, it is also about new science and applications being accomplished today. The NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) launched last August is providing unprecedented information about wind speed and direction at the ocean surface. MTPE scientists using weather forecast models with newly incorporated data from the NSCAT instrument onboard Japan's Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) are seeing significant improvements in their ability to analyze weather patterns and generate more accurate forecasts, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
A new technique to analyze existing satellite allows us to measure UV radiation at the surface over most of the globe. Solar ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth's surface has increased over large regions of the planet during the past 15 years, as the amount of total ozone in the atmosphere has decreased. The increases are largest in the middle and high latitudes, where most people live, and where the majority of the world's agricultural activity occurs.
We are measuring sea level height around the globe to an accuracy of 4-5 cm, and with our partners at NOAA we are using it to understand the formation and movement of the El Nino phenomenon across the Pacific. TOPEX/POSEIDON is providing us with the most precise measurements ever made of global mean sea-level change. The continuation of these measurements by a planned cooperative U.S.-French follow-on mission, called Jason-1, is essential to our efforts to study and predict El Niño events and to measure long-term trends in sea level and their relationship to climate change. During its first year in orbit, a NASA lightning monitoring instrument called the Optical Transient Detector has uncovered tantalizing links between space-based lightning measurements and the intensity of severe storms. Launched into Earth orbit on April 3, 1995, as part of a commercial satellite mission, the orbiting detector has produced the first high-quality images of lightning on a global scale. Using the instrument, we have determined that, in some cases, up to 20 times more lightning flashes occur within clouds than observed by ground-based networks. This is significant because lightning flash rates offer the intriguing possibility of assisting predictions of tornado formation. With our partners at USGS, we have put in place a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver network in the Los Angeles Basin to detect movements in the land surface among the complex fault structure there. Scientists have begun installing a network of 250 GPS receivers that will continuously measure the constant, yet physically imperceptible, movements of earthquake faults throughout Southern California. This information, which in many cases will be gathered and analyzed with the help of local students, may soon help researchers to better understand the character of future earthquake hazards in the greater Los Angeles area.
But the best is yet to come. This year we will see the launch of four new missions launch. Lewis and Clark, our technology demonstration partnerships with industry, will provide hyperspectral and high resolution imagery, respectively, of the land surface. Working with NASA’s Stennis Space Center, the partner companies will test the commercial market for these data. Lewis and Clark, both of which are government-industry cost-sharing partnerships, represent a new generation of low-cost spacecraft to deliver high-quality scientific and commercial data for the next decade. These new technology spacecraft are equipped with state-of-the-art instruments using advanced miniaturization technology for smaller, lighter, cheaper spacecraft components. Missions such as these will help the U.S. maintain a globally-competitive satellite industry.
SeaStar, a privately-managed satellite, will provide us data on ocean biological productivity for our research, as well as market it to the commercial fishing industry. The data will be procured by NASA as a "data buy" from a private contractor, who will build, launch, and operate the SeaStar . The principal objective for NASA is to acquire data that are critical for the study of the role of oceans, including the exchange of critical elements and gases between the atmosphere and ocean, and how these exchanges affect phytoplankton (a sea plant) production.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, a joint endeavor with Japan, will for the first time give us measurements of precipitation over the global tropics, which is a key driver of seasonal climate. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission is a joint scientific satellite project between NASA and the NASDA (the Japanese Space Agency). TRMM is scheduled for launch in late 1997. The importance of the global precipitation distribution on the biological, ecological and economic status of the planet is enormous. The distribution of the global rainfall and its transfer of energy from the tropics - toward the poles - and back, is of key importance to understanding the Earth system and its evolution. Approximately two-thirds of the global rainfall occurs within the tropics, providing a large portion of the global heat transfer and directly influencing our day-to-day weather.
Then, in 1998, the EOS era will begin in earnest with the launches of Landsat 7 and AM-1, which will make moderate resolution land imagery available to the whole breadth of scientific, commercial and public users. The twenty-two year record of data acquired by the Landsat satellites constitutes the longest continuous record of the Earth's continental surfaces. Preservation of the existing record and continuation of the Landsat capability are critical to land surface monitoring and global change research. Landsat 7 will have a unique and essential role in the realm of Earth observing satellites in orbit by the end of this decade. In addition to supporting science, the Landsat Program is committed to provide Landsat digital data to the user community in greater quantities, more quickly and at lower cost than at any previous time in the history of the program. The EOS AM-1 suite of instruments will study the property of clouds, and air-land-sea exchanges of water and energy, such as tracking fresh water resources, storms and floods, and vegetation. Canada and Japan are contributing to the AM-1 effort.
Mission to Planet Earth, while substantially a research program, is also expected to strengthen the American economy by developing new science and technologies that are essential to a broad community of civil, commercial, and national security users. With MTPE, we are in the business of improving weather and climate prediction, thereby increasing the efficiency of producing and using water, food, timber, rangeland, and other natural resources. Our scientists also are producing research results which will assist in reducing the threats that unexpected environmental changes pose to America and other nations of the world. Mission to Planet Earth is also conducting basic science technology research that enriches the American remote sensing industry.
The comprehensive “Earth System” strategy that guides the program is unique, and is only possible with today’s space-based observation technologies. The Earth’s environment is constantly changing. Unexpected changes in weather or climate are a threat to the health and welfare of America and every other nation on this planet. The insurance industry has taken a special interest in MTPE studies focusing on the changing environment because the seven largest economic losses from natural catastrophes all occurred in the last seven years. Of the seven, five are weather related: the U.S. floods of 1993, Hurricanes Andrew, Muriel, Hugo; and the European storms of 1992. The weather disasters of 1993 reduced farm income $5.2 billion in U.S. counties declared disaster areas. These counties included 61 percent of all U.S. farms specializing in cash grain. The world depends on U.S. agriculture. A serious loss in agricultural production in the U.S. grainbelt can have economic consequences to our economy and to grain markets worldwide. Increasing food prices are a common factor destabilizing social conditions in many third world countries.
The Earth’s climate may or may not be permanently changing, but we are experiencing “variability” in climate. This winter the West Coast has been hammered by snow storms, wind storms, and torrential rain. Washington, Oregon, and California have experienced devastating floods, mudslides, and damage to property. In California, the cost of flooding is nearing the $2 billion mark already, breaking the record for storm damage in the state. More than 115,000 Californians were forced from their homes. The storms’ effects may be felt for years. Levee failures may allow salt water from the ocean to seep into the lowlands of central California, degrading water quality for farming and drinking. Further north, fallen trees may prove rich feeding for bark beetles, which have already damaged millions of acres of forests. Climatologists report that a string of recent wet winters in Washington may indicate a switch to a “wetter” pattern, after nearly two decades of relatively dry winters. The switch may be caused by a cooling of the North Pacific Ocean. In California, the pattern of alternating wet and dry winters is not new. Studies of tree rings indicate that the patterns we see today have persisted for at least 300 years, but enormous benefit would accrue if we could forecast their occurrence in the same way that we can forecast daily weather.
One of the biggest obstacles to weather forecasters is a shortage of data. Weather patterns take shape over deserts, icecaps, and rainforests where data on the atmosphere are very sparse. The worst situation is over the oceans, 70% of the Earth’s surface, where detailed data are nonexistent. The Mission to Planet Earth Program has recently joined with Japan to place a revolutionary sensor in space that measures winds over the global oceans. The NASA scatterometer (NSCAT) was launched on the Japan/U.S./France ADEOS satellite in August, 1996. Scientists report that all tests to date confirm that the accuracy of the wind speed and direction measurements meets mission requirements. NSCAT data will result in fundamental improvements in weather and climate prediction models. Direct measurements will now cover the entire global ocean surface, replacing scattered ship reports and extrapolation of land data. The data are being used by NOAA for use in operational weather forecasts, storm hazard prediction, and coastal/marine advisories. NASA’s Commercial Remote Sensing Program at the Stennis Space Center is working with User Systems, Inc. of Maryland to develop commercial ocean surface wind products for TV weather broadcasts. NASA’s objective is to get this data to every customer who can benefit through a strategic alliance involving the science community and the private sector.
We can also report amazing advances in another area of ocean climate studies - measuring the height of the ocean. TOPEX-Poseidon, a joint U.S./France spacecraft, is measuring the height of the ocean surface from space with a remarkable accuracy of better than 5 centimeters. These results are three times better than the initial goal. The data on ocean height provides an entirely new perspective on global ocean dynamics. We can, for the first time, provide consistent global measurements of regional and global sea level. Sea level elevations reflect the heat content of the upper ocean, an essential component of understanding and modeling the role of the oceans in seasonal, interannual, and long-term climate changes. These data have practical consequences as well. Sea level changes in the Gulf of Mexico are being used to warn offshore oil operators of fast moving currents that pose a threat to deep drilling. Naval and commercial fleets now have direct data on wave climate conditions. We are now able to predict one year in advance El Niño weather events and the related floods and droughts that can cause billions of dollars in damage in countries around the world. In the next few years we will see major advances in seasonal climate forecasting skill which will have significant economic benefits for the insurance and natural resource industries in the area of natural hazard mitigation. Scientists will soon find ways to fuse the data from the surface height and wind measurements with sensors that measure parameters related to ocean biology. This integrated approach to ocean climate and biology will provide new tools to better judge how much food can come from the sea in coming decades. Land surface vegetation represents another gap in our understanding of weather and climate. Current weather and climate models use highly simplified characterizations of vegetation. Research in the MTPE grants program over the past several years has clearly documented that the biology of vegetation is a control valve on the movement of heat and water between the ground and the atmosphere. Heat and water are fuel for the atmospheric engine. Several experimental weather forecasts with newly developed land surface characterizations have demonstrated significant increases in skill, especially in the case of forecasting regional cloud cover, precipitation, and flooding.
Advances in genetics and agricultural science now make it possible to produce more food on less land, more efficiently than ever before. The United States is a world leader in efficient agriculture. We can now produce all the food needed to feed our population and demand for exports with at least a fifth of good farmland idle. Yet, it is clear that a new wave of “precision” agriculture techniques will continue the agricultural revolution, further decreasing demand for land, and dramatically reducing agricultural pollution. Remote sensing technologies are a central feature of the new “high-precision agriculture”. The integration of satellite mapping of soil and yield patterns with data from surface sampling of soil properties in a Geographic Information System (GIS) is leading to precise applications of fertilizer and water exactly where it is needed. Satellite Global Positioning System (GPS) data locate exact positions in the huge Midwestern grain fields, and, simultaneously provide atmospheric data. It is very likely that, in the future, we will feed the additional population on this planet using less farmland, and with less pollution of our water. The result will be a liberation of the environment for the preservation of biodiversity and other uses. We are also working with other agencies in the U.S. Global Change Research Program to provide the first ever accurate maps of regional and global vegetation. NASA provides the satellite remote sensing science, while the Department of the Interior (DOI) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide “ground truth” data, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides data processing and distribution through the EROS Data Center. These maps are needed for many purposes - forestry and rangeland management, weather and climate models, and biodiversity studies. Our pathfinder land remote sensing technologies and data systems are providing experience in handling very large volumes of data and getting results to the customer. We have established an experimental Public Access Resource Center (PARC) in the Upper Great Plains. This effort currently involves 8 universities, private industry (U.S. West provides telecommunications links), and a network of farmers. The PARC has four primary objectives: technology transfer, improved knowledge and use of space-based data, full utilization of EOS capabilities, and attraction of new customers. The most recent PARC grant will directly assist farmers in assessment of wheat quality, rangeland quality, and forecasting of grasshopper infestation density. The PARC is directly linking MTPE science to farmer needs - 70% of U.S. grain production comes from this region. This is an important step in establishing a self-sustaining, commercial remote sensing market focused on high precision agriculture.
MTPE is providing scientific and technological solutions to practical questions posed by farmers, city managers, insurance companies, and other sectors of the U.S. economy. Serving these customers will insure that the nation’s economy and environmental goals can progress together.
In conclusion, this is an exciting time for MTPE. We are producing valuable results today and we are discovering innovative science and technologies to produce an advanced program for tomorrow. I am proud to be associated with such a fine team at MTPE who are making a success of a challenging and complex mission. But we do not operate in a vacuum. Through continued good advice from our science advisory committees, industry, Congress, and our international partners, we will make great strides in the understanding of our home planet in the next few years.
NASA committed to the Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) enterprise in 1991 because of compelling scientific questions concerning the Earth and its environment. While the main objectives of Mission to Planet Earth and the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s is to understand and predict changes in the global climate, a great amount of attention has been focused on incorporating advanced technology solutions. MTPE has been reviewed by various NASA and external panels and, as a result, the MTPE enterprise has evolved to incorporate advanced technology. The program changes that I will discuss today have been put in place by Mission to Planet Earth to incorporate the most advanced and cost-effective technology into their missions whenever feasible.
The Reshape Implementation Options Study, usually referred to as the 60-day Study, examined ways MTPE could use advanced technology to design a complete space-to-ground system, including an information system that transforms data from space-based instruments to information products and ultimately generating knowledge of the Earth and the dynamic processes between the air, land, and the oceans.
First, I will discuss how NASA is incorporating advanced technology in the MTPE’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). The current information architecture is designed to handle EOS data through a set of government-operated Distributed Active Archiving Centers (DAAC’s) in which data is processed into hundreds of higher level information products. EOSDIS may transition to a “Federated” approach with scientists working in partnership with commercial information data base system providers to generate and distribute Earth science data products. To make the Federation concept viable, MTPE will exploit the next generation advancements in networks and commercial-based data transfer systems to link and further enhance development and transfer information products to researchers and universities. As the next generation Internet and information networks becomes operational, MTPE may transition to a federation concept not under the direction of the federal Government. The complexity of MTPE data sets would require a 3-5 year transitional period, since it could not be possible to turn the system over to scientists and commercial providers at the present time--the vast amounts of data which will be used by the present EOSDIS system would exceed the capacity of the present Internet system. In addition, the levels of information products created from the space-based instruments create complexity beyond the normal structured information management systems that are commercially available. At full development of EOSDIS in 2003, MTPE will be collecting more data in one month than has been collected in the last 20 years. To handle this massive amount of data, we presently have research and demonstration programs underway that will enable cost-effective innovations to the information products that MTPE will generate. Specifically, we are developing a capability to apply artificial intelligence agents to information data systems, such as using “data mining and data fusion concepts” to translate complex information into knowledge. MTPE is structuring a process to achieve full advantage of the advances in the technology of today and tomorrow.
Now, I want to move on to the second area of my discussion: the manner in which MTPE is using advanced technology in spacecraft and science instruments. A series of reviews, beginning in the Fall of 1994 with the Earth Observing System Reshape Study, produced a strategy which will provide smaller and less expensive MTPE missions by incorporating advanced technology. A fundamental aspect of this strategy reduces the time from selecting a mission to obtaining the data from that mission. This strategy maximizes MTPE’s use of the most mature and capable instrumentation available and encourages the largest number of commercial firms as competitive data providers. Most importantly, the strategy allows NASA to take full advantage of the latest possible “technology freeze” or innovations leading to the highest performance for MTPE missions at the lowest cost. As a result of this technology infusion, MTPE’s second series of Earth Observing Systems missions will save 30% in overall costs beginning in 2000. Future MTPE missions will take full advantage of advanced technologies to minimize costs, including new data system architectures for both flight and ground systems.
The MTPE program strategy was further defined in the summer of 1996 based on results from the 60-day Study. Several significant findings resulted from the study, including the recommendation to proceed with the EOS AM-1 and EOS PM-1 missions as planned, but with aggressive management and system development goals to minimize overhead costs and maintaining program schedule. Intervention to downsize or significantly modify the spacecraft was not warranted, given the timing for these missions and the investments already made in the science instruments. However, many of the strategies pioneered in the Small Explorers program have been adopted for the AM-1 and PM-1 spacecraft. The study also concluded MTPE could potentially reduce costs by procuring commercial spacecraft buses and production-based spacecraft, such as Iridium and Globalstar spacecraft systems developed by the commercial communications industry. In all cases, these commercial spacecraft require modifications to meet the power, data rate, and/or pointing requirements of advanced scientific instruments. Prequalification of spacecraft and upgrade options should permit significant savings versus the custom spacecraft systems that have been previously developed. Additional savings will most likely be realized with a new generation of instruments designed to make best use of commercial spacecraft and bus capabilities. In addition, these next generation instruments will incorporate advanced technology for miniaturization of components with reduction in mass, power, and volume. These emerging commercial spacecraft sources and advanced instrument concepts will be considered for the second and third series of MTPE’s EOS spacecraft after the turn of the century. As a result of the 60-day Study recommendation for a series of in-depth Government-industry partnership studies, MTPE has funded such studies for the Chem-1 mission, the efforts of which are to quantify the science mission needs against commercial spacecraft systems and address integration of instrument sets on single or multi-formation flying space systems, and to explore the options and limitations of using commercially derived spacecraft.
While not yet completed, these Chemistry Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) Studies are examining ways to produce less expensive spacecraft and launch vehicles, while maximizing the overall benefit to the science program. The study results will provide comprehensive insight into commercial capabilities of the U.S. aerospace industry to produce small-to-medium size spacecraft for science applications and address the integration of instruments into standard spacecraft interfaces with the goal to dramatically reduce development and operational costs. These studies are being conducted with all major commercial contractors for spacecraft systems, using the Chem-1 and EOS Laser Altimetry missions as the baseline. The studies are identifying a broad range of industry capabilities and a thorough understanding of the limitations imposed by the use of commercial spacecraft buses. No final decisions have been made regarding the implementation strategy for the Chemistry mission--several options are being considered in detail.
In addition to pursuing commercial technology solutions, MTPE will utilize the New Millennium Program to introduce new technologies into its missions. The technologies developed and validated on EO-1, the first MTPE project under the New Millennium Program, are directly applicable to future MTPE projects such as AM-2. Specific advanced concepts undertaken by EO-1 will contribute to the evolution of the MTPE program while preserving the science. In particular, the standardized bus design and data formats are the principle building block technologies which guarantee that data leaving the instrument arrives at the Principal Investigator control and science center without costly intervening processing. Other key technologies use fiber optic data networks on the spacecraft to seamlessly integrate and move science data from the space segment to the ground data system. The data could be transmitted to the ground with new antenna concepts that use high-speed, transmission rates. This very reliable, electronically steerable antenna concepts eliminate the need for complex deployment and the need to steer and point conventional antenna systems. These technologies illustrate the significant advances made possible by utilizing the New Millennium technology pipeline and underscore the importance of building technological flexibility into the MTPE implementation strategy.
The recent history of the MTPE enterprise, and the EOS missions in particular, underscores NASA’s commitment to providing answers to the scientific questions concerning global climate change and our ability to develop complex and validated models to understand and predict impacts and changes to the Earth. MTPE program management continues to seek technological solutions to provide greater program flexibility and lower overall costs. The key to achieving low-cost future missions is the development and use of industry standard interfaces to achieve “plug and play” spacecraft systems that provide a “commercial” development concept for a wide variety of mission concepts. These future systems will be highly modular and permit overall lower development and operational costs. The emphasis on new instrument concepts will ultimately lead to a seamless end-to-end data collection to information products directly to the scientist. This spacecraft network system concept will exploit the use and development of a wide range of commercially available spacecraft and components at low cost. The new information system designs will minimize the cost of delivering data and information distribution systems to both the science community and new commercial providers. NASA will continue to work with industry to ensure that we develop the right, commercially available technology to incorporate into MTPE flight and data systems.
Based on NASA’s new emphasis on research and development, Mission to Planet Earth management is working closely with the NASA Chief Technologist’s Office to incorporate a new technology strategy encompassing an end-to-end, space to ground to data distribution approach that balances science with advanced technology. Recognizing this change in focus, MTPE has added a technology member to the Earth System Science and Applications Advisory Committee (ESSAAC) to collaborate with the science members to ensure a coherent insertion of advanced technology in MTPE’s science-based program.