NASA Headquarters Update

1. NASA Headquarters Update Ramesh Kakar Aqua Program Scientist June 25, 2009

2. Program Update • AMSR-E working well with minor glitches • Adequate fuel on-board for potential Aqua operation beyond 2015 End of Prime Mission Review for the Aqua satellite was held in December, 2008 – no surprises Being an extended mission, the Aqua satellite is recently went through a “senior review” All grantees should submit Progress Report early to avoid interruption in funding 2

3. Current HQ Priorities • Earth Science Operating Missions – Senior Review • Missions in Formulation and Development • Decadal Survey Missions • Hurricane Field Experiment

4. 1st time in Senior Review New mission NASA Operating Research Missions

5. Operating Missions • OSTM Was launched June 2008 • CloudSat, SORCE, and Aqua all completed their primary missions and transitioned into extended mission operations • All missions continue in normal operating mode, with expected normal “wear & tear” showing on them • Significant anomalies during CY2008 included • Failure of ICESat Laser unit #3 in November • Loss of redundant Power Control Unit on QuikSCAT in November • Increasing timing faults on CALIPSO laser, corrected with S/W • We will conduct our third annual Senior Review of our operating missions in April 2009

6. GLORY 10/2009 (TBR) AQUARIUS 5/2010 NPP 12/2010 (TBR) ICESat-II 2014/2015 Still Pre-formulation LDCM 12/2012 GPM 7/2013, 11/2014 SMAP 2013 (TBR) Missions in Formulation and Development

7. Earth Science Missions in Formulation and Development 1 Represents International Partnership 2 Represents Interagency Partnership

8. Transition experienced in CY2008 Transition expected in CY2009 Earth Science Missions in the Life Cycle ICESat II CLARREO DESDynI SWOT ACE HyspIRI GEO-CAPE ASCENDS SMAP GPM LDCM NPP Glory Aquarius OCO Prime: Aura CALIPSO OSTM Extended: TRMM QuikSCAT Terra ACRIMSAT NMP EO-1 Jason GRACE Aqua ICESat CloudSat SORCE NOAA Reimbursable activities TSIS CERES FM6 GOES-R NOAA N’ GOES-O GOES-P

9. Decadal Survey Missions Next Generation Plus: Venture Class Freilich

10. NASA Near-Term Missions (4/15 total)

11. ESD Decadal Survey Mission Development Approach • Conduct the studies in an integrated fashion, led by the Program Scientist and Program Executive and coordinating across multiple levels within the Earth Science Community

12. Management and Budget Allocations • We are doing Tier 1 missions first • Of the Tier 1, SMAP and ICESat II were identified as the first two missions because of technology and mission concept maturity • CLARREO and DESDynI will be the next two following ICESat II and SMAP • We will fund the Tier 2 missions at a lower level, but still significant level. • All five tier 2 missions currently are funded at an equal level, as we assess their mission readiness. • At the end of FY09 we will make the initial sequencing of the Tier 2 missions • The available funding for FY10 and beyond will strongly influence this prioritization.

13. Implementation of Venture Mission Line • Venture will address exploratory science and open to all science areas (not the “named” missions that are covered by the Earth Systematic Missions program) • Venture Class will include the following programmatic features: • Yearly calls as recommended by the NRC decadal survey • AO driven, competitively selected, PI-led projects, with science potentially be open to all earth science themes • Optimal mix of sub-orbital, instrument and orbital mission opportunities, alternating between orbital and sub-orbital for yearly calls • Multiple sub-orbital awards executed within same yearly budget • Completion schedule required in less than 5 years from award • Projects will be cost capped • Key Decision Points will gauge performance and continued funding • Space-based calls will allow possible overlaps with decadal survey strategic missions, if they meet the other criteria (innovation, cost, schedule and science driven) Current budget indicates a first orbital launch of NET 2014, but we are developing the AO to be ready for release in FY2009.

14. NASA DC-8 NASA Hurricane Field Experiments Field programs coordinated with NOAA/Hurricane Research Division 1998 2001 2005 2006 2010 (GRIP logo tbd) NASA GH

15. GRIP: (Hurricane) Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes Field Experiment • Global Hawk (UAV) (240 hours) • Radar, Microwave Radiometers, Dropsondes, Electric Field • Geosynchronous Orbit Simulation • DC-8 four engine jet (120 hours) • Dual frequency precipitation radar, Microwave radiometer • Dropsondes, Variety of microphysics probes • Lidars for 3-D Winds and for high vertical resolution measurements of aerosols and water vapor • In-situ measurements of temperature, moisture and aerosols • Six to Eight week deployment centered on September 1, 2010 Blue line: DC-8 range for 12-h flight, 6 h on station Red lines: GH range for 30-h flight with 15 and 22.5 h on station Light blue X: Genesis locations for 1940-2006

16. 15 km 14 km 13 km 12 km 11 km 10 km 9 km 8 km 7 km 6 km 5 km 4 km 3 km 2 km Warm Core HAMSR Microwave Sounder on Global Hawk Monitor real-time evolution of tropical cyclones Thermodynamic and convective structure Risk reduction for decadal-survey “PATH” mission New receiver technology • 183 GHz receiver upgraded with LNA developed under ESTO/ACT • Noise reduced by an order of magnitude • Defines new state-of-the art HAMSR on Global Hawk • Funded under AITT • Ready for test flights fall 2009 • Ready for field deployment 2010 New science/algorithms • Radar-like observations • 3D structure of convection • Enables new investigations Noise reduced from 2 K to 0.2 K 3D reflectivity, Hurricane Emily (2005)