NASA's 'Age of Aquarius' Dawns With California Launch

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
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http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Alan Buis 818-354-0474
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov

Steve Cole 202-358-0918
NASA Headquarters, Washington
Stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

News release: 2011-178 June 10, 2011

NASA's 'Age of Aquarius' Dawns With California Launch

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-178&cid=release_2011-178

PASADENA, Calif. – NASA's 'Age of Aquarius' dawned Friday with the launch of an international
satellite carrying the agency-built Aquarius instrument that will measure the saltiness of Earth's
oceans to advance our understanding of the global water cycle and improve climate forecasts.

The Aquarius/SAC-D observatory rocketed into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California
atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket at 7:20:13 a.m. PDT (10:20:13 a.m. EDT). Less than
57 minutes later, the observatory separated from the rocket's second stage and began activation
procedures, establishing communications with ground controllers and unfurling its solar arrays.

Initial telemetry reports show the observatory is in excellent health. The SAC-D (Satélite de
Aplicaciones Científicas) observatory is a collaboration between NASA and Argentina's space
agency, Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE).

"Aquarius is a critical component of our Earth sciences work, and part of the next generation of
space-based instruments that will take our knowledge of our home planet to new heights," said
NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver. "The innovative scientists and engineers who contributed
to this mission are part of the talented team that will help America win the future and make a positive
impact across the globe."

Aquarius will make NASA's first space observations of the salinity, or concentration of salt, at the
ocean surface, a key missing variable in satellite studies of Earth. Variations in salinity influence
deep ocean circulation, trace the path of freshwater around our planet and help drive Earth's climate.

"Data from this mission will advance our understanding of the ocean and prediction of the global
water cycle," said Michael Freilich, director of NASA's Earth Science Division in the Science
Mission Directorate at agency headquarters in Washington. "This mission demonstrates the power of
international collaboration and accurate spaceborne measurements for science and societal benefit.
This would not be possible without the sustained cooperation of NASA, CONAE and our other
partners."

In addition to Aquarius, the observatory carries seven instruments that will monitor natural hazards
and collect a broad range of environmental data. Other mission partners include Brazil, Canada,
France and Italy.

"This mission is the most outstanding project in the history of scientific and technological
cooperation between Argentina and the United States," said CONAE Executive and Technical
Director Conrado Varotto. "Information from the mission will have significant benefits for
humankind."

Aquarius will map the global open ocean once every seven days for at least three years with a
resolution of 93 miles (150 kilometers). The maps will show how ocean surface salinity changes each
month, season and year. Scientists expect to release preliminary salinity maps later this year.

Aquarius will measure salinity by sensing thermal microwave emissions from the water's surface
with three microwave instruments called radiometers. When other environmental factors are equal,
these emissions indicate the saltiness of surface water. A microwave radar scatterometer instrument
will measure ocean waves that affect the precision of the salinity measurement. Because salinity
levels in the open ocean vary by only about five parts per thousand, Aquarius will be able to detect
changes as small as approximately two parts per 10,000, equivalent to about one-eighth of a teaspoon
of salt in a gallon of water.

During the next 25 days, the Aquarius/SAC-D service platform will be tested and maneuvered into its
final operational, near-polar orbit 408 miles (657 kilometers) above Earth. Science operations will
begin after the observatory's instruments are checked out. This commissioning phase may last up to
65 days.

Aquarius was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and the Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. NASA's Launch Services Program, at Kennedy Space Center in
Florida, managed the launch. JPL will manage Aquarius through its commissioning phase and
archive mission data. Goddard will manage Aquarius mission operations and process science data.
CONAE is providing the SAC-D spacecraft, optical camera, thermal camera with Canada, microwave
radiometer, sensors from various Argentine institutions and the mission operations center. France and
Italy also are contributing instruments. For more information about Aquarius/SAC-D, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/aquarius and http://www.conae.gov.ar.eng/principal.html .

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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