OBSERVING EARTH VIA SATELLITE

Abstract

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT needs to fund 17 new Earth-observing satellite missions over the next decade, says a two-year study from the National Research Council. Without increased funding for such missions, the report warns, critical data on climate change, hurricanes, winds, polar ice, and shifting patterns of drought and rainfall will not be available. Prepared by a panel of more than 100 earth scientists, the NRC report sets priorities for the next decade for Earth observation projects at NASA and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). At a time when it's never been more important to observe and understand the Earth in all its aspects and to apply this understanding for the benefit of society, the number of Earth-observing instruments on NASA satellites will fall 40% by 2010 unless something is done to reverse the trend, says report cochair Richard A. Anthes, president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. The general investments in earth ...