Earth science’s next big thing

Meet the next big thing in NASA’s mission to study planet Earth: NPP, the inaugural satellite member of NASA’s next generation Joint Polar Satellite System. NPP is scheduled to be launched from Vandenberg Air Force base on October 25.
A Ball Aerospace technician works on NPP, the first member of a new generation of Earth observation satellites. NPP stands for the NPOESS Preparatory Project. NPOESS is the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System. Credit: NASA / Ball Aerospace
This article was also posted on the Planetary Society blog.
To understand NPP’s place in the NASA Earth observation program requires navigating an intimidating amount of acronyms and bureaucracy. NASA’s current flagship program for the study of our planet is the Earth Observing System, which most recently welcomed the Aquarius satellite into its membership, on June 10, 2011, for a mission to study the salinity of Earth’s oceans.
Two of the biggest players in the United States’ Earth observation business are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Department of Defense (DOD). NOAA relies on Earth satellites for things like climate research and weather forecasting, while the DOD is more concerned with knowing the local forecast in a ...