NASA's Mission Aqua

The ISS Mission Aqua plays a vital role in our awareness of Earth's water cycle. In fact, the name of the mission itself, Aqua, means water in Latin. NASA's Aqua mission uses a satellite to gather data on the different forms of water on the Earth, including oceans, glaciers and clouds.
 
By analyzing the information Aqua collects, scientists hope to be able to observe:
  • small atmospheric particles and radiation
  • vegetation growth on land
  • whether or not glaciers are melting more quickly than they have in the past
  • whether or not water levels are rising.
Scientists also hope to get enough information from Aqua to prove or disprove the Iris Hypothesis, which was first proposed by Richard Lindzen in 2001.
 
According to Lindzen's Iris Hypothesis, if the sea surface temperature increases in the tropics, then fewer cirrus clouds will form. With less cirrus clouds, more radiation will leak into the atmosphere, which may cool the planet and reduce global warming concerns. However, researchers are still currently working on proving or disproving Lindzen's theory.

Aqua Partners

The Aqua satellite is a joint project between Brazil, Japan and the United States. The Brazilian Institute for Space Research provides a humidity-measuring instrument that looks at the moisture levels of four different levels of the atmosphere, even when conditions are cloudy.

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (JAXA) provides an Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth observation that is known informally as AMSR-E. This instrument gathers and records data on:

  • clouds
  • ice formations and their respective sizes
  • moisture levels in the ground
  • precipitation
  • the temperature of the oceans' surfaces
  • water vapor
  • wind speed.

U.S. and NASA Contributions to Aqua

The United States plays the biggest role in the Aqua Mission by providing the satellite itself, as well as the following other essential instruments:
  • The Atmospheric Instrument Sounder (AIRS) measures air temperature and humidity levels on five different segments of the atmosphere. Its purpose is to help improve weather forecasting and to help scientists understand the way the climate works.

  • The Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) is necessary for the AIRS to get the sensitive readings it needs on Aqua. The AMSU specifically measures data that describes the temperature of the atmosphere.

  • The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is on both the Terra and Aqua satellites. The MODIS gathers information related to water on land, in oceans and in the atmosphere. In addition to measuring snow and ice cover, the MODIS also looks at ocean color and surface temperature. Other functions of MODIS include gathering data related to land fires, volcanoes and aerosols in Earth's atmosphere.

  • The Aqua satellite has two Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments. Their purpose is to measure how much heat the Earth's surface emits into space.
The Aqua launched into space, piggybacking on a rocket, from the Vanderberg Air Force Base in California on May 4, 2002. By June 17, 2002, after six ascent burns, the Aqua reached its orbiting height of about 438 miles above the Earth. It now travels from pole to pole daily, crossing the equator at about 1:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
 
Resources
 
Marshall Space Flight Center (n.d.). AMSR-E. Retrieved February 8, 2008, from the NASA Web site.
 
NASA (n.d.). MODIS Web Data. Retrieved February 8, 2008, from the NASA MODIS Web site.
 
Parkinson, Claire (n.d.). Aqua. Retrieved February 8, 2008, from the NASA Web site.