Life after launch: a snapshot of the first six months of NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission

P. Jeremy Werdell; Bryan Franz; Carina Poulin; James Allen; Brian Cairns; Skyelar Caplan; Ivona Cetinić; Susanne Craig; Meng Gao; Otto Hasekamp; Amir Ibrahim; Kirk Knobelspiesse; Antonio Mannino; J. Vanderlei Martins; Lachlan McKinna; Gerhard Meister; Frederick Patt; Christopher Proctor; Chamara Rajapakshe; Inia Soto Ramos; Jeroen Rietjens; Andrew Sayer; Emerson Sirk

doi:10.1117/12.3033830

20 November 2024 Life after launch: a snapshot of the first six months of NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission

P. Jeremy Werdell, Bryan Franz, Carina Poulin, James Allen, Brian Cairns, Skyelar Caplan, Ivona Cetinić, Susanne Craig, Meng Gao, Otto Hasekamp, Amir Ibrahim, Kirk Knobelspiesse, Antonio Mannino, J. Vanderlei Martins, Lachlan McKinna, Gerhard Meister, Frederick Patt, Christopher Proctor, Chamara Rajapakshe, Inia Soto Ramos, Jeroen Rietjens, Andrew Sayer, Emerson Sirk

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13192, Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites XXVIII; 131920E (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3033830
Event: Remote Sensing, 2024, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

The NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in the early morning of February 8, 2024. Just 63 days later, data from NASA’s newest Earth-observing satellite became available to the public. These data will extend and improve upon NASA’s 20+ years of global satellite observation of our living oceans, atmospheric aerosols, and cloud and initiate an advanced set of climate-relevant data records. Ultimately, PACE is the first mission to provide daily, global measurements that will enable prediction of the “boom-bust” cycle of fisheries, the appearance of harmful algae, and other factors that affect commercial and recreational industries. PACE also observes clouds and tiny airborne particles known as aerosols that influence air quality and absorb and reflect sunlight, thus warming and cooling the atmosphere. In the months since launch and initial data release, the PACE Project pursued instrument temporal and system vicarious calibrations, executed cross-instrument comparisons, conducted performance assessments, explored synergies with other missions, and released advanced science data products. In parallel, the PACE Validation Science Team left for the field and the Post-launch Airborne eXperiment (PACE-PAX) prepared for its mission. And, most importantly, preliminary science results were realized. Here, we present a snapshot of these activities and their impacts and outcomes, encompassing the first half year of the PACE mission.

Conference Presentation

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

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P. Jeremy Werdell, Bryan Franz, Carina Poulin, James Allen, Brian Cairns, Skyelar Caplan, Ivona Cetinić, Susanne Craig, Meng Gao, Otto Hasekamp, Amir Ibrahim, Kirk Knobelspiesse, Antonio Mannino, J. Vanderlei Martins, Lachlan McKinna, Gerhard Meister, Frederick Patt, Christopher Proctor, Chamara Rajapakshe, Inia Soto Ramos, Jeroen Rietjens, Andrew Sayer, and Emerson Sirk "Life after launch: a snapshot of the first six months of NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission", Proc. SPIE 13192, Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites XXVIII, 131920E (20 November 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3033830

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