NASA Primes New Satellite to Study Earth's Climate

NASA is preparing to launch its newest satellite that will monitor how the sun and tiny particles in Earth's atmosphere, called aerosols, affect the planet's climate.

Scientists hope the new Glory satellite, which launches this month, will address key uncertainties in climate research by enriching scientists' understanding of manmade and natural aerosol contributions to global climate change. The satellite's onboard instruments will also collect data to enhance scientific models, and could help paint a clearer picture of the causes and consequences of climate change.

"Glory is going to help scientists tackle one of the major uncertainties in climate change predictions identified by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: the influence of aerosols on the energy balance of our planet," said Michael Freilich, director of the Earth Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.


"This mission also marks the first satellite launch under President Obama's climate initiative that will advance the United States' contribution to cutting-edge and policy-relevant climate change science," Freilich said.

http://www.space.com/10797-nasa-glory-satellite-earth-climate.html