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Aqua (EOS PM-1) Flight Mission
The Aqua satellite is the second major platform of the Earth Observing System (EOS). The satellite was originally designated EOS PM-1. Aqua provides global data on precipitation, evaporation, and the cycling of water. The 1:30 PM local time equatorial crossing on a south to north pass enhances the collection of meteorological data. Aqua's afternoon observations and Terra's morning (10:30 AM local time) observations will yield important insights into the "diurnal variability," or the daily cycling of key scientific parameters such as precipitation and ocean circulation. Aqua is a joint project between the United States, Japan, and Brazil. EOS is the centerpiece of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE).
Aqua was launched May 5, 2002.
The
instruments on Aqua
observe and measure the state of the Earth's systems,
while also monitoring global changes in ocean circulation and
how clouds and surface water processes affect our climate.
Aqua carries six state-of-the-art instruments uniquely designed to provide data
with unprecedented precision, quality, and scope.
Some instruments are also flying on TRMM and Terra, allowing multitemporal data acquisition on the same day.
Data from these instruments will be processed
into continuous long-term measures of the state of the atmosphere, land, and oceans.
The six instruments are
On June 2, 2002,
Aqua began collecting global datasets, with the "First Light" images of AMSR-E.
The Aqua payload (AIRS, AMSR-E, AMSU, HSB, CERES, and MODIS)
instruments complement each other, and those on Terra,
with different views of the Earth's surface and atmosphere.
The instruments are intended to obtain information about
NASA's
Aqua instrument data
Chart (GIF image) showing
spectral bandwidth for each Aqua instrument
Disclaimer:
NASA offers these suggested sites for additional information regarding Aqua.
Web access is required to reach these sites.
Link existence and contents are not under the control of the EOSDIS Science Operations Office.
The use of Aqua's instrument observations of
terrestrial surface features at minimum cloud cover over land will help
in understanding global climate changes of the Earth as a system.
