Glory be! NASA wants to Send Your Name Around The Earth

William Atkins
Friday, 26 September 2008 20:16

Science - Space

The A-Train mission, including Glory, is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is located in California. The satellite group will be launched from a Taurus XL rocket

Two primary instruments onboard Glory will perform the research necessary to understand more about atmospheric aerosols.

The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS), a continuous scanning sensor, will measure the amount of natural aerosols in the atmosphere, along with the artificially produced aerosols found there.

The APS instrument, collecting information in the visible, near infrared, and short-wave infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, will perform this job more accurately than ever before.

The Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) will measure the amount of energy coming from the Sun to the Earth—what is called total solar irradiance.

Instruments have been performing such measurements for thirty years, but TIM will do it more accurately than ever before.

For more information visit “Mission to Earth: Glory”.