5 min read<\/p>\n
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Greenland](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/1-greenland-glacier-clouds.jpg?w=1024\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nEarth\u2019s polar regions radiates much of the heat initially absorbed at the tropics out to space, mostly in the form of far-infrared radiation. Clouds in the Arctic \u2014 like these seen over a Greenland glacier \u2014 and Antarctic can trap far-infrared radiation on Earth, increasing global temperatures.<\/div>\nNASA\/GSFC\/Michael Studinger<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nInformation from the PREFIRE mission will illuminate how clouds and water vapor in the Arctic and Antarctic influence the amount of heat the poles radiate into space.<\/em><\/p>\nA pair of new shoebox-size NASA satellites will help unravel an atmospheric mystery that\u2019s bedeviled scientists for years: how the behavior of clouds and water vapor at Earth\u2019s polar regions affects our planet\u2019s climate.<\/p>\n
The first CubeSat in NASA\u2019s Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE<\/a>) mission launched<\/a> from New Zealand on Saturday, May 25. The second PREFIRE CubeSat is targeted to lift off on Saturday, June 1, with a launch window opening at 3 p.m. NZST (11 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 31).<\/p>\nThe mission will measure the amount of heat Earth emits into space from the two coldest, most remote regions on the planet. Data from PREFIRE will improve computer models that researchers use to predict how Earth\u2019s ice, seas, and weather will change in a warming world.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>This video gives an overview of the PREFIRE mission, which aims to improve global climate change predictions by expanding scientists\u2019 understanding of heat radiated from Earth at the polar regions. NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEarth absorbs a lot of the Sun\u2019s energy in the tropics, and weather and ocean currents transport that heat toward the poles (which receive much less sunlight). Ice, snow, and clouds, among other parts of the polar environment, emit some of that heat into space, much of it in the form of far-infrared radiation. The difference between the amount of heat Earth absorbs at the tropics and that radiated out from the Arctic and Antarctic is a key influence on the planet\u2019s temperature, helping to drive dynamic systems of climate and weather.<\/p>\n
But far-infrared emissions at the poles have never been systematically measured. This is where PREFIRE comes in. The mission will help researchers gain a clearer understanding of when and where Earth\u2019s polar regions emit far-infrared radiation to space, as well as how atmospheric water vapor and clouds influence the amount that escapes.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/e-pia26186-prefire-sat.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nOne of the two shoebox-size CubeSats that make up NASA\u2019s PREFIRE mission sits on a table at Blue Canyon Technologies. The company built the satellite bus and integrated the JPL-provided thermal infrared spectrometer instrument.<\/div>\nNASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nClouds and water vapor can trap far-infrared radiation on Earth, thereby increasing global temperatures \u2014 part of the greenhouse effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s critical that we get the effects of clouds right if we want to accurately model Earth\u2019s climate,\u201d said Tristan L\u2019Ecuyer, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and PREFIRE\u2019s principal investigator.<\/p>\n
Clouds in Climate Modeling<\/strong><\/h3>\nClouds and water vapor at Earth\u2019s poles act like windows on a summer day: A clear, relatively dry day in the Arctic is like opening a window to let heat out of a stuffy room. A cloudy, relatively humid day traps heat like a closed window.<\/p>\n
The types of clouds \u2014 and the altitude at which they form \u2014 influence how much heat the polar atmosphere retains. Like a tinted window, low-altitude clouds, composed mainly of water droplets, tend to have a cooling effect. High-altitude clouds, made mainly of ice particles, more readily absorb heat, generating a warming effect. Because clouds at mid-altitudes can have varying water-droplet and ice-particle contents, they can have either a warming or cooling effect.<\/p>\n
But clouds are notoriously difficult to study: They\u2019re made up of microscopic particles that can move and change in a matter of seconds to hours. When it rains or snows, there\u2019s a great reshuffling of water and energy that can alter the character of clouds entirely. These ever-changing factors complicate the task of realistically capturing cloud behavior in climate models, which try to project global climate scenarios.<\/p>\n
Inconsistencies in how various climate models represent clouds can mean the difference between predicting 5 or 10 degrees Fahrenheit (3 or 6 degrees Celsius) of warming. The PREFIRE mission aims to reduce that uncertainty.<\/p>\n
The thermal infrared spectrometer on each spacecraft will make crucial measurements of wavelengths of light in the far-infrared range. The instruments will be able to detect clouds largely invisible to other types of optical instruments. And PREFIRE\u2019s instruments will be sensitive enough to detect the approximate size of particles to distinguish between liquid droplets and ice particles.<\/p>\n
\u201cPREFIRE will give us a new set of eyes on clouds,\u201d said Brian Kahn, an atmospheric scientist at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a member of the PREFIRE science team. \u201cWe\u2019re not quite sure what we\u2019re going to see, and that\u2019s really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
More About the Mission<\/strong><\/h3>\nPREFIRE was jointly developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL manages the mission for NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate and provided the spectrometers. Blue Canyon Technologies built the CubeSats, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will process and analyze the data the instruments collect.<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program selected Rocket Lab to launch both spacecraft as part of the agency\u2019s Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR<\/a>) contract. CubeSats like PREFIRE serve as an ideal platform for technical and architecture innovation, contributing to NASA\u2019s science research and technology development.<\/p>\nTo learn more about PREFIRE, visit:<\/p>\n
![\"Greenland](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/1-greenland-glacier-clouds.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>Information from the PREFIRE mission will illuminate how clouds and water vapor in the Arctic and Antarctic influence the amount of heat the poles radiate into space.<\/em><\/p>\n A pair of new shoebox-size NASA satellites will help unravel an atmospheric mystery that\u2019s bedeviled scientists for years: how the behavior of clouds and water vapor at Earth\u2019s polar regions affects our planet\u2019s climate.<\/p>\n The first CubeSat in NASA\u2019s Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE<\/a>) mission launched<\/a> from New Zealand on Saturday, May 25. The second PREFIRE CubeSat is targeted to lift off on Saturday, June 1, with a launch window opening at 3 p.m. NZST (11 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 31).<\/p>\n The mission will measure the amount of heat Earth emits into space from the two coldest, most remote regions on the planet. Data from PREFIRE will improve computer models that researchers use to predict how Earth\u2019s ice, seas, and weather will change in a warming world.<\/p>\n Earth absorbs a lot of the Sun\u2019s energy in the tropics, and weather and ocean currents transport that heat toward the poles (which receive much less sunlight). Ice, snow, and clouds, among other parts of the polar environment, emit some of that heat into space, much of it in the form of far-infrared radiation. The difference between the amount of heat Earth absorbs at the tropics and that radiated out from the Arctic and Antarctic is a key influence on the planet\u2019s temperature, helping to drive dynamic systems of climate and weather.<\/p>\n But far-infrared emissions at the poles have never been systematically measured. This is where PREFIRE comes in. The mission will help researchers gain a clearer understanding of when and where Earth\u2019s polar regions emit far-infrared radiation to space, as well as how atmospheric water vapor and clouds influence the amount that escapes.<\/p>\n Clouds and water vapor can trap far-infrared radiation on Earth, thereby increasing global temperatures \u2014 part of the greenhouse effect.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s critical that we get the effects of clouds right if we want to accurately model Earth\u2019s climate,\u201d said Tristan L\u2019Ecuyer, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and PREFIRE\u2019s principal investigator.<\/p>\n Clouds and water vapor at Earth\u2019s poles act like windows on a summer day: A clear, relatively dry day in the Arctic is like opening a window to let heat out of a stuffy room. A cloudy, relatively humid day traps heat like a closed window.<\/p>\n The types of clouds \u2014 and the altitude at which they form \u2014 influence how much heat the polar atmosphere retains. Like a tinted window, low-altitude clouds, composed mainly of water droplets, tend to have a cooling effect. High-altitude clouds, made mainly of ice particles, more readily absorb heat, generating a warming effect. Because clouds at mid-altitudes can have varying water-droplet and ice-particle contents, they can have either a warming or cooling effect.<\/p>\n But clouds are notoriously difficult to study: They\u2019re made up of microscopic particles that can move and change in a matter of seconds to hours. When it rains or snows, there\u2019s a great reshuffling of water and energy that can alter the character of clouds entirely. These ever-changing factors complicate the task of realistically capturing cloud behavior in climate models, which try to project global climate scenarios.<\/p>\n Inconsistencies in how various climate models represent clouds can mean the difference between predicting 5 or 10 degrees Fahrenheit (3 or 6 degrees Celsius) of warming. The PREFIRE mission aims to reduce that uncertainty.<\/p>\n The thermal infrared spectrometer on each spacecraft will make crucial measurements of wavelengths of light in the far-infrared range. The instruments will be able to detect clouds largely invisible to other types of optical instruments. And PREFIRE\u2019s instruments will be sensitive enough to detect the approximate size of particles to distinguish between liquid droplets and ice particles.<\/p>\n \u201cPREFIRE will give us a new set of eyes on clouds,\u201d said Brian Kahn, an atmospheric scientist at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a member of the PREFIRE science team. \u201cWe\u2019re not quite sure what we\u2019re going to see, and that\u2019s really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n PREFIRE was jointly developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL manages the mission for NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate and provided the spectrometers. Blue Canyon Technologies built the CubeSats, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will process and analyze the data the instruments collect.<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program selected Rocket Lab to launch both spacecraft as part of the agency\u2019s Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR<\/a>) contract. CubeSats like PREFIRE serve as an ideal platform for technical and architecture innovation, contributing to NASA\u2019s science research and technology development.<\/p>\n To learn more about PREFIRE, visit:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>Clouds in Climate Modeling<\/strong><\/h3>\n
More About the Mission<\/strong><\/h3>\n