In late November, Science magazine interviewed Terra Project Scientist Dr. Kurtis Thome for an article about Terra’s orbital drift and the novel science opportunities that will come from Terra’s earlier data collection. Access the full article here.
Terra’s Lower Orbit Virtual Community Forum took place on December 8th. Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to our discussion! Check out the full recording with links to the slide deck on our updated Terra’s Lower Orbit Virtual Community Forum webpage!
On December 18th, Terra celebrated its 23rd launch anniversary! Happy Birthday, Terra!
Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year — see you in 2023!
From undergoing an orbit lowering to headlining workshops on novel drifting data, Terra has had a big year so far! (And that’s not even accounting for the satellite’s continuous collection of high quality, earth science data, with no unintended interruptions!)
This news post will provide several important updates on recent instrument team meetings, upcoming virtual workshops featuring Terra, and an overview of three early career scientists using Terra data in their research.
Keep checking the website often for more updates and information on all things Terra!
2022 Meetings and Conferences
The CERES instrument team participated in the Fall 2022 Earth Radiation Budget Workshop in Hamburg, Germany from October 12 – 14, 2022. More information, including an agenda and presentation slide decks, can be found on the CERES website.
Several members of the Terra team participated in the 22nd William T. Pecora Memorial Remote Sensing Symposium in Denver, CO from October 23 – 28, 2022. More information available on the Pecora 22 website.
The ASTER instrument team will hold a science and interface meeting in Tokyo, Japan from November 7-9, 2022.
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall 2022 meeting will be held in Chicago, IL from December 12 – 16, 2022. For more information and an agenda, visit the AGU Fall Meeting 2022 website.
On December 8th, 2022 from 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET, the Terra team will be hosting a virtual community forum on Terra’s recent orbit lowering maneuvers (that took place October 12th and 18th). See the graphic below for more information and a QR code linking directly to the Webex webinar registration page.
Information on Terra’s Lower Orbit Community Forum (virtual webinar) scheduled for December 8, 2022, from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM ET.
Highlighting Two Decades of Terra Talent
Last week, several NASA Early Career researchers presented their current scientific work during the 2022 Early Career Scientist Forum (full agenda linked here).
Kathleen McKee
Explosive Volcanic Eruption Dynamics
Kathleen incorporates data from Terra’s Multi-Angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) instrument to analyze volcanic ash and aerosols throughout the atmospheric column.
Ryan uses data from the Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument to improve how climate models handle future precipitation predictions.
Andy uses satellite products, like the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), to analyze how changes in precipitation intensity and frequency impacts plant photosynthesis.
Academic Bio linked here, and NASA Bio linked below.
The Terra Flight Operations Team is planning a set of orbital maneuvers for October 12 and 19 to lower Terra’s orbit by 6 km, as part of an effort to reduce orbital crossings with several other missions currently at Terra’s 705 km altitude. For more information, view the animation and graphic below, which are also available on the Terra website.
Brief animation of Terra’s October Orbital Maneuvers
NASA previously released a Request for Information (RFI)on a Terra, Aqua, and Aura Drifting Orbits Workshop, for which the response date is October 11, 2022.
Summer is in full swing, but it wouldn’t be complete without a visit to “camp”.. Camp Landsat, that is!
“Terra Visits Camp Landsat” is part story map, part interactive virtual series, highlighting the weekly themes of Camp Landsat 2022. Check out our Week 1: People and Placesstory map below, focused on Black Rock City — a massive urban area that only exists for one week out of the year, during the annual Burning Man event. View the full screen version by clicking on the icon above (and for a challenge, see if you can find the ceremonial “burning-of-the-man” fire signature in satellite data!)
For full screen access to the story map, click the icon above or use this link!
