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National Aeronautics and Space Administration The Earth Observer. March - April 2008. Volume 20, Issue 2. Editor’s Corner Michael King EOS Senior Project Scientist I’m happy to report that The Earth Observer is beginning its 20th year as a NASA publication. The first issue was released in March 1989, and from the beginning, it has been dedicated to keeping our readers abreast of the latest developments in the Earth Observing System (EOS) program. I have been pleased to serve as EOS Senior Project Scientist since September 1992, and thus have been around for most of The Earth Observer’s 20-year history. It has been my privilege to work with a wide variety of talented individuals over the years who have made contributions to the publication as authors, designers, editors, etc. The names are too many to list, but I would particularly like to recognize the members of the current EOS Project Science Office who are involved. Alan Ward (Executive Editor) and Charlotte Griner (former Executive Editor) thoroughly review the content of every issue and are constantly on the lookout for interesting articles for future issues. Tim Suttles, and Chris Chris- sotimos also serve as Technical Editors and review each issue. Debbi McLean does the layout of the newsletter and handles the production of each issue. Cindy Trapp and Leon Middleton help with the distribution of each issue. Steve Graham maintains a database that keeps track of over 6000 subscribers. PDFs of every issue from 1995 to the present are posted on the EOS Project Science Office website that Maura Tokay maintains—eospso. gsfc.nasa.gov/eos_homepage/for_scientists/earth_observer.php. (Archived hard copies of all issues are also on file in the EOSPSO library.) The publication is and always has been a true team effort from start to finish. To the current staff and to every individual that has contributed to making The Earth Observer such a top-notch publication for so many years, I say: “Congratulations and keep up the outstanding work!” On page 4 of this issue our Executive Editor has written an article sharing his perspective on The Earth Observer’s important role in compiling a written history of the EOS program and its ongoing role in communicating news about the pro- continued on page 2 A model of Explorer 1, held by JPL’s Director William Picker- ing, scientist James Van Allen and rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun (from left to right). America’s first satellite, Explorer 1 had launched a few hours before, on January 31, 1958, at 10:48 p.m. EST. Credit: NASA the earth observer www.nasa.gov 02 The Earth Observer March - April 2008 Volume 20, Issue 2 employment at NASA as a science writer on the Moder- eos.nasa.gov ate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Administrative Support Team. In 1997, Yoram Kauf- man promoted Herring to the role of Terra Outreach In This Issue Coordinator, and it was under Kaufman’s leadership that Herring founded NASA’s Earth Observatory (earthob- Editor’s Corner Front Cover servatory.nasa.gov) in April 1999. He also spearheaded development of a family of related sites that have grown Feature Articles up around the Earth Observatory. Herring’s team has The Earth Observer: 20 Years garnered numerous awards, including two NASA Group Chronicling the History of Achievement Awards, citations by Scientific American the EOS Program 04 and Popular Science, and three prestigious Webby Award Christmas Among Crevasses: How a nominations. In 2006, Herring was awarded the NASA Goddard Scientist Spent His Exceptional Achievement Medal. He attributes the Holiday Season 10 success of The Earth Observatory and related sites to Getting at Groundwater with Gravity 22 the excellent core team based at Goddard—which will Urban Growth and Its Impact on the remain intact after his departure—that has been guided Terrestrial Environment 26 and nurtured by the outstanding ideas and stunning Freeing Clouds from Their Cages: data contributions from across the entire NASA Earth editor's corner The Cloud Object Approach to Science community. Satellite Data Analysis 30 Meeting/Workshop Summaries Herring was a civil servant in his last three years at Landsat Science Team Meeting NASA, reporting to Michael Seablom within the Soft- Summary 35 ware Integration and Visualization Office (SIVO), as the ASTER Science Team Meeting Report 41 Goddard Earth Sciences Division’s Project Manager for Ocean Vector Wind Science Team Education and Public Outreach. In that time, he com- Meeting Report 46 pleted a 7-month detail as Outreach Program Manager SORCE 5-Year Anniversary Science in the Earth Sciences Division at NASA Headquarters. I Team Meeting 49 wish Herring well in his new endeavor and look forward 2007 Lille A-Train Symposium to working with him in his new capacity at NOAA. Summary 58 In The News I’m also pleased to report that on February 4, NASA 2007 Was Tied as Earth’s Second- announced the start of the Soil Moisture Active-Passive Warmest Year 60 (SMAP) and the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-II Ocean-Observing Satellites Help (ICESat-II) missions. SMAP will provide high-resolution Break Current Records 61 global maps of soil moisture for early warning of droughts, improved weather and climate forecasts, and predictions of Regular Features agricultural productivity. ICESat-II will precisely measure EOS Scientists in the News 62 the heights of ice sheets and sea-ice thickness, and provide NASA Science Mission Directorate— estimates of above-ground forest and vegetation biomass. Science Education Update 64 These two missions were top priorities of the National Science Calendars 67 Research Council’s Decadal Survey of Earth Science and The Earth ObserverInformation/Inquiries Applications from Space, which was issued in 2007. SMAP Back Cover is being planned for a launch in 2012, followed by the launch of ICESat-II in 2015. gram to our readers. As the year progresses, we will try to bring you additional perspectives on 20 years of The The President’s FY’09 budget request provides $570 Earth Observer and on the life of EOS from people who million over the next five years for the development of were there from the beginning. the many Decadal Survey recommendations, including SMAP and ICESat-II, conducting early development On March 21, David Herring accepted an offer from work on three or more additional Decadal Survey mis- NOAA to serve as Communications Program Admin- sions, and initiating some smaller Venture class activities. istrator within their Climate Program Office based in It also continues funding for the Ocean Surface Topog- Silver Spring, MD. Herring has a long history with raphy Mission (OSTM), Orbiting Carbon Observa- the EOS Program, having worked at Goddard Space tory (OCO), Glory, Aquarius, National Polar-orbiting Flight Center since June 1992, and serving for most Operational Environmental Satellite Preparatory Project of that time as a contractor with Science Systems and (NPP), Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), and Applications Incorporated (SSAI). Herring began his Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, all The Earth Observer March - April 2008 Volume 20, Issue 2 03 scheduled for launch between 2008 and 2014. The bud- Finally, I would like to announce that I will be retiring get also provides funds for operation and data produc- from NASA after 30 years of service, the last 15 ½ years tion of 13 on-orbit missions in their prime or extended as EOS Senior Project Scientist, during which time I phases, and transfers funding for studies of Near-Earth had the good fortune to work with an extraordinary ar- Objects and the Education and Outreach Program into ray of scientists from the emerging field of Earth system the Earth Science Research Program. I consider these science, including terrestrial ecologists, atmospheric developments encouraging signs for the future of Earth scientists, physical and biological oceanographers, science and opportunities to build on the legacy of the hydrologists, cryosphere scientists, and countless other Earth Observing System. scientists, engineers, visualizers, science writers, and data system specialists, who have shared my passion in January 31, 2008 marked the 50th Anniversary of the quantitative observation, monitoring, and exploration of very first U.S. satellite launch. Following the launch Earth from space. Through this period of development, of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, restructuring, budget reviews, scrutiny of Congress the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency was directed to and the Administration, and technical challenges from launch a satellite using its Jupiter C rocket developed rocketry to instrument development, we have managed under the direction of German scientist Werner von to develop a premier Earth observing system that con- Braun, who surrendered to the U.S. at the end of World tinues to provide scientific observations of importance War II. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) received to people the world over. We have not done this alone, the assignment to design, build and operate the artificial as many of our 10 EOS satellites launched over the satellite called Explorer 1 that would serve as the rocket’s past 10 years have involved instruments or spacecraft of editor's corner payload. JPL completed this job in less than three partners from Canada, Russia, Japan, France, the United months—talk about quick delivery! Kingdom, Brazil, the Netherlands, and others. Though I will be leaving NASA at this time, I will continue my The primary science instrument on Explorer 1 was a career as a senior research scientist in the Laboratory for cosmic ray detector designed to measure the radiation Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University environment in Earth orbit. Once in space this experi- of Colorado, and will continue my close association ment, provided by James Van Allen of the University with EOS through participation in the MODIS Sci- of Iowa, revealed a much lower cosmic ray count than ence Team on Terra and Aqua, as well as countless field expected.
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