Measuring the height of Earth from space

Author: Monica Miller Rodgers,October2016

“The climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.”
Tom Neuman / ICESat-2 Deputy Project Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

With a planet covered in more than 70 per cent water, with only 2.5-2.75 per cent fresh drinkable water, and 1.75-2 per cent of that only available in frozen form, climate change is a major concern for the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). Studying how this ice is protecting Earth from the sun’s rays helps scientists better understand the overall effects of warming oceans and melting polar caps.

To conduct this vital research, NASA is set in 2017 to launch yet another satellite into orbit. This time, though, that satellite will accompany advanced measurement lasers and sensors.

Explore next chapter:Laser technology brings scientists closer to answers

Story: Measuring the height of Earth from space
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2:Laser technology brings scientists closer to answers
Chapter 3:Replicating geospatial data from space
Chapter 4:Moving into the next frontier of measurement