Andrew Yee
April 11th 06, 06:32 PM
Erica Hupp/Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington April 11, 2006
(202) 358-1237/1726
RELEASE: 06-135
NASA JOINS PARTNERS FOR OCEAN SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY MISSION
NASA has signed an agreement with other U.S. and international
agencies to launch the Ocean Surface Topography Mission in 2008.
The satellite, named Jason-2, will increase our understanding of ocean
circulation and improve climate forecasts and measurements of global
sea-level change. The 3- to 5-year mission will extend the ocean
topography measurements collected since 1992, first by TOPEX/Poseidon
and now by Jason.
NASA is cooperating with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
(CNES) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of
Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) on this mission.
"This agreement substantially advances the continuation of a long-term
record of sea-level measurements based on satellite measurements of
sea level height, which are needed to understand ocean circulation
and its long-term climate effects," said Eric Lindstrom, NASA's Ocean
Surface Topography Mission program scientist. The mission will also
study how ocean circulation varies from season to season, from year
to year and from decade to decade. It will improve the measure of
global sea-level change and models of tides in the open ocean.
Operational organizations and researchers will use the data in marine
meteorology and sea-state forecasting, operational oceanography,
seasonal forecasting, climate and ocean monitoring and Earth and
climate research.
NASA will provide several of the mission's science instruments,
including an advanced microwave radiometer, laser retroreflector
array and Global Positioning System payload receiver package. NASA
will also provide launch services on a Boeing Delta II rocket.
NOAA will provide a satellite-control center, stations for commanding
the spacecraft and acquiring data, data processing, and the
infrastructure for archiving and distributing mission data. After the
satellite's launch and an engineering assessment, CNES will hand over
management of the satellite to NOAA.
CNES will provide a PROTEUS satellite platform and payload module.
They will also provide several of the science instruments, including
a Poseidon-3 dual-frequency radar altimeter and the Doppler
Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite
orbit-determination system. They will also provide a satellite
command and control center, data processing and infrastructure for
archiving and distributing mission data.
EUMETSAT will provide a site and infrastructure for the European Earth
terminal, which will be integrated into the EUMETSAT ground segment
infrastructure. They will also provide data processing and an
infrastructure for archiving and distributing mission data.
The agreement was signed Monday April 10. For information about the
mission, visit:
http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/ostm.html
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
Additional points of contact: Alan Buis, JPL
); John Leslie, NOAA )
Sandra Laly, CNES ) and Claudia
Ritsert-Clarke, EUMETSAT )
Headquarters, Washington April 11, 2006
(202) 358-1237/1726
RELEASE: 06-135
NASA JOINS PARTNERS FOR OCEAN SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY MISSION
NASA has signed an agreement with other U.S. and international
agencies to launch the Ocean Surface Topography Mission in 2008.
The satellite, named Jason-2, will increase our understanding of ocean
circulation and improve climate forecasts and measurements of global
sea-level change. The 3- to 5-year mission will extend the ocean
topography measurements collected since 1992, first by TOPEX/Poseidon
and now by Jason.
NASA is cooperating with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
(CNES) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of
Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) on this mission.
"This agreement substantially advances the continuation of a long-term
record of sea-level measurements based on satellite measurements of
sea level height, which are needed to understand ocean circulation
and its long-term climate effects," said Eric Lindstrom, NASA's Ocean
Surface Topography Mission program scientist. The mission will also
study how ocean circulation varies from season to season, from year
to year and from decade to decade. It will improve the measure of
global sea-level change and models of tides in the open ocean.
Operational organizations and researchers will use the data in marine
meteorology and sea-state forecasting, operational oceanography,
seasonal forecasting, climate and ocean monitoring and Earth and
climate research.
NASA will provide several of the mission's science instruments,
including an advanced microwave radiometer, laser retroreflector
array and Global Positioning System payload receiver package. NASA
will also provide launch services on a Boeing Delta II rocket.
NOAA will provide a satellite-control center, stations for commanding
the spacecraft and acquiring data, data processing, and the
infrastructure for archiving and distributing mission data. After the
satellite's launch and an engineering assessment, CNES will hand over
management of the satellite to NOAA.
CNES will provide a PROTEUS satellite platform and payload module.
They will also provide several of the science instruments, including
a Poseidon-3 dual-frequency radar altimeter and the Doppler
Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite
orbit-determination system. They will also provide a satellite
command and control center, data processing and infrastructure for
archiving and distributing mission data.
EUMETSAT will provide a site and infrastructure for the European Earth
terminal, which will be integrated into the EUMETSAT ground segment
infrastructure. They will also provide data processing and an
infrastructure for archiving and distributing mission data.
The agreement was signed Monday April 10. For information about the
mission, visit:
http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/ostm.html
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
Additional points of contact: Alan Buis, JPL
); John Leslie, NOAA )
Sandra Laly, CNES ) and Claudia
Ritsert-Clarke, EUMETSAT )