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NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS): Delivering on the Dream, Today and TomorrowThis paper describes the successful operations of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites over the past 10 years and the plans for the future. Excellent operations performance has been a key factor in the overall success of EOS. The EOS Program was conceived in the 1980s and began to take shape in the early 1990s. EOS consists of a series of satellites that study the Earth as an interrelated system. It began with the launch of Terra in December 1999, followed by Aqua in May 2002, and Aura in July 2004. A key EOS goal is to provide a long-term continuous data set to enable the science community to develop a better understanding of land, ocean, and atmospheric processes and their interactions. EOS has produced unprecedented amounts of data which are used all over the world free of charge. Mission operations have resulted in data recovery for Terra, Aqua, and Aura that have consistently exceeded mission requirements. The paper describes the ground systems and organizations that control the EOS satellites, capture the raw data, and distribute the processed science data sets. The paper further describes how operations have evolved since 1999. Examples of this evolution include (a) the implementation of new mission safety requirements for orbital debris monitoring; (b) technology upgrades to keep facilities at the state of the art; (c) enhancements to meet changing security requirements; and (d) operations management of the 2 international Earth Observing Constellations of 11 satellites known as the "Morning Constellation" and the "A-Train". The paper concludes with a view into the future based on the latest spacecraft status, lifetime projections, and mission plans.
Document ID
20100014896
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Kelly, Angelita C.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Johnson, Patricia
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Case, Warren F.
(SGT, Inc. Greenbelt , MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2010
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Meeting Information
Meeting: SpaceOps 2010
Location: Huntsville, AL
Country: United States
Start Date: April 25, 2010
End Date: April 30, 2010
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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