Throughout many field campaigns
we've come a long way in expanding our knowledge.
and understanding of our atmosphere.
But this hasn't been a one person effort.
Collaboration and close coordination 
within the ATTREX team
have made this endeavor possible.
For any field experiment you do,
you have the questions that you are trying to answer,
and then you figure out which data do you need
to best answer the questions.
Once you've done that,
then you figure out who has the capabilities
of making those measurements.
So basically, what we've done is
gather the leading experts,
in theory...
modeling of the atmosphere...
and in making these very challenging measurements.
And that is the only way that you can really do science.
You have to go to the right place, and measure,
at the right time... with the right people.
Part of the reason I really like these
airborne science campaigns is that 
they are sort of these grand endeavors
where everyone comes out to the field
we're all working very hard with a common goal
and very thankful to have the opportunity
to get these measurements.
The other thing about these NASA campaigns is
the data will then be shared with everybody.
So...
it'll be used by people from all different countries...
The more people that used the data,
the more of an impact our data have.
Because we are all basically working together,
trying to understand how the atmosphere works.
The data we have gathered will be used 
to benefit humanity for many years to come.
CHAPTER 6: LEGACY
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." (Carl Sagan)
When you make an observation, 
that's only the beginning of the story.
It's like walking into a crime scene,
and taking a picture and collecting some evidence.
The footwork begins after that.
the real work of putting everything together
to produce a full picture
of what's happening in our atmosphere.
And ATTREX is basically part of that puzzle.
We are addressing 
a key uncertainty 
in how the models predict future climate change.
We have to actually figure out 
how all of these things work.
So the real underlying objective of ATTREX
is to understand Climate Change.
It's well known that climate change
will have dramatic effects on people
and ecosystems across the planet.
The atmosphere is always changing.
Levels of gases are changing,
temperatures are changing.
And you have to make
very precise measurements,
in order to try to see those changes.
So when satellites measure,
they measure, basically,
 looking through the atmosphere overall
Very long path lengths,
multiple hundreds of kilometers
of averaging the data over
So if you have lower water
and somewhere higher water
what you are going to measure there, is the average.
When the airplane flies through these air masses
they're measuring over tens and 
ten meters at a time,
so they are getting that entire variability.
So, so far,
we've gathered these fine structural measurements.
of clouds and water vapor,
and the interaction between water vapor and clouds.
and that's being used to better understand 
how the clouds form
and how they affect the amount of water that's getting in the stratosphere.
The other thing we've done is
we've gotten a lot of measurements
of these ozone destroying substances
in the tropical tropopause layer;
which will ultimately get into the stratosphere.
So we can better predict how much of these get into the stratosphere,
and again, improve prediction of ozone destruction
and the ozone layer recovery.
All of these processes are the things we are after, with ATTREX.
[Radio chatter in the background]
The ATTREX mission, we've seen some very very interesting relationships
between temperature, water, and particles that we are seeing in the atmosphere.
This is really wonderful information
and will be incredibly useful for 
how we can improve our modeling of the atmosphere.
But,
anytime you do climate science,
climate science can be contentious in many parts of the world.
So having data that is out there free and open
and defendable.
It's important.
If your data aren't available out for everybody, it's always going to be in question.
The way we look at it from the science community 
is that the data is all shared.
So it'll be shared amongst different institutions,
and different agencies,
and even different countries all around the world.
Because we all have the common goal 
 of trying to understand how the atmosphere is working,
and how the atmosphere is changing.
These scientists' understanding of the climate system
and answering the key questions
that can help
resolve the uncertainties that 
decision makers have to make.
It's key.
So we still need measurements, and the measurements will improve
and our understanding will improve.
But we'll need these measurements to
further quantify how the atmosphere is changing.
The more we understand the processes,
the better off society will be because of it.
And some of those key processes, the only way you are going to answer them
are through airborne campaigns like the one we are doing here.
Our future very much depends on the understanding of the world around us.
On how this complex system we call Earth, changes.
That's why our mission is not only about doing research.
But also about encouraging younger generations.
They are the future of science.
And the key,
to continue understanding and improving
the lives of all of us who call this planet home.
The students, do not normally have
 have an opportunity to see this.
To show them that there is actually stuff beyond
than just looking at what is in a book, is very invaluable.
It gives them meaning and relevance
to the work that they do in school
I can't stress it enough just how important it is
for the students to make that connection.
Because that's when they make their decisions
as to what they are going to do for the rest of their lives.
It's fantastic to have real scientists,
real pilots,
real engineers and technicians, coming in
and sharing their experiences with the kids.
Because that brings science to life.
So we are bringing our science into their classrooms,
as well was bringing the students here,
to see
our science in action.
And we are hoping that this will inspire
some of the students,
to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering or math.
And one day, maybe even work for NASA.
I saw how excited the kids were, so
it's awesome!
["Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge". Khalil Gibran]
[Radio chatter]
[Radio chatter]
[Radio chatter: minus 20 seconds]
[Radio chatter: 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4.... 3.... 2.... 1]
[Radio chatter: all engines burning, launch commence!]
[Radio chatter]
So... on December 24th, 1968
astronaut William Anders took a picture
of the
Earth.
He was in Apollo 8. He was orbiting the moon.
and he took a picture of the Earth.
What is called the "Earth Rise" picture.
[Radio chatter: .... that's a beautiful shot.]
When you look at that and the vastness of space,
with this gray Moon,
and you realize: what a unique thing, the Earth really is.
And the Earth doesn't come with an Owners Manual.
It's for us to try to figure out....
all of the complexity that we see here.
Our campaign is coming to an end.
But humans will continue exploring.
Making new discoveries.
[Radio chatter]
Our journey is not over,
keep watching.
This is just the end of a new beginning.
[ATTREX: Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment.]
[Credits]
