Innovative Technologies Contributing to Future Earth Science CapabilitiesPresented to: Working Group on Space-Based Lidar Winds

June 17, 2009 George J. Komar

Associate Director/Program Manager

Earth Science Technology Office

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Earth Science Division Overview

– Overarching goal: to advance Earth System science, including climate studies, through spaceborne data acquisition, research and analysis, and predictive modeling

– Six major activities:• Building and operating Earth observing satellite missions, many with

international and interagency partners• Making high-quality data products available to the broad science

community• Conducting and sponsoring cutting-edge research in 6 thematic focus

areas– Field campaigns to complement satellite measurements– Modeling– Analyses of non-NASA mission data

• Applied Science • Developing technologies to improve Earth observation capabilities• Education and Public Outreach

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– Enable previously unforeseen or infeasible science investigations

• Far infrared Spectroscopy of the Troposphere (FIRST) - first ever complete infrared emission spectrum of the Earth (key data for global change studies)

• Gravity gradiometer - for measurements of the sub-surface structure of the solid and fluid Earth

– Enhance existing measurement or operational capabilities

• New, radiation tolerant low-power transceiver• Electronic design tools accelerate design and analysis of Field

Programmable Gate Arrays

– Reduce cost, risk, or development times

• Mass and size reductions (AIRS-Light, MISR-2)

Why Do Technology?

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Approach to Technology Development

Science driven, competed, actively managed, dynamically communicated

Competitive, peer-reviewed proposals enable selection of best-of-class technology investments

Risks are retired before major dollars are invested: a cost-effective approach to technology development and validation

This approach has resulted in:

• a portfolio of emerging technologies that will enhance and/or enable future science measurements

• a growing number of infusion successes: - technologies are infused into: science campaigns, instruments,

ground systems and missions

- infusion is by competitive selection by science investigators or mission managers, not the technology program

NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey Missions

Tier I Tier II Tier III

Climate Absolute Radiance and

Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO)

Ice, Cloud,and land Elevation

Satellite II (ICESat-II)

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)

Deformation, Ecosystem Structure and Dynamics of Ice (DESDynI)

Gravity Recovery and Climate

Experiment - II (GRACE - II)

Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HYSPIRI)

Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions

(ASCENDS)

Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT)

Geostationary Coastal and Air

Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE)

Aerosol - Cloud - Ecosystems (ACE)

LIDAR Surface Topography

(LIST)

Precipitation and All-Weather Temperature and Humidity (PATH)

Snow and Cold Land Processes (SCLP)

Three-Dimensional Winds from Space Lidar (3D-Winds)

Global Atmospheric Composition Mission (GACM)

NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey Missions Using Lasers

Tier I Tier II Tier III

Climate Absolute Radiance and

Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO)

Ice, Cloud,and land Elevation

Satellite II (ICESat-II)

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)

Deformation, Ecosystem Structure and Dynamics of Ice (DESDynI)

Gravity Recovery and Climate

Experiment - II (GRACE - II)

Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HYSPIRI)

Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions

(ASCENDS)

Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT)

Geostationary Coastal and Air

Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE)

Aerosol - Cloud - Ecosystems (ACE)

LIDAR Surface Topography

(LIST)

Precipitation and All-Weather Temperature and Humidity (PATH)

Snow and Cold Land Processes (SCLP)

Three-Dimensional Winds from Space Lidar (3D-Winds)

Global Atmospheric Composition Mission (GACM)

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Examples of ESTO Investments:Lasers

Tier I

CLARREOFar-infrared spectrometerUV-SWIR spectrometer

Tier II Tier III

HyspIRI

Thermal IR spectrometers

LISTHigh rep-rate lasersSwath-imaging laser altimeter

SMAPL-band radiometer/radarRFI mitigation

ICESat-IIOne micron laser technologyDiode life testing

DESDynIL-band InSAR & T/R modulesLaser beam steering

ASCENDSCO2 SounderFiber-based lasers

SWOTKa-band interferometric SARKu and Ka-band downconverters

GEO-CAPEUV-Vis-NIR spectrometersIR mapping spectrometer

ACEMulti-angle polarimeter High spectral resolution lidar Dual-frequency radar Ocean color spectrometer

PATH2-D thinned array sounderHi-freq. MMIC receivers

GRACE-IILaser range transceiverFrequency-stabilized lasers

SCLPKu-band MMIC T/R modulesOnboard SAR processor

GACMUV-Vis-IR spectrometersScanning microwave sounder

3D-Winds

UV direct detection and two micron coherent instruments

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Examples of ESTO Investments:Lasers

CO2 Laser Sounder for the ASCENDS Mission- Abshire, NASA GSFC

DAWN: Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (3D-Winds Mission)

- Kavaya, NASA LaRCEfficient Swath Mapping Laser

Altimetry (LIST Mission) - Yu, NASA GSFC

Technologies for a Combined HSRL and O3 DIAL (ACE Mission)- Hostetler, NASA LaRC

Science

Technology

Future

LRRP

DAWN

NRC Decadal Survey3-D Winds Space Mission

Funded Projects

Roadmap to 3-D Winds Space Mission

IPP

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ATIP

DAWN-AIR1

DAWN-AIR2

GRIP Hurricane Campaign

Aircraft Science Flights

98 01

08

1008

0806

0902

0908

1109

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Ground Intercomparison

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1210

2215

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ESTO$2.9M

ESTO$1M

ESTO$40M

ESTO$1.5M

ESD$0.5M

ESD$1M

ESD$0.3M

ESD$0.6M

ESD$200M

Current

CurrentPast

Technology

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New Mission Classes (ESD)

“Foundational”Glory (1/2010)Aquarius (5/2010)NPP (1-6/2010)LDCM (12/2012) (w/o TIRS)GPM (7/2013, 11/2015)

“National Needs”Carbon Recovery (vice-OCO)TIRS (LDCM or free-flyer)DSCOVRSAGE-IIIGIFTS

“Decadal Survey”Venture-Class (2009, 2011, …)SMAP (3/2014)ICESAT-II (2015)CLARREO DESDynI (SAR, LIDAR)Tier-2 (5 missions)Tier-3 (6 missions)

“Climate/Operational”• Vector Winds (vice QuikSCAT)• Space Weather (vice ACE)• Ocean color, Aerosols (vice MODIS)• Nadir Altimetry (vice OSTM/Jason-2)• GPSRO• Broad-band Radiation Bud.(CERES)• “R 2 O” infusion …

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- Active Remote Sensing Technologies to enable atmospheric, cryospheric and earth surface measurements

- Large Deployables to enable future weather/climate/ natural hazards measurements

- Intelligent Distributed Systems using advanced communication, on-board reprogrammable processors, autonomous network control, data compression, high density storage

- Information Knowledge Capture through 3-D visualization, holographic memory and seamlessly linked models.

Earth Science Technology Challanges

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Conclusions and Current Status

• Currently funded technologies are providing state-of-the-art instruments, components, and information systems capabilities for a wide range of Earth science measurements.

• New awards for instrument, component, and information system technologies are being selected by NASA. These technologies will provide new capabilities that will enable the Earth Science Decadal Survey missions.

• Active remote sensing systems are a major and substantial key to the future success of Earth Science advances.

http://esto.nasa.gov

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