NASA’s PACE mission scheduled for 2024, seeks to uncover the enigmas of Earth’s atmosphere
NASA is preparing to launch the PACE mission in 2024, which aims to improve our knowledge of Earth’s atmosphere. The mission will utilize advanced polarimeters to investigate the relationship between light, aerosols, and clouds, providing a better understanding of their effects on air quality and climate. Despite their small size, aerosols such as smoke, dust, and pollutants have a significant impact on our climate by absorbing and scattering sunlight, ultimately determining the amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth’s surface.
PACE’s Ocean Color Instrument (OCI)
The PACE mission not only analyzes aerosols, but also studies the color of the ocean. The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), PACE’s primary science instrument, is designed to measure ocean color from the ultraviolet to the short-wave infrared spectrum.
Advanced polarimeters: Collaborative insights into breakthrough discoveries
In addition, PACE includes two polarimeters – the Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration (SPEXone) and the Hyper Angular Research Polarimeter (HARP2). NASA explains that the collaboration between SPEXone and HARP2 provides complementary spectral and angular sampling, polarimetric accuracy and spatial coverage.
The goal of this combined effort is to provide improved atmospheric correction and a comprehensive set of aerosol and cloud science data beyond what OCI can achieve alone. NASA expects significant breakthroughs in aerosol-cloud-ocean research through the synergistic payload of OCI, SPEXone, and HARP2.
Milestones on PACE’s Journey: From Goddard Space Flight Center to Kennedy Space Center
Earlier on Tuesday, November 14, NASA’s PACE spacecraft arrived at the Astrotech Spacecraft Operations facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after completing its journey from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Engineers and technicians arrived before the spacecraft to prepare ground equipment for disassembly and handling prior to refueling and final encapsulation. The PACE project is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and the agency’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for managing the launch service for the PACE mission.
