Space Science in the Twenty-First Century Imperatives for the Decades 1995 to 2015, Overview (1988) / Chapter Skim
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2. Earth Sciences: A Mission to Planet Earth
2. Earth Sciences: A Mission to Planet Earth
Pages 5-14
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From page 5... ...
The long lead times associated with the development of spacecraft and sensors mean that recommendations adopted now will not affect current programs until at least the ~rnd-1990s. Thus, a planning document at this time Is particularly relevant.
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From page 6... ...
Thus, from ancient times to the present, we have used exploration and physical reasoning to understand earth processes and to explore the Earth's place in the solar system. Modern techniques and new integrated programs have yielded improved information about the state of the atmosphere, the ocean, and the Isnd surface.
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From page 7... ...
If limestone sediments cont~ued to accumulate without a compensating inflow of carbon dioxide, photosynthesis would taper off as the carbon dioxide concentration fell. Such a compensating inflow of carbon dioxide does, in fact, occur as part of the remarkable phenomenon of plate tectonics.
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What are the ejects of changing rates of convection on atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, and hence on climate and on the biosphere? What insights can we gaper from studies of the variable magnetic field generated by Earth's interior dynamo?
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From page 9... ...
the turbulent flows typical of the oceans, the atmosphere, and molten materials. Between now and 1995 many of these earth-monitor~ng systems will be tested, and a number of research missions for remote sensing will be carried out.
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For example, ocean chIorophyD could be quantified by combining color measurements of the ocean with surface observations. The fourth theme addresses human interaction with the natural environment.
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, currently scheduled to fly as part of the Space Station complex in the m~-1990s. EOS, ~ turn, wiD build on its predecessor missions: the Upper Atmosphere Research Mission, the Navy's Remote Ocean Sensing System, the Ocean Topography Experiment, the Geopotential Research Mission, the Tropical Rainfall Mission, and the Magnetic Field Explorer.
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From page 12... ...
The data from the network should be transmitted in read time and integrated with observations from space. This earth-based system is an essential element of any observing system for Earth; it measures effects that cannot be detected through remote sensing from space, providingincreased resolution in regional studies, as wed as calibrating and validating space observations.
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From page 13... ...
The steering group endorses the position of the Earth ON serving System Science and Mission Working Group that in future NASA missions ~sateDit~obtamed data must be used in concert with data from more conventional techniques. The steering group agrees that, in addressing multidiscipInnary problems, "observational capabilities must be employed which range in scale from detailed ea~th-based and laboratory measurements to the global perspective offered by satellite remote sensing." Clearly, such studies must be carried out together with the other agencies that support basic research in earth sciences, notably NSF, USGS, and NOAA, as discussed below.
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From page 14... ...
Thus, any comprehensive program must include the commercial sector as a major player. CONCLUSIONS We now have the technology and the incentive to mount a Mission to Planet Earth." The United States should implement this integrated program of fundamental research on the origin, evolution, and nature of our planet, its place in our solar system, and its interaction with mankind.
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