Abstract:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a major contributor to global knowledge of the Earth's environment. Its scientific infrastructure includes almost two dozen satellite missions; surface and airborne observational platforms that enable calibration and validation of remotely sensed imagery; and computing systems for data processing, storage, research, and analysis. Rigorous quality assurance standards ensure delivery of high-quality data to the scientific community for Earth systems science research and application. This working paper presents a summary of NASA activities during the last twelve months that may be of interest to Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS) members. It includes highlights of NASA's ongoing work with partners, including its support for the expansion of the global in situ ground networks, recent airborne field campaigns, research results, tools, and datasets that allow the scientific community reliably track changes to the Earth system.