![]() ERBE instruments were also launched on two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather monitoring satellites NOAA 9 and NOAA 10, in 19. The Goddard Space Flight Centre built the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) on which the first ERBE instruments were launched by the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. Langley Research Centre was charged with developing a new generation of instrumentation to make accurate regional and global measurements of the components of the radiation budget. In the 1970's, NASA recognised the importance of the radiation budget and its effects on the Earth's climate. These diurnal changes are also very important aspects of our daily weather and climate. In addition, the ERBE data has helped scientists better understand how the amount of energy emitted by the Earth varies from day to night. Consequently the ERBE has helped scientists worldwide better understand how clouds and aerosols, as well as some chemical compounds in the atmosphere (greenhouse gases), affect the Earth's daily and long-term weather (the Earth's climate). It was also a useful indicator of cloud amount and activity. It can be used to estimate the insulating effect of the atmosphere (the greenhouse effect). The longwave radiation represents the exhaust heat emitted to space. The absorbed shortwave radiation (incident minus reflected) fuels the earth's climate and biosphere systems. The Earth's radiation budget is the primary indicator of global climate change. The data from these satellites were used to study the radiation budget, which represents the balance between incoming energy from the Sun and outgoing thermal (longwave) and reflected (shortwave) energy from the Earth. Use the form below to sign up for the space newsletter, sent every Wednesday afternoon.The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment was designed around three Earth-orbiting satellites: the NASA Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), and two NOAA satellites. ![]() 1 for NASA and the government to keep running. All of the appropriating, and voting by Congress and signing by the president, must be done by Oct. The Senate appropriations committee now has the next several weeks to make comments. We design them, we build them, we launch them and we operate many of them.” It so happens that NASA is in the middle of this. “You and I in this committee have a different approach to what is happening to the Earth’s climate. “I assure you NASA will be, and is if I’m around, not only bipartisan, but nonpartisan,” Nelson said. So I would hope NASA would continue its tradition of staying out of those bounds.” “If NASA is seen as partisan, that is very bad for space and space exploration. “But also you and I have worked very hard to keep NASA out of partisan politics and I would encourage you energetically to continue that work because we have a Republican House of Representatives now,” Cruz told Nelson. Nelson, a lifelong Democrat, found himself defending the president’s priorities for much of the first half of the Senate appropriations hearing. “If we’re second at the Shackleton Crater, I highly doubt the Chinese Communist party will care much about how we have advanced an equity action plan.” “Looking at this year’s budget request, I see things like $22 million for the quote, ‘Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity’ which has little to do with what you have called a space race between the free world and China,” Cruz said. He also asked Nelson about NASA’s Diversity and Equal Opportunity program. “That’s what we have, the instruments up there taking measurements.”Ĭruz wanted to know how much a NASA mandate requiring specifics on greenhouse gas emissions by contractors is costing the space agency. “We can’t deny NASA deals with these greenhouse gases,” Nelson told committee ranking member and Texas Republican Sen. But whether NASA will get it this time is in doubt because of partisan agendas over what is supposed to be a nonpartisan agency.
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