TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: PACE is a NASA mission scheduled to launch no earlier than Feb. 6, 2024, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
EXPLANATION:
WHAT IS PACE?
- PACE is NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission, currently in the design phase of mission development.
- It is scheduled to launch in 2024, extending and improving NASA’s over 20-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere), and clouds.
- PACE will advance the assessment of ocean health by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae that sustain the marine food web.
- It will also continue systematic records of key atmospheric variables associated with air quality and Earth’s climate.
PACE has two fundamental science goals:
- To extend key systematic ocean colour, aerosol, and cloud data records for Earth system and climate studies.
- To address new and emerging science questions using its advanced instruments, surpassing the capabilities of previous and current missions.
Observatory
- Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is responsible for the principal mission elements, including the design and fabrication of the spacecraft, development of scientific instrumentation.
- The Development Team at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) will guide PACE through each phase as the instruments, spacecraft, and observatory are built, tested, and flown.
Observatory Overview |
|
Mass with fuel | Not to exceed 1700 kg (3748 lb) |
Dimensions | 1.5 m x 1.5 m x 3.2 m (4.9 ft x 4.9 ft x 10.5 ft) |
Power | 1000 Watts |
Communications | S-Band – Command & Telemetry Ka-Band – Science Data |
INSTRUMENTS:
- The primary science instruments planned for PACE are:
- Ocean Colour Instrument (OCI):
- Spectrometer used to measure intensity of light over portions of the electromagnetic spectrum: ultraviolet (UV), visible, near infrared, and several shortwave infrared bands.
- The OCI will enable continuous measurement of light at finer wavelength resolution than previous NASA ocean colour sensors, providing detailed information on our global ocean.
- The colour of the ocean is determined by the interaction of sunlight with substances or particles present in seawater such as chlorophyll, a green photosynthetic pigment found in phytoplankton and land plants.
- Multi-angle Polarimeters:
- Radiometers used to measure how the oscillation of sunlight within a geometric plane – known as its polarization – is changed by passing through clouds, aerosols, and the ocean.
- Measuring polarization states of UV-to-shortwave light at various angles provides detailed information on the atmosphere and ocean, such as particle size and composition.
- Combined, these instruments will be a major advance in satellite observing technology, allowing for new opportunities to monitor and respond to changes in our ecosystem, and the ways in which the atmosphere and ocean interact.
- Ocean Colour Instrument (OCI):
Related posts
Three-Parent Babies: Understanding the Science, Techniques, and Implications
Black Holes: Understanding Their Formation, Role in Galaxies, and the Science of Gravitational Waves
Stem Cell Therapy: An In-Depth Exploration of Techniques, Applications, and Future Prospects