NASA+ and NASA TV public channel at 12:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday, February 7.
The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission is a strategic scientific endeavor initiated by NASA with the primary goal of advancing our understanding of Earth’s ocean and atmosphere. Specifically, the mission seeks to improve our comprehension of the roles that oceanic plankton play in carbon cycling and the Earth’s energy budget. By employing a highly advanced set of instruments, including a spectrometer designed to measure the color of the ocean from ultraviolet to shortwave infrared, PACE will enable scientists to observe the global biological, chemical, and ecological processes of the oceans with unprecedented detail.
Furthermore, PACE will extend and enhance our capabilities to monitor air quality and cloud compositions, offering critical insights into Earth’s climate system and environmental health. The mission’s cutting-edge technology will facilitate a better understanding of the interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean, including how these interactions affect climate change and the health of our planet’s marine ecosystems.
By providing comprehensive, global-scale observations over time, PACE aims to significantly contribute to climate models, marine resource management, and strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change. Through its innovative approach to studying Earth’s complex environmental systems, the PACE mission stands as a pivotal step forward in environmental science and Earth observation.