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NASA's Decades-Long Satellite Missions Track Earth's Energy Budget

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NASA's Four-Decade Study into Earth's Energy Budget

NASA has conducted a four-decade study into Earth's energy budget, investigating how the planet absorbs and re-emits solar energy.

This research has involved a series of satellite missions designed to collect continuous and accurate data critical for understanding Earth's climate and informing future planning.

Key Missions and Milestones

  • Explorer 1 (1958): The first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, carried a cosmic ray detector to measure Earth's radiation environment, orbiting over 58,000 times before re-entry in 1970.
  • Nimbus (1975): This instrument provided the first global, direct observations of solar radiation entering and exiting Earth, enhancing early climate models and establishing foundations for future projects.
  • Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE): Planning began in the 1970s, focusing on detailed measurements. The ERBS satellite, carrying ERBE instruments, launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in October 1984. ERBE provided a decade of data on Earth's radiation at the top of the atmosphere, including the significant radiative effects of clouds. In the late 1980s, ERBE and Nimbus data, aided by algorithms from Bruce Wielicki, offered the first direct observations that clouds contribute to cooling Earth's climate.
  • Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES): Launched in 1997, CERES extended ERBE measurements. Six additional CERES instruments have since been deployed, with the seventh and final (FM6) launching in November 2017 and achieving "first light" in January 2018. CERES instruments are recognized for their accuracy in measuring reflected solar energy, emitted heat, and the role of clouds.

Significance of the Research

Understanding Earth's energy budget, which began around 1880, involves the delicate balance between energy received from the Sun and energy radiated back into space.

Long-term, stable, and accurate data records are essential for this understanding.
The collected data improves models that provide seasonal and long-term forecasts, which are used by industries and policymakers for future planning.

Current Efforts

NASA's Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS)-1 is currently operating on the International Space Station. TSIS-1 measures the Sun's energy input to Earth, continuing a continuous record since 1978.

These measurements allow scientists to study the Sun's natural influence on Earth's ozone layer, atmospheric circulation, clouds, and ecosystems, contributing to the scientific understanding of solar variability's effects on the Earth system.