Reminder: I embed many links in my posts. Please make use of them. Often they link to content that will enhance the post or they link to the source of my information. And if I have failed to properly credit anyone or any content, please let me know ASAP and I will correct it right away. - AC
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This post is part of a series related to the Sun Earth Day 2011 NASA Tweetup at Goddard Space Flight Center on March 19th, 2011. Any Earth Science posts will fall under this category between now and Sun Earth Day 2012!
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I assume if you made it past the title and you are reading this now, you really want to know why you should care. It all has to do with something called the water cycle. So, there are a few questions you are probably asking yourself, such as:
- Most of your posts are about NASA, what does this have to do with them?
- Why are you doing a post on the amount of salt in seawater? It's the ocean, it's supposed to be salty!
- What is the water cycle?
And when I'm done answering these questions, you are certainly going to ask:
- What inspired you to write about this topic?
- What can I do participate?
Most of your posts are about NASA, what does this have to do with them?
The answer is simple. This post is about the Aquarius/SAC-D Spacecraft and its Earth Science mission.
Mission Overview:
This is a joint mission between NASA and the Argentinian Space Agency (CONAE). The main scientific objective is to measure the surface salinity of the Earth's oceans. This information is critical for better understanding the water cycle and ocean circulation. The Aquarius instrument was built jointly by NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in California and Goddard Spaceflight Center (GSFC) in Maryland. NASA is providing the launch vehicle, a United Launch Alliance Delta II, and the launch services at Kennedy Space Center. The Mission operations will be controlled from a CONAE ground station who will transmit all raw Aquarius data to GFSC (who is managing the mission operations phase and process the science data). JPL will mange the commissioning phase as well as the mission data archiving.
This is a joint mission between NASA and the Argentinian Space Agency (CONAE). The main scientific objective is to measure the surface salinity of the Earth's oceans. This information is critical for better understanding the water cycle and ocean circulation. The Aquarius instrument was built jointly by NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in California and Goddard Spaceflight Center (GSFC) in Maryland. NASA is providing the launch vehicle, a United Launch Alliance Delta II, and the launch services at Kennedy Space Center. The Mission operations will be controlled from a CONAE ground station who will transmit all raw Aquarius data to GFSC (who is managing the mission operations phase and process the science data). JPL will mange the commissioning phase as well as the mission data archiving.
The Spacecraft:
The spacecraft is compromised of two major sections. NASA's Aquarius Instrument and CONAE's SAC-D spacecraft carrying a host of international instruments.
The spacecraft is compromised of two major sections. NASA's Aquarius Instrument and CONAE's SAC-D spacecraft carrying a host of international instruments.
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| Subject: Aquarius/SAC-D Spacecraft Credit: NASA |
Here is a link to the entire list of instruments aboard the spacecraft:
Instrument List with descriptions
Instrument List with descriptions
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| Subject: Artist Rendering of the Aquarius/SAC-D Spacecraft Credit: NASA |
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| Subject: Aquarius/SAC-D Spacecraft Launch Config. / Deployed Config. Credit: NASA |
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| Subject: Front of the Aquarius Instrument Credit: NASA |
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| Subject: Back of the Aquarius Instrument Credit: NASA |
Other Spacecraft Facts:
Additional Mission Information:
Why are you doing a post on the amount of salt in seawater?
I wanted to highlight this mission, which is to better understand ocean salinity and circulation. 70%+ of the Earth's surface is covered by water, 96.5% of that is stored in our oceans as salt water. These two attributes make the oceans, their circulation, and their salinity level major drivers in the water cycle. A better understanding of these will lead to improved weather forecasts and planet health.
What is the water cycle?
The water cycle, also called the hydrologic cycle, is the constant movement of water above (in the atmosphere), on (the land and oceans), and under the surface of the planet. Here is the Wikipedia description of the cycle:
It is important to know that all our water is recycled by the water cycle process. This means the water you drink, wash your dishes with, and swim in, is the same water used by all life on Earth since the beginning. Yes, you use the very same water that the dinosaurs used.
So, understanding this recycling process is not only important for things like weather forecasting, its very important to understanding the health of the planet. All ocean water (unusable for drinking and farming) becomes freshwater (needed for drinking and farming) at some point in the process.
How we manage, use, and treat our water matters! Only 1% of the Earth's water is usable by humans (click this link for the graphic). Water that is contaminated, polluted, poisoned, or otherwise rendered unusable, needs to go through the water cycle process to be recycled. This takes time and has a significant impact on the environment and ecosystem.
Salinity matters! The degree of salinity in oceans is a driver of the world's ocean circulation, where density changes due to both salinity changes and temperature changes at the surface of the ocean produce changes in buoyancy, which cause the sinking and rising of water masses. Changes in the salinity of the oceans are thought to contribute to global changes in carbon dioxide as more saline waters are less soluble to carbon dioxide.
Here is a another great link to a NASA site on why salinity level matters:
NASA Earth Science - Salinity
What inspired you to write about this topic?
There were two things that led to this post. First, I listened (and Live Tweeted) the Aquarius briefing on NASA TV the other day. This got me interested in the mission and the science objectives. This is where I learned the details and importance of ocean salinity and circulation. Second, I have been spending time on NASA Astronaut Ron Garan's website: Fragile Oasis
The website is currently featuring Projects from around the world related to Community and/or School Research projects. "There are ten content categories that correlate with Space Station infrastructure and activities: water, energy, health, food, environment, community, research, communication, education and peace. Criteria for project submission is simple – a demonstrated desire to make a positive impact on the community, city, country or world. Projects can be large or small, student research or mature design, concept phase or on-the-ground development." - from the Project Nomination Page on FragileOasis.org
All the projects are great! But two of the "water" related projects caught my eye.
The first being the Thirst Project This project seeks to raise "awareness about the world’s clean water crisis by educating the public through school curriculum and local speaking engagements, public exhibitions and other events." I am a believer in education being a path to solving current problems as well as preventing future ones. On their website, http://www.thirstproject.org/, you are hit with a reality on the home page.
"The Problem: Almost 1 billion people on our planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water and proper sanitization. That's one in every eight of us. 4,500 children die every day from diseases caused by contaminated water. That's huge. That's approximately one child every 15 seconds. 80% of all global diseases are water-borne and result from drinking contaminated water. These diseases kill more than 2.2 million people every year."
- Orbit: Sun-synchronous
- Altitude: ~400 miles above the planet
- Life: 3 years (minimum)
- Weight: ~ 4 tons
- Length: ~ 5 meters (will fill the Delta II fairing)
- Coverage Area: The entire planet will be mapped every 7 days!
- Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Delta II
- Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base
- Launch Complex: Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2)
- Launch Date: No earlier than June 9th, 2011
- Launch Window: TBD
- Launch Coverage: ULA Webcast Site
Launch Video Example - Delta II launch from VAFB SLC-2 May 5th, 2009
Why are you doing a post on the amount of salt in seawater?
I wanted to highlight this mission, which is to better understand ocean salinity and circulation. 70%+ of the Earth's surface is covered by water, 96.5% of that is stored in our oceans as salt water. These two attributes make the oceans, their circulation, and their salinity level major drivers in the water cycle. A better understanding of these will lead to improved weather forecasts and planet health.
What is the water cycle?
The water cycle, also called the hydrologic cycle, is the constant movement of water above (in the atmosphere), on (the land and oceans), and under the surface of the planet. Here is the Wikipedia description of the cycle:
It is important to know that all our water is recycled by the water cycle process. This means the water you drink, wash your dishes with, and swim in, is the same water used by all life on Earth since the beginning. Yes, you use the very same water that the dinosaurs used.
So, understanding this recycling process is not only important for things like weather forecasting, its very important to understanding the health of the planet. All ocean water (unusable for drinking and farming) becomes freshwater (needed for drinking and farming) at some point in the process.
How we manage, use, and treat our water matters! Only 1% of the Earth's water is usable by humans (click this link for the graphic). Water that is contaminated, polluted, poisoned, or otherwise rendered unusable, needs to go through the water cycle process to be recycled. This takes time and has a significant impact on the environment and ecosystem.
Salinity matters! The degree of salinity in oceans is a driver of the world's ocean circulation, where density changes due to both salinity changes and temperature changes at the surface of the ocean produce changes in buoyancy, which cause the sinking and rising of water masses. Changes in the salinity of the oceans are thought to contribute to global changes in carbon dioxide as more saline waters are less soluble to carbon dioxide.
Here is a another great link to a NASA site on why salinity level matters:
NASA Earth Science - Salinity
What inspired you to write about this topic?
There were two things that led to this post. First, I listened (and Live Tweeted) the Aquarius briefing on NASA TV the other day. This got me interested in the mission and the science objectives. This is where I learned the details and importance of ocean salinity and circulation. Second, I have been spending time on NASA Astronaut Ron Garan's website: Fragile Oasis
The website is currently featuring Projects from around the world related to Community and/or School Research projects. "There are ten content categories that correlate with Space Station infrastructure and activities: water, energy, health, food, environment, community, research, communication, education and peace. Criteria for project submission is simple – a demonstrated desire to make a positive impact on the community, city, country or world. Projects can be large or small, student research or mature design, concept phase or on-the-ground development." - from the Project Nomination Page on FragileOasis.org
All the projects are great! But two of the "water" related projects caught my eye.
The first being the Thirst Project This project seeks to raise "awareness about the world’s clean water crisis by educating the public through school curriculum and local speaking engagements, public exhibitions and other events." I am a believer in education being a path to solving current problems as well as preventing future ones. On their website, http://www.thirstproject.org/, you are hit with a reality on the home page.
"The Problem: Almost 1 billion people on our planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water and proper sanitization. That's one in every eight of us. 4,500 children die every day from diseases caused by contaminated water. That's huge. That's approximately one child every 15 seconds. 80% of all global diseases are water-borne and result from drinking contaminated water. These diseases kill more than 2.2 million people every year."
If that statement is not a wake up call, I'm not sure what is.
The other project that caught my eye was One Drop in Honduras. This project is currently in Honduras supporting local partners and their efforts, with the Access to Safe Water for the Communities of the Dry Tropics of Honduras project. Its objectives are:
- Improve access to safe water in order to increase the level of health and agricultural output
- Ensure food security
- Increase household incomes
- Raise awareness of water-related issues through multidisciplinary shows and educational and artistic workshops
- Promote gender equality
- Develop leadership and mobilize youth so that they become agents of change
Again, what inspired me to write this post? Simple....water matters. It is a critical, scarce, and fragile resource. How could I not be inspired to bring it to your attention? I take my fresh, clean, safe drinking water for granted. I don't think about the ocean, the water cycle, or impact it has on our planet and ecosystem. I'm sure you don't either. I hope that by the time you are done reading, I have changed your mind.
What can I do participate?
There are hundreds of ways. But some simple and easy ways to get started are:
- Become aware of the water cycle.
- Become educated and knowledgeable on the impacts it has.
- Share your knowledge and awareness. Twitter, Facebook, and blogs are great tools to do this.
- Be aware of your water usage. Try to minimize how much you use.
- Support projects like the ones on FragileOasis.org
- Be mindful and supportive of Earth Science projects and missions like Aquarius/SAC-D.
- Don't take water for granted. It is a resource that makes life (in the way that we know it) possible.
- And finally, please support NASA and the ISS program. Check out this link to a story on the ISS Water Recycling System. The things we learn by having the ISS will directly translate to solving problems here on Earth. We will develop new processes, technologies, tools, and knowledge that will improve life, both on and off the planet. Believe me, sometime in the near future will will leave LEO. Water will be a part of that journey!
If you need an additional inspiration check out this shot from the ISS and follow Ron Garan and Fragile Oasis on Twitter.
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| Subject: A Fragile Oasis - Our Home Planet Earth Credit: NASA/Ron Garan |
As always, thanks for reading!
- Aaron
Link List:
NASA
CONAE
Goddard Spaceflight Center
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NASA - Aquarius Mission
Goddard and JPL Aquarius Mission Site
USGS - Earth's Water
Wikipedia: Water Cycle
Another Link on the Water Cycle
CONAE
Goddard Spaceflight Center
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NASA - Aquarius Mission
Goddard and JPL Aquarius Mission Site
USGS - Earth's Water
Wikipedia: Water Cycle
Another Link on the Water Cycle
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