The Earth Observer Editor’s Corner: January–March 2025

NASA’s Earth Observing fleet continues to age gracefully. While several new missions have joined the fleet in the past year, scientists and engineers work to extend the life of existing missions and maximize their science along the way. The crowning example is the first Earth Observing System (EOS) Flagship mission, Terra, which celebrated a quarter-century in orbit on December 18, 2024.

Terra continues to collect daily morning Earth observations using five different instruments: Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES), Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT). Collectively, these observations have established a robust satellite record of global scientific processes to track changes in temperature, glaciers, clouds, vegetation, land-use, air quality, and natural hazards such as hurricanes, wildfires, and volcanic eruptions.

Originally designed for a six-year prime mission, Terra continues to deliver data used by emergency managers, researchers, and modelers over a quarter-of-a-century later. On December 18th, 2024, NASA celebrated the 25^th anniversary of Terra’s launch with a celebration at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Visitor’s Center. NASA Senior management [from Headquarters and GSFC] as well as other key figures from Terra’s long history gave brief remarks and perspectives on Terra’s development and achievements. To read a review of the celebration, see “Celebrating 25 Years of Terra.”

Terra-related sessions (poster and oral) during the Fall American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting were well-attended. The Terra team took advantage of the meeting to have a celebratory anniversary dinner that included attendees representing each of the five instruments.

Another mission to recently reach a longevity milestone is NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), which celebrated 10 years in space last summer. OCO-2, which launched on July 2, 2014, from the Vandenburg Air Force (now Space Force) Base in California, was originally designed as a pathfinder mission to measure carbon dioxide (CO₂) with the precision and accuracy needed to quantify where, when, and how the Earth inhales and exhales this important greenhouse gas seasonally. OCO-2 was part of the international Afternoon Constellation, or “A-Train,” which also included Aqua, Aura, CloudSat, and CALIPSO, as well as international partner missions.

Since its launch, OCO-2 data have revealed unprecedented insights into how the carbon cycle operates – from observing the impact and recovery of tropical land and ocean ecosystems during El Niño events to revealing the outsized impacts of extreme events (e.g., floods, droughts, and fires) on ecosystem health and functioning. Researchers from around the world use OCO-2 data, opening new opportunities for understanding the response of the carbon cycle to human-driven perturbations, such as the impact of COVID lockdowns on atmospheric CO₂ and improved quantification of emissions from large power plants and cities.

OCO-2 also maps vegetation fluorescence, which shows promise as a reliable early warning indicator of flash drought. During photosynthesis, plants “leak” unused photons, producing a faint glow known as solar-induced fluorescence (SIF). The stronger the fluorescence, the more CO₂ a plant is taking from the atmosphere to power its growth. Ancillary SIF measurements from OCO-2 will help scientists better predict flash droughts, and understand how these impact carbon emissions.

Ten years into the mission, OCO-2 has become the gold standard for CO₂ measurements from space. The spacecraft and instrument continue to perform nominally, producing data leading to new scientific discoveries.

OCO–3, built from spare parts during the build of OCO-2 and launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2019, also celebrated a milestone, marking five years in orbit on May 4, 2024. While the follow-on has the same instrument sensitivity and makes essentially the same measurements as OCO-2, the precessing vantage point on the ISS (as opposed to OCO-2’s polar orbit) and the use of a new pointing mirror assembly (PMA) results in significant day-to-day spatial and temporal sampling differences that allows CO₂ tracking for diurnal variability. In addition, the flexible PMA system allows for a much more dynamic observation-mode schedule.

Further out in space, about 1 million mi (~1.1 million km) from Earth, orbiting the “L1” Lagrange point between Earth and Sun, the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) celebrated the 10^th anniversary of its launch on February 11, 2025. The two NASA Earth observing instruments on DSCOVR are the Earth Polychromatic Camera (EPIC) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Advanced Radiometer [NISTAR].

The 10^th DSCOVR EPIC NISTAR Science Team Meeting was held October 16–18, 2024 at Goddard Space Flight Center. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore opened the meeting with remarks that focused on remote sensing and the future of Earth observations. Following Gore’s remarks, DSCOVR mission leadership and representatives from GSFC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gave presentations on DSCOVR operations, EPIC calibration, and NISTAR Status and Science.

The meeting provided an opportunity for participants to learn the status of DSCOVR’s Earth-observing instruments, the status of recently released Level-2 (geophysical) data products, and the resulting science. As more people use DSCOVR data worldwide, the science team hopes to hear from users and team members at its next meeting. The latest updates from the mission can be found on the EPIC website. For more details, see the Summary of the 10th DSCOVR EPIC and NISTAR Science Team Meeting.

Flying in the space between satellites and ground-based observations, NASA’s Airborne Science Program operates a fleet of aircraft, unpiloted aerial vehicles, and even kites to study Earth and space science. Since 1987, a highly modified McDonnell Douglas DC-8 aircraft has been a mainstay of ASP’s fleet ­­– see Photo 1. The aircraft, located at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in California, flew countless missions as a science laboratory, producing science data for the national and global scientific communities. NASA decided to retire the venerable DC-8 aircraft, which made its last science flight in April 2024. The DC-8 is being replaced with a similarly refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft, which will be even more capable than the DC-8 and is located at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC).

The NASA History Office and NASA Earth Science Division cohosted a workshop, titled “Contributions of the DC-8 to Earth System Science at NASA,” on October 24–25, 2024 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters (HQ) Building in Washington, DC – for more details on the DC-8 event, see the article The NASA DC-8 Retires: Reflections on its Contributions to Earth System Science.

There are also updates from three recent NASA field campaigns – where ground observations are timed and coordinated with aircraft flights (often at more than one altitude) and with satellite overpasses to gain a comprehensive (i.e., multilayered, multiscale) picture of the atmosphere over a certain area. 

The Westcoast & Heartland Hyperspectral Microwave Sensor Intensive Experiment (WHyMSIE) campaign was held from October 17- November 18, 2024. Serving as a future NASA planetary boundary-layer (PBL) mission prototype, WHyMSIE aimed to capture a wide variety of thermodynamic, moisture, and PBL regimes across a variety of surface types. WHyMSIE was an initial step towards an integrated and affordable PBL observing system of systems, with multiple observing nodes – i.e., space, suborbital, and ground – from passive and active sensors to enable a comprehensive and coherent picture of essential PBL variables and hydrometeors that is not possible with any single sensor, observational approach, or scale. As a partnership between NASA and NOAA, this field campaign flew a first-of-its-kind hyperspectral microwave airborne measurements (CoSMIR-H) that was complemented by other passive (thermal emission, solar reflectance) and active (lidar, radar) sensors flying onboard the NASA ER-2 (AFRC) and G-III (LaRC), with coordination over a variety of ground-based sensor facilities.

The GSFC Lidar Observation and Validation Experiment (GLOVE) was conducted in February 2025 at Edwards Air Force Base, California – see Photo 2. GLOVE flew the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL), Roscoe lidar, enhanced MODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS) imaging scanner, and Cloud Radar System (CRS) on the ER-2 to validate NASA ICESat-2 atmospheric data products and validate ESA’s recently launched EarthCARE lidar, radar, and spectrometer products.

NASA’s Earth Science Division FireSense project focuses on delivering NASA’s unique Earth science and technological capabilities to operational agencies, striving to address challenges in US wildland fire management. Together with agency, academic, and private partners, FireSense completed an airborne campaign in a wildfire smoke-impacted airshed in Missoula, MT on August 27–29, 2024. During the three-day campaign, a NASA Uninhabited Aerial System (UAS) team conducted eight data-collection flights, partnering these launches with weather balloon launches.

FireSense uses airborne campaigns to evaluate capabilities and technologies to support decision making in wildland fire management and air quality forecasting. Targeted data collection produces better forecasts and more successful technology transfer to wildland fire operations. In the future, the FireSense Program will coordinate two airborne campaigns for spring 2025 at Geneva State Forest, Alabama and Kennedy Space Center located within Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Both 2025 campaigns will incorporate data collection before, during, and after prescribed fire operations. Beyond NASA, the campaign works in close partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, National Weather Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Defense, as well as partners in academia and the private sector. For more information on FireSense’s most recent campaign in Montana see the Editor’s Corner supplemental summary of “The FireSense Project.”

Congratulations to Jack Kaye, Associate Director for research with the Earth Science Division within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, who has received the William T. Pecora Award for his vision and creative leadership in multidisciplinary Earth science research, as well as spurring advancements in the investigator community, supporting development of sensors, and shaping NASA satellite and aircraft missions and research programs at the highest levels. To read more about this accomplishment, see “Kaye Honored with Pecora Award.”

On the outreach front, AGU returned to Washington, DC, for its annual meeting from December 9–14, 2024. NASA continued to uphold its long-standing tradition as an AGU partner and exhibitor, leveraging the meeting as an opportunity to share the agency’s cutting-edge research, data, and technology with the largest collection of Earth and planetary science professionals in the world. Many of the estimated 25,000 students, scientists, and industry personnel who attended the conference visited the NASA Science exhibit, interacting with NASA subject matter experts and listening to Hyperwall presentations throughout the week.

As the final event in a busy calendar of annual scientific conferences, AGU is often an opportunity for NASA scientists to publish findings from the previous year and set goals for the year ahead. The agency’s robust portfolio of missions and programs will continue to set new records, such as NASA’s Parker Solar Probe pass of the Sun, and conduct fundamental research in Earth and space science. To read more about AGU 2024, see the article: AGU 2024: NASA Science on Display in the Nation’s Capital.

Ending on a somber note, we recently posted three notable obituaries. Each of these individuals made significant contributions to EOS history, which are highlighted in the In Memoriam articles linked below.  

Jeff Dozier, an environmental scientist, snow hydrologist, researcher, academic, and former EOS Project Scientist, died on November 17, 2024. Jeff embraced remote sensing with satellites to measure snow properties and energy balance. As a Project Scientist with the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), he contributed to the design and management of very large information systems that would impact spatial modeling and environmental informatics.

Berrien Moore, Dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences at the University of Oklahoma (OU), died on December 17, 2024. Berrien served in several roles with NASA, including as a committee member and later chair of the organization’s Space and Earth Science Advisory Committee, Chair of the Earth Observing System Payload Advisory Committee, member and Chair of NASA’s Earth Science and Applications Committee, and member of the NASA Advisory Council. Berrien received NASA’s highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Public Service Medal, for outstanding service and the NOAA Administrator’s Recognition Award.

Pierre Morel, the first director of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and founding member of WCRP’s Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Core project, died on December 10, 2024. Pierre’s work played an integral role in the development of tools used to study the atmosphere, many of which are still active today. Pierre was the recipient of the 2008 Alfred Wegener Medal & Honorary Membership for his outstanding contributions to geophysical fluid dynamics, his leadership in the development of climate research, and the applications of space observation to meteorology and the Earth system science.

Steve Platnick
EOS Senior Project Scientist

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Celebrating 25 Years of Terra

Expanded coverage of topics from “The Editor’s Corner” in The Earth Observer

On December 18, 2024, Terra—the first EOS Flagship mission celebrated the 25^th anniversary of its launch from Vandenberg Space Force (then Air Force) Base. Some 70 individuals gathered at the Goddard Space Flight Center’s (GSFC) Visitor Center to celebrate this remarkable achievement for the venerable mission – with 75 more participating virtually. 

The gathering began with a reception culminating with some informal remarks in the main area of the Visitor’s Center outside the auditorium from Marc Dinardo [Lockheed Martin, emeritus] who was involved in the design of Terra. He explained that – at the time it was being built in the 1990s – Terra represented a “big step forward” for Lockheed Martin compared to projects the company had done prior to this. He discussed several engineering feats, e.g., fitting spacecraft components into the Atlas rocket used to launch Terra, moving from tape recorders to solid state recorders for data storage, the (at the time) novel thermal system developed to reject heat and protect instruments, and the direct broadcast capabilities.

After the initial remarks, the in-person participants moved into the auditorium where they heard from representatives from NASA Senior management [both from Headquarters and GSFC] as well as from several key figures in Terra’s long history. Each speaker gave brief remarks and shared their perspectives on Terra’s development and achievements. Short summaries of each presentation follow below.

Julie Robinson [NASA HQ—Deputy Director of the Earth Science Division] began by noting that this feels like a family celebration.  She said her first  personal experience with Terra was submitting a proposal as a young scientist to do research that would use data from Terra. At that time the idea of studying Earth as a system of systems was brand new.  She had no idea at that time that more than a quarter-century later, she’d be involved  in planning the “next generation” Earth System Observatory (ESO). 

Shawn Domagal-Goldman [Deputy Director of the Sciences and Exploration Directorate] spoke about how some of the biggest science questions we try to answer are interdisciplinary and cross-instrument, spanning missions and generations. He said that the expertise and diverse skillsets of those who have worked on the Terra team over the past 25 years embodies this goal.

Tom Neumann [GSFC—Deputy Director of Earth Science Division (GSFC)] reflected on his early involvement in the Terra–Aqua–Aura proposal reviews. He noted the sheer number of people involved in the mission and the logistical challenges that organizing that size group presented at the time.  He also commented on the feeling of family surrounding the Team and how this surely contributed to its remarkable achievements over the past 25 years.

Guennadi Kroupnik [Canadian Space Agency—Director General of Space Utilization] extended congratulations to NASA and Terra team for 25 years of operations. He commented that this “six-year” mission has endured far beyond what was planned. Canada’s contribution was the Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument with Jim Drummond [University of Toronto] as Principal Investigator. Kroupnik noted that MOPITT Is longest continuously running instrument in Canadian history. He is pleased that CSA has been able to partner with NASA on Terra and looks forward to future collaboration on the Atmospheric Observing System (AOS), which is one of the missions planned as part of ESO.

Jack Kaye [NASA Headquarters—Associate Director for Research of the Earth Science Division] spoke of Terra’s remarkable scientific accomplishments, the creativity of the team, and the intentional emphasis placed on validating the data, and the creativity of the Team. He also noted that the direct broadcast capability was extremely useful and led to many applications. Kaye remarked that the late Yoram Kauffman referred to the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) as the “zoom lens of Terra.”

Miguel Román [GSFC—Deputy Director for Atmospheres] described himself as a “child of Terra,” as he began his science career at around the same time that Terra launched and has been involved in various capacities ever since. Román recalled the launch taking place at Vandenberg, which is near vineyards, where the team celebrated the successful launch with local wine. He also remembered finally sharing a bottle of wine with the late Piers Sellers (who served as the first Terra project scientist) at one of the final gatherings Piers threw before he passed from cancer. Román also mentioned the Our Changing Planet book that four Earth Scientists – including former EOS Senior Project Scientist and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Science Team Leader Michael King and former Aqua Project Scientist Claire Parkinson—both GSFC emeritus – collaborated to write that was published in 2007. This book made use of numerous images and data from Terra’s five instruments – as well as other EOS data.

Kurt Thome [GSFC—Terra Project Scientist] rounded out the presentations, emphasizing again what several have stated in their individual comments – the Terra Team truly is a family. He commented that he’s only been leading the mission for the past ten years and that his work builds on the shoulders of those who came before him. In particular, he acknowledged the slide Miguel Román showed briefly during his presentation that honored those who were part of the Terra family who have passed away – e.g., Piers Sellers, Yoram Kauffman. 

Steve Platnick
EOS Senior Project Scientist

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How NASA’s “Autonomy Choreography” Will Impact Advanced Technologies

Imagine your car is in conversation with other traffic and road signals as you travel. Those conversations help your car anticipate actions you can’t see: the sudden slowing of a truck as it begins to turn ahead of you, or an obscured traffic signal turning red. Meanwhile, this system has plotted a course that will drive you toward a station to recharge or refuel, while a conversation with a weather service prepares your windshield wipers and brakes for the rain ahead.

This trip requires a lot of communication among systems from companies, government agencies, and organizations. How might these different entities – each with their own proprietary technology – share data safely in real time to make your trip safe, efficient, and enjoyable?

Technologists at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley created a framework called Data & Reasoning Fabric (DRF), a set of software infrastructure, tools, protocols, governance, and policies that allow safe, secure data sharing and logical prediction-making across different operators and machines. Originally developed with a focus on providing autonomous aviation drones with decision-making capabilities, DRF is now being explored for other applications.

This means that one day, DRF-informed technology could allow your car to receive traffic data safely and securely from nearby stoplights and share data with other vehicles on the road. In this scenario, DRF is the choreographer of a complex dance of moving objects, ensuring each moves seamlessly in relation to one another towards a shared goal. The system is designed to create an integrated environment, combining data from systems that would otherwise be unable to interact with each other.

“DRF is built to be used behind the scenes,” said David Alfano, chief of the Intelligent Systems Division at Ames. “Companies are developing autonomous technology, but their systems aren’t designed to work with technology from competitors. The DRF technology bridges that gap, organizing these systems to work together in harmony.”

Traffic enhancements are just one use case for this innovative system. The technology could enhance how we use autonomy to support human needs on Earth, in the air, and even on the Moon.

Supporting Complex Logistics

To illustrate the technology’s impact, the DRF team worked with the city of Phoenix on an aviation solution to improve transportation of critical medical supplies from urban areas out to rural communities with limited access to these resources. An autonomous system identified where supplies were needed and directed a drone to pick up and transport supplies quickly and safely.

“All the pieces need to come together, which takes a lot of effort. The DRF technology provides a framework where suppliers, medical centers, and drone operators can work together efficiently,” said Moustafa Abdelbaky, senior computer scientist at Ames. “The goal isn’t to remove human involvement, but help humans achieve more.”

The DRF technology is part of a larger effort at Ames to develop concepts that enable autonomous operations while integrating them into the public and commercial sector to create safer, efficient environments.

“At NASA, we’re always learning something. There’s a silver lining when one project ends, you can identify a new lesson learned, a new application, or a new economic opportunity to continue and scale that work,” said Supreet Kaur, lead systems engineer at Ames. “And because we leverage all of the knowledge we’ve gained through these experiments, we are able to make future research more robust.”

Choreographed Autonomy

Industries like modern mining involve a variety of autonomous and advanced vehicles and machinery, but these systems face the challenge of communicating sufficiently to operate in the same area. The DRF technology’s “choreography” might help them work together, improving efficiency. Researchers met with a commercial mining company to learn what issues they struggle with when using autonomous equipment to identify where DRF might provide future solutions.

“If an autonomous drill is developed by one company, but the haul trucks are developed by another, those two machines are dancing to two different sets of music. Right now, they need to be kept apart manually for safety,” said Johnathan Stock, chief scientist for innovation at the Ames Intelligent Systems Division. “The DRF technology can harmonize their autonomous work so these mining companies can use autonomy across the board to create a safer, more effective enterprise.”

Further testing of DRF on equipment like those used in mines could be done at the NASA Ames Roverscape, a surface that includes obstacles such as slopes and rocks, where DRF’s choreography could be put to the test.

Stock also envisions DRF improving operations on the Moon. Autonomous vehicles could transport materials, drill, and excavate, while launch vehicles come and go. These operations will likely include systems from different companies or industries and could be choreographed by DRF.

As autonomous systems and technologies increase across markets, on Earth, in orbit, and on the Moon, DRF researchers are ready to step on the dance floor to make sure everything runs smoothly.

“When everyone’s dancing to the same tune, things run seamlessly, and more is possible.”

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NASA Uses Advanced Radar to Track Groundwater in California

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NASA Uses Advanced Radar to Track Groundwater in California

Where California’s towering Sierra Nevada surrender to the sprawling San Joaquin Valley, a high-stakes detective story is unfolding. The culprit isn’t a person but a process: the mysterious journey of snowmelt as it travels underground to replenish depleted groundwater reserves.  

The investigator is a NASA jet equipped with radar technology so sensitive it can detect ground movements thinner than a nickel. The work could unlock solutions to one of the American West’s most pressing water challenges — preventing groundwater supplies from running dry.    

“NASA’s technology has the potential to give us unprecedented precision in measuring where snowmelt is recharging groundwater,” said Erin Urquhart, program manager for NASA’s Earth Action Water Resources program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This information is vital for farmers, water managers, and policymakers trying to make the best possible decisions to protect water supplies for agriculture and communities.”  

Tracking Water Beneath the Surface  

In late February, a NASA aircraft equipped with Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) conducted the first of six flights planned for this year, passing over a roughly 25-mile stretch of the Tulare Basin in the San Joaquin Valley, where foothills meet farmland. It’s a zone experts think holds a key to maintaining water supplies for one of America’s most productive agricultural regions.   

Much of the San Joaquin Valley’s groundwater comes from the melting of Sierra Nevada snow. “For generations, we’ve been managing water in California without truly knowing where that meltwater seeps underground and replenishes groundwater,” said Stanford University geophysicist and professor Rosemary Knight, who is leading the research.    

The process is largely invisible — moisture filtering through rock and sediment, and vanishing beneath orchards and fields. But as the liquid moves downhill, it follows a pattern. Water flows into rivers and streams, some of it eventually seeping underground at the valley’s edge or as the waterways spread into the valley. As the water moves through the ground, it can create slight pressure that in turn pushes the surface upward. The movement is imperceptible to the human eye, but NASA’s advanced radar technology can detect it.  

“Synthetic aperture radar doesn’t directly see water,” explained Yunling Lou, who leads the UAVSAR program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We’re measuring changes in surface elevation — smaller than a centimeter — that tell us where the water is.”   

These surface bulges create what Knight calls an “InSAR recharge signature.” By tracking how these surface bulges migrate from the mountains into the valley, the team hopes to pinpoint where groundwater replenishment occurs and, ultimately, quantify the amount of water naturally recharging the system.  

Previous research using satellite-based InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) has shown that land in the San Joaquin Valley uplifts and subsides with the seasons, as the groundwater is replenished by Sierra snowmelt. But the satellite radar couldn’t uniquely identify the recharge paths. Knight’s team combined the satellite data with images of underground sediments, acquired using an airborne electromagnetic system, and was able to map the major hidden subsurface water pathways responsible for aquifer recharge.   

NASA’s airborne UAVSAR system will provide even more detailed data, potentially allowing researchers to have a clearer view of where and how fast water is soaking back into the ground and recharging the depleted aquifers.  

Supporting Farmers and Communities   

California’s Central Valley produces over a third of America’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts. The southern portion of this agricultural powerhouse is the San Joaquin Valley, where most farming operations rely heavily on groundwater, especially during drought years.   

Water managers have occasionally been forced to impose restrictions on groundwater pumping as aquifer levels drop. Some farmers now drill increasingly deeper wells, driving up costs and depleting reserves.  
  
“Knowing where recharge is happening is vital for smart water management,” said Aaron Fukuda, general manager of the Tulare Irrigation District, a water management agency in Tulare County that oversees irrigation and groundwater recharge projects.   

“In dry years, when we get limited opportunities, we can direct flood releases to areas that recharge efficiently, avoiding places where water would just evaporate or take too long to soak in,” Fukuda said. “In wetter years, like 2023, it’s even more crucial — we need to move water into the ground as quickly as possible to prevent flooding and maximize the amount absorbed.”  

NASA’s Expanding Role in Water Monitoring  

NASA’s ongoing work to monitor and manage Earth’s water combines a range of cutting-edge technologies that complement one another, each contributing unique insights into the challenges of groundwater management.  

The upcoming NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission, a joint project between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) set to launch in coming months, will provide global-scale radar data to track land and ice surface changes — including signatures of groundwater movement — every 12 days.    

In parallel, the GRACE satellites — operated by the German Aerospace Center, German Research Centre for Geosciences, and NASA — have transformed global groundwater monitoring by detecting tiny variations in Earth’s gravity, offering a broad view of monthly water storage changes across large regions.   

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment and Follow-On (GRACE and GRACE-FO) missions have helped expose major declines in aquifers, including in California’s Central Valley. But their coarser resolution calls for complementary tools that can, for example, pinpoint recharge hotspots with greater precision.  

Together, these technologies form a powerful suite of tools that bridge the gap between regional-scale monitoring and localized water management. NASA’s Western Water Applications Office (WWAO) also plays a key role in ensuring that this wealth of data is accessible to water managers and others, offering platforms like the Visualization of In-situ and Remotely-Sensed Groundwater Observation (VIRGO) dashboard to facilitate informed decision-making.  

“Airborne campaigns like this one in the San Joaquin test how our technology can deliver tangible benefits to American communities,” said Stephanie Granger, WWAO’s director at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We partner with local water managers to evaluate tools that have the potential to strengthen water supplies across the Western United States.”  

By Emily DeMarco  

NASA Headquarters  

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NASA Langley Dedicates Artemis Moon Tree

A tree that sprouted from a seed that journeyed around the Moon and back is growing at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

NASA’s Acting Associate Administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Lori Glaze and NASA Langley Acting Center Director Trina Dyal spoke at a dedication ceremony for the Artemis Moon Tree, a loblolly pine, at the center March 12.

“I wanted to quote an old Greek proverb that more or less says something like, ‘Society grows when its elders plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in,’ ” said Glaze. “I love that. We always talk about how we stand on the shoulders of giants. Those giants planted seeds, and we are still benefiting from the tremendous roots of those trees,”

The young tree, only about two feet tall right now, is growing in an area between NASA Langley’s Integrated Engineering Services Building and its Measurement Systems Laboratory. The pine is surrounded by a wire plant protector. A yellow label identifies the species and the location of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Services nursery where the seedling was grown — Charles E. Bessey Nursery in Halsey, Nebraska. A small plaque marks its status as a Moon Tree.

“This, we plant here for all future generations to be inspired and to continue on the amazing legacy of what we’re doing,” said Glaze. “Our return to the lunar surface and our journey to Mars through the Artemis campaign is really going to lay the foundation for that future of exploration that right now we’re only dreaming about. With your help, through Langley and the rest of our NASA colleagues and partners, we’re going to achieve those visions.”

The loblolly seed was one of many that flew on the Artemis I mission Nov. 16 to Dec. 11, 2022 — journeying 270,000 miles from Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement partnered with the Forest Services to fly the seeds aboard Artemis I as part of a national STEM Engagement and conservation education initiative. 

In addition to loblolly pines, tree species on the flight included sycamores, sweetgums, Douglas firs, and giant sequoias. The Forest Services germinated the seeds.

Locally, NASA Langley’s loblolly pine is one of three Artemis Moon Trees. The Virginia Living Museum in Newport News and the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk were also selected as Moon Tree stewards, and also received loblolly pines.

The Artemis Moon Trees take inspiration from their Apollo precursors. In 1971, NASA astronaut Stuart Roosa, the command module pilot for the Apollo 14 mission and a former U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Services smoke jumper, carried tree seeds into lunar orbit. The Apollo 14 Moon Trees were disseminated to national monuments and dignitaries around the world, with a large number distributed as part of the nation’s bicentennial event.  

One of those Moon Trees, a sycamore, was planted at Albert W. Patrick III Elementary School in the Fox Hill area of Hampton in 1976. Sixth grader Marjorie White wrote a poem called “A Tree Lives” that won a contest to earn the honor.

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Joseph Scott Atkinson