TRMM is an international mission dedicated to measuring
tropical and subtropical rainfall, one of the most important and least-known
parameters affecting the global climate system. The latent heat released
by this rainfall plays a major role in the global atmospheric circulation
and the energy budget. TRMM will provide long-term data sets of rainfall
and energy budget measurements which will be used to better understand
global climate changes and their mechanisms. The large spatial and temporal
variations in tropical rain make it particularly difficult to measure from
the Earth's surface, and TRMM will provide measurement accuracies possible
only from an orbiting platform. The spacecraft and four instruments were
provided by the U.S., while Japan provided one instrument and launch
services.
TRMM was launched on Thanksgiving Day in 1997.
TRMM website
TRMM fact sheet
Terra (EOS AM-1)
The science objectives of the Terra mission are to begin
the continuous, long-term, calibrated measurements of global processes
to improve understanding of the following: the role of clouds and aerosols
in Earth radiation budget; sources and sinks of energy, water, and carbon
in the terrestrial biosphere; terrestrial ecosystem dynamics and their
links to climate; sea surface temperature and ocean primary productivity;
tropospheric carbon monoxide and methane concentrations; and volcanology and geology.
The Terra satellite was launched on December 18, 1999.
Terra (EOS-AM) website
EOS-AM VRML model
EOS Aqua (PM-1)
The Earth Observing System Aqua (formerly EOS PM) will help to provide enviromental answers. Flying in an orbit that covers the globe every 16 days, EOS Aqua will provide a six year chronology of the planet and its processes. Comprehensive measurements taken by its onboard instruments will allow scientists to assess long-term change, identify its human and natural causes and advance the development of models for long-term forecasting. Aqua launched on May 4, 2002.
EOS Aqua website
A picture of the CERES instruments
More information on satellites:
Satellite fact sheet
Earth Observing Satellities
