>>> ALL RIGHT.
WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY, TO WHAT
IS NOW THE THIRD OF OUR FIVE 
PART LECTURE SERIES ON THE 
HISTORY AND FEATURE OF NASA 
LANGLEY.
IS ANYBODY HERE TODAY THAT 
WASN'T AT EITHER THE FIRST 
LECTURE OR THE SECOND LECTURE 
LAST WEEK?
A COUPLE OF YOU.
OKAY.
SO WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS MAKE 
SURE YOU STOP IN THE BACK AND 
YOU GET ONE OF THESE NASA BAGS 
THAT HAS A FOLDER THAT LOOKS 
LIKE THIS IN IT.
BECAUSE IT'S GOT A LIST OF ALL 
THESE EVENTS WE HAVE THAT WE'RE 
GETTING READY TO CELEBRATE THE 
CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY.
AND THE FIRST ONE IS ACTUALLY 
COMING UP NEXT WEEK, OR NEXT 
WEEKEND, APRIL 8th IS NASA ART 
EXHIBIT AT THE FINE ARTS CENTER 
JUST UP THE STREET HERE.
THAT ACTUALLY RUNS FOR ABOUT 
EIGHT WEEKS THROUGH THE MIDDLE 
OF JUNE.
SO HOPEFULLY YOU'LL GET A CHANCE
TO GO SEE THAT.
ANOTHER EVENTS COMING UP THIS 
SUMMER.
THE GALA CELEBRATION SYMPOSIUM 
IN JULY.
SO MAKE SURE YOU GET ONE OF 
THESE, AND YOU GET OUT TO HELP 
US CELEBRATE THE CENTENNIAL.
SO, TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK 
ABOUT SCIENCE, THE HISTORY, AND 
RECENT HISTORY, AND SOME OF THE 
FUTURE AT SCIENCE ACTIVITIES AT 
NASA LANGLEY.
WE STARTED OUT WITH THE 100 YEAR
HISTORY REVIEW TWO WEEKS AGO AND
AERONAUTICS LAST WEEK.
NEXT WEEK WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING 
TO DO SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND 
EXPLORATION.
WHICH IS MY GROUP.
UNFORTUNATELY I WON'T BE HERE 
NEXT WEEK.
BUT WE'VE GOT SOME GOOD FOLKS 
COMING OUT, DAVID AND MATT SIMON
ARE GOING TO COME OUT AND SHARE 
WITH YOU SOME OF THE THINGS 
WE'VE BEEN DOING RECENTLY.
AND IN THE FUTURE.
AND THEN THE F.I.T. WEEK, APRIL 
12th, JOHN FRANCOIS OUR CHIEF 
TECHNOLOGIST AT LANGLEY IS GOING
TO BRING A GROUP OUT AND TRY AND
PREDICT THE NEXT 100 YEARS.
THAT WILL BE REALLY INTERESTING.
HOPE YOU CAN BE OUT HERE FOR 
THAT AND MAYBE YOU CAN EVEN 
OFFER SOME OF YOUR OWN 
PREDICTIONS.
SO WITH THAT I'M GOING TO 
INTRODUCE DAVE YOUNG, WHO IS THE
DIRECTOR OF OUR SCIENCE 
[ INAUDIBLE ] AND HE'S GOING TO 
TELL YOU A BIT ABOUT THAT AND 
THEN BRING UP MIKE OBERON WHO IS
THE FUTURE OF PART OF OUR 
SCIENCE DIRECTORY.
NO PRESSURE, MIKE.
AND SO, I THINK YOU'RE IN FOR A 
REAL TREAT.
THANKS, EVERYBODY, FOR COMING 
BACK.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> THANK YOU ALL.
AS WALT POINTED OUT I'M DAVE 
YOUNG, DIRECTOR OF SCIENCE AT 
NASA LANGLEY.
REALLY THRILLED TO INTRODUCE 
MIKE WHO IS GOING TO GIVE THE 
PRESENTATION TODAY.
WE REALLY WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU
ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT WE 
HAVE BEEN DOING THROUGH THE 
YEARS IN SUPPORT OF THE SCIENCE 
MISSION OF NASA.
AS YOU MAY KNOW, CURRENTLY, 
NASA'S SCIENCE MISSION IS ABOUT 
A THIRD OF THE BUDGET.
WHICH IS HUGELY IMPORTANT.
AND WE COVER AREAS IN 
ASTROPHYSICS TO PLANETARY 
SCIENCE TO HELIO PHYSICS TO 
EARTH SCIENCE.
AND MIKE'S GOING TO GO INTO 
DETAIL ABOUT WHAT WE AT LANGLEY 
HAVE BEEN DOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO
THOSE GOALS.
WITH THAT, MIKE WHO HAS BEEN 
WITH US NOW FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS.
HE CAME TO US AS A PHYSICIST WHO
STUDIED WIDE TECHNOLOGY THE USE 
OF LASERS TO MEASURE THE 
ATMOSPHERE AND HE'S BEEN AN 
ESSENTIAL PART NOT ONLY IN THE 
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNIQUES 
USING LiDAR BUT TECHNIQUES TO 
DRIVE THE SCIENCE.
AND SO WITH THAT I'D LIKE TO 
INTRODUCE DR. MICHAEL OBERON TO 
GIVE THE PRESENTATION.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, DAVE.
AND THANK YOU, EVERYBODY, FOR 
COMING TODAY.
IT'S REALLY MY HONOR TO BE HERE.
I GET TO PRESENT THE HISTORY AND
FUTURE OF SCIENCE AT LANGLEY TO 
YOU.
I'M EXCITED TO DO THAT.
BEFORE I START I WANT TO POINT 
OUT THAT THIS WAS VERY MUCH A 
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE PUT TIME AND 
ENERGY INTO PUTTING THESE SLIDES
TOGETHER.
DENISE LINEBURY ESPECIALLY, DAVE
YOUNG, HELPED OUT A LOT WITH THE
HISTORY.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS AND IT'S 
MY PLEASURE TO PRESENT THEM TO 
YOU TODAY.
SO LET'S GET STARTED WITH THE 
HISTORY.
I WANT TO START WITH THE SLIDE 
THAT HOPEFULLY WILL BE FAMILIAR 
TO SOME FOLKS IF YOU WERE HERE A
COUPLE WEEKS AGO FOR WALT'S 
TALK.
OUR HISTORY WITH SCIENCE REALLY 
STARTS IN 1915, WHEN CONGRESS 
CREATED THE NACA, THE NATIONAL 
ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR 
AERONAUTICS.
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THE CHARTER 
HERE.
IT SAYS IT SHALL BE THE DUTY OF 
THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR 
AERONAUTICS TO SUPERVISE AND 
DIRECT THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF 
THE PROBLEMS OF FLIGHT WITH A 
VIEW TO THEIR CLASSICAL 
SOLUTIONS.
AND I POINT OUT SCIENTIFIC HERE,
BECAUSE THIS IS WRITTEN RIGHT IN
TO THE NACA CHARTER THAT SCIENCE
WAS THE VITAL PART OF TRYING TO 
UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS, THE 
FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS OF FLIGHT.
HOW DO YOU GET AIRCRAFT TO FLY 
BETTER, MORE EFFICIENTLY, 
HIGHER, FASTER, SCIENCE WAS A 
PART OF THAT INITIAL STUDY.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE THE 
SCIENCE AT LANGLEY GOT ITS 
START.
SHORTLY AFTER THE NACA WAS 
CREATED, LANGLEY WAS CREATED.
LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER, WHICH 
WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1917 AS 
LANGLEY MEMORIAL AERONAUTICAL 
LAB.
IT WAS SET UP AT THE TIME AND 
CONTINUES TO THIS DAY TO BE A 
WORLD CLASS RESEARCH FACILITY 
CONTAINING THE AIRCRAFT, THE 
PEOPLE, THE EQUIPMENT, THE 
LABORATORIES, THE WIND TUNNELS, 
ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU NEED 
TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS ABOUT 
FUNDAMENTAL FLIGHT.
AND MAKE AIRCRAFT BETTER FOR 
FLYING, AND SAFER.
THAT'S WHERE IT GOT ITS START.
SO, AS PART OF THAT, THE 
SCIENTIFIC PART OF THAT IS, HOW 
DOES AN AIRCRAFT INTERACT WITH 
THE ATMOSPHERE?
OKAY.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO FLY AN 
AIRCRAFT THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE 
YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
HOW DO YOUR WING DESIGNS WORK?
AS YOU GET HIGHER AND HIGHER 
ALTITUDE WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE IS
THINNING.
HOW DO WINDS AFFECT THOSE EARLY 
AIRCRAFT MODELS?
SO, THE EARLY WORK WITH SCIENCE 
AT LANGLEY WAS REALLY TRYING TO 
UNDERSTAND THE INTERACTION OF 
ATMOSPHERES, WITH AIRPLANES.
AND SO WE HAVE LONG HISTORY OF 
LOOKING AT THE ATMOSPHERE, AND 
THIS IS A CHART I SHOW YOU OF 
THE DIFFERENT LAYERS OF THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
ALL OF THE WEATHER AND THE 
INTERACTIONS WITH WEATHER THAT 
WE HAVE IS LOCATED AT THE VERY 
THIN BOTTOM LAYER, THE 
TROPOSPHERE.
SO WE STUDY THAT TODAY, AND 
LANGLEY HAS HAD A PART IN 
STUDYING THE ENTIRE ATMOSPHERE.
I'LL POINT OUT THAT EARLY ON IN 
THE EARLY DAYS THE QUESTIONS 
WERE FOCUSED AROUND AIRCRAFT.
AND ANSWERING THE AIRCRAFT 
FLIGHT PROBLEMS.
BUT AS TECHNOLOGY GREW AND WE 
STARTED LOOKING TO GO TO SPACE, 
THOSE SAME QUESTIONS ABOUT 
SENDING SPACECRAFT IN AND OUT OF
OUR ATMOSPHERE AND OUR 
ATMOSPHERES ON OTHER PLANETS.
SO HOW DO YOU LAND A SPACECRAFT 
ON MARS?
IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE
THAN EARTH.
HOW DO YOU BRING AN APOLLO SPACE
CAPSULE BACK TO EARTH?
YOU HAVE TO INTERACT WITH THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
SO THAT IS WHERE A LOT OF THE 
EARLY STUDIES IN THE SCIENCE 
ARENA AT LANGLEY STARTED.
NOT ONLY WITH AIRCRAFT, BUT ALSO
WITH SPACECRAFT.
SO, THESE PICTURES HERE ON THE 
LEFT, THE PICTURES FROM THE 
1940s, OF SOME NASA LANGLEY 
RESEARCH WORK WITH THE X-15 
AIRCRAFT, WHICH WAS A HYPERSONIC
AIRCRAFT, I BELIEVE STILL HOLDS 
THE SPEED RECORD FOR A ROCKET 
PLANE.
AND ON THE RIGHT IS A PICTURE A 
VIKING LANDER.
ONE OF THE LANDERS THAT LANDED 
ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.
SO LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER WAS 
TASKED IN THE '60s WITH LEADING 
THAT PROGRAM.
LEADING THE VIKING LANDER 
PROGRAM.
WHICH WAS THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL 
LANDING OF A U.S. SPACECRAFT ON 
THE SURFACE OF MARS.
VERY SUCCESSFUL.
TOOK MEASUREMENTS AND IMAGES, 
AND SENT THOSE BACK TO US.
AND LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER LED 
THAT UP.
ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT LANGLEY LED
WAS THE LUNAR ORBITER MISSIONS 
THAT MAPPED THE SURFACE OF THE 
MOON, AND FIGURED OUT WHAT WOULD
BE THE BEST PLACES FOR THE 
ASTRONAUTS TO ACTUALLY LAND AND 
WALK ON THE MOON.
THAT WORK WAS DONE AT NASA 
LANGLEY.
SO THERE'S A LONG HISTORY OF 
THIS WORK THAT WE ALL ENTRY 
DISSENT AND LANDING OR EDL WORK.
AND THAT CONTINUES TODAY.
SO AS WE LAUNCH AND LAND OTHER 
LANDERS AND ROVERS ON MARS, ALL 
OF THAT WORK HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY
RESEARCHERS AT NASA LANGLEY.
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM LANGLEY TO 
ALL OF THAT WORK.
AND YOU CAN SEE MANY, NOT ALL 
THE EXAMPLES, BUT MANY OF THE 
EXAMPLES OF 2003 MARS 
EXPLORATION ROVERS, BACK IN '97 
THE MARS PATHFINDER, AND MORE 
RECENTLY, '07 WITH THE PHOENIX, 
AND MARS SCIENCE LAB IN 2011.
SO THAT WORK, THAT EDL WORK 
CONTINUES TODAY.
SO NOT ONLY AIRCRAFT, BUT 
SPACECRAFT AND ALL THE 
INTERACTIONS WITH THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
NOW LET ME BACK UP A BIT, AND GO
BACK TO THE HISTORY HERE.
SO WE STARTED OUT WITH THE NACA 
IN 1958 THEN NASA WAS CREATED, 
AND THE NACA WAS ABSORBED INTO 
NASA.
WITH THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS 
AND SPACE ACT.
AND I SHOW YOU A COPY HERE.
AND I POINT OUT SOMETHING THAT 
I'D LIKE TO READ, IT SAYS AN ACT
TO PROVIDE FOR RESEARCH INTO 
PROBLEMS OF FLIGHT WITHIN AND 
OUTSIDE THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, 
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
AND YOU KEEP READING DOWN A 
LITTLE FURTHER IT'S THE 
EXPANSION OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE OF 
PHENOMENA IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND 
SPACE.
SO I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT 
ATMOSPHEREIC SCIENCE RESEARCH IS
IN THE ORIGINAL NASA ACT OF 
1958.
IN THE SPACE ACT.
SO THE WORK THAT WE DO AT 
LANGLEY GOT ITS START RIGHT ON 
DAY ONE WHEN NASA WAS CREATED.
AND WE CONTINUE THAT WORK.
SO, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN 
1958.
NOW, NASA WAS FORMED, THERE WAS 
A NEW AGENCY, THE LEADERS OF 
NASA EARLY ON WERE LOOKING FOR A
SUCCESS.
THEY WANTED A SUCCESS STORY THAT
WOULD RESONATE WITH THE PUBLIC.
SO WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY 
LOBBIED WITH THE U.S. ARMY TO 
TRANSFER ONE OF THE ARMY 
SATELLITES AND EARTH IMAGING 
SATELLITE TIMED AS TYORS, 
TELEVISION INFRARED INFORMATION 
SATELLITE FROM THE ARMY TO NASA 
AND A PICTURE IS SHOWN HERE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY THE FIRST 
TELEVISION PICTURE TAKEN FROM 
SPACE.
APRIL 1st, 1960.
SO, ALMOST EXACTLY 57 YEARS AGO.
THIS IS THE FIRST IMAGE OF THE 
EARTH FROM SPACE.
THERE WASN'T ONE BEFORE THIS.
AND THERE'S A LOT THAT HAS COME 
AFTER THIS.
SO, A LITTLE AUDIENCE 
INTERACTION HERE.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT WE'RE 
LOOKING AT HERE?
WHERE ON EARTH ARE WE LOOKING?
THIS IS ACTUALLY NEWFOUNDLAND.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT CANADA.
IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE CLOUDS 
YOU'LL SEE THE U.S. EAST 
COASTLINE.
THAT'S HARD TO SEE.
MAYBE NEED TO SQUINT AND STARE 
AT IT.
THAT WAS THE FIRST IMAGE AND 
THAT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL 
IMAGE, POPULAR AND REALLY 
BECAUSE OF THAT, THAT HAS LAID 
THE GROUNDWORK NOW FOR THE EARTH
OBSERVATIONS THAT NASA HAS BEEN 
MAING SINCE THEN UP UNTIL THIS 
DAY.
AND I'LL POINT OUT THAT THIS 
IMAGE REALLY BRINGS ABOUT A 
PARADIGM SHIFT IN HOW WE 
UNDERSTOOD THE EARTH.
AFTER THIS IMAGE, WE'VE NEVER 
BEEN SURPRISED BY A HURRICANE 
HITTING THE EAST COAST, FOR 
EXAMPLE.
WE COULD SEE IT COMING.
OKAY?
IF YOU LOOK AT THIS NOW YOU 
START TO SEE CLOUDS AS A SYSTEM,
AND THE EARTH AS A SYSTEM.
AND WE NO LONGER TALK ABOUT THIS
REGIONAL EFFECT OF CLOUD FIELDS 
AND WEATHER AND WE LOOK AT IT IN
A GLOBAL SENSE, THAT THINGS THAT
ARE HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD 
ARE AFFECTING EVERYTHING ELSE 
THAT IS GOING ON AROUND THE 
WORLD.
OKAY.
SO, STEPPING BACK INTO LANGLEY'S
ROLE A LITTLE BIT AS I POINTED 
OUT, IN THE '40s WAS LIKE THE 
AERONAUTIC FOCUS, TRYING TO 
UNDERSTAND HOW AIRCRAFT AND 
SPACECRAFT INTERACT WITH THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
IN 1971, THERE WAS AN IMPORTANT 
WORKSHOP THAT WAS HELD AT 
LANGLEY CALLED THE REMOTE 
MEASUREMENT OF POLLUTION 
WORKSHOP.
WHAT THAT DID WAS IT WAS A 
MEETING OF SOME OF THE BEST 
MINDS AT THE TIME, WHO WERE 
TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT ARE THE 
SCIENCE MEASUREMENT PRIORITIES 
AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THE SCIENCE 
MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS THAT 
NEEDED TO BE BUILT IN THE COMING
DECADES TO ANSWER THOSE 
QUESTIONS.
SO THIS WORKSHOP REALLY LAID OUT
THAT GROUNDWORK FOR THE TYPES OF
DETECTORS AND MEASUREMENTS THAT 
LANGLEY WOULD SUBSEQUENTLY DO, 
AND SOME OF THE WORK THAT 
CONTINUES TO THIS DAY.
SO A NUMBER OF PRIORITIES WERE 
LAID OUT.
AND THIS, JUST AS A SIDE NOTE, 
IS SOMEWHAT RELATED TO HOW WE, 
LAY OUT OUR PRIORITIES NOWADAYS.
WE FOLLOW SOMETHING CALLED THE 
DECADAL SURVEY, WHICH EVERY TEN 
YEARS LAYS OUT PRIORITIES FOR 
EARTH SCIENCE MSHMENTS.
THAT GOT ITS START HERE WITH THE
1971 REMOTE MEASUREMENT OF 
POLLUTION WORKSHOP.
SO THIS LAID OUT THE KEY 
MEASUREMENTS THAT SKIENGSISTS AT
LANGLEY WOULD WORK ON, AND 
REALLY THEY'RE LIED OUT INTO 
FOUR DIFFERENT REGIONS.
OR FOUR DIFFERENT AREAS THAT 
I'LL TALK ABOUT.
SINCE THE 1970s, WE'VE BEEN 
MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS IN THESE 
FOUR AREAS.
RADIATION AND CLIMATE.
ATMOSPHEREIC COMPETITION, ACTIVE
REMOTE SENSING, AND AIR QUALITY.
AND I'LL TALK THROUGH EACH OF 
THESE IN TURN.
BUT I WANT TO POINT OUT, 
DISCLAIMER RIGHT HERE, THERE'S A
LOT IN THIS PRESENTATION THAT I 
WILL NOT TALK ABOUT.
I CAN ONLY HIT THE HIGH POINTS.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT 
PROGRAMS THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED 
TO ALL OF THESE AREAS AND MORE.
CERTAINLY ASK ABOUT AFTER THE 
FACTS.
BUT I CAN'T HIT EVERYTHING 
TODAY.
THAT'S MY DISCLAIMER.
LET'S TALK ABOUT ACTIVE AND 
REMOTE SENSING.
FIRST OF ALL SOME DEFINITIONS.
REMOTE SENSING IS MEASURING 
SOMETHING FROM AFAR.
SO NOT ACTUALLY BEING IN 
PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH SOMETHING 
BUT LEARNING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
SO I CAN LOOK OUT IN THIS ROOM, 
AND I HAVE TWO REMOTE SENSORS 
RIGHT HERE.
MY EYES.
SO I DON'T NEED TO COME OUT AND 
SHAKE EVERYONE'S HAND TO KNOW 
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THE 
AUDIENCE.
I CAN SEE YOU.
SO THAT'S REMOTE SENSING.
IT'S TWO TYPES OF REMOTE 
SENSING.
THERE'S PASSIVE AND ACTIVE.
PASSIVE IS WHEN YOU RELY ON A 
LIGHT SOURCE FROM EXTERNAL TO 
YOU.
SO I'M RELYING ON THE SUNLIGHT 
THAT'S COMING IN, THE LIGHTS 
ABOVE ME.
OKAY.
SO THAT'S PASSIVE.
THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I CONTROL.
BUT I CAN SEE YOU.
NOW IF WE SHUT THE LIGHTS OFF, 
CLOSE THE WINDOWS, SO I CAN'T 
SEE YOU, THEN I NEED ANOTHER 
LIGHT SOURCE.
SO IF I HAVE A FLASHLIGHT I CAN 
AGAIN SEE YOU.
THAT'S SOMETHING I BRING MYSELF.
THAT'S CALLED ACTIVE REMOTE 
SENSING.
I'M PROVIDING THE LIGHT.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ACTIVE 
REMOTE SENSING AT LANGLEY, A LOT
OF WHAT WE DO IS THE USE OF 
LiDAR, WHICH USES LASERS AS THAT
LIGHT SOURCE.
IT'S PRETTY MUCH AKIN TO RADAR, 
WITH RADIO WAVES, WHICH USE 
LASER BEAMS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE I'VE GOT A LASER 
POINTER HERE.
I CAN POINT AT THE SCREEN.
AND WHAT WE DO IS WE BUILD THESE
SYSTEMS WITH THOSE LASER BEAMS, 
AND WE SEND THEM OUT INTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE AND I CAN SEE SOME 
LIGHT COMING BACK FROM THAT.
AND THAT TELLS ME SOMETHING 
ABOUT THE BRIGHTNESS OF THAT 
SCREEN AND HOW REFLECTIVE IT IS.
SO WE CAN LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT 
ATMOSPHERE BY USING ACTIVE 
REMOTE SENSING IN THAT MANNER.
SO, LANGLEY HAS BEEN A PIONEER 
IN ADVANCING LASER REMOTE 
SENSING FOR ATMOSPHERIC STUDIES.
LASERS WERE FIRST INVENTED IN 
THE LATE '50s, AND IT WAS NOT 
VERY LONG AFTER THAT THAT 
SCIENTISTS STARTED COMING UP 
WITH IDEAS FOR HOW TO USE 
LASERS.
AND LANGLEY DID A LOT OF WORK IN
USING THESE LASERS FOR 
ATMOSPHERIC REMOTE SENSING.
STARTED OUT ON THE GROUND WITH 
GROUND BASED SYSTEMS.
PIONEERED PUTTING THESE 
INSTRUMENTS ONTO PLANES.
THE FIRST LASER THAT WAS EVER 
FLOWN FOR ATMOSPHERIC 
MEASUREMENTS WAS DONE BY LANGLEY
RESEARCHERS IN 1976.
THOSE THEN ADVANCED AND 
EVENTUALLY MADE IT TO SPACE.
CURRENTLY, WE HAVE SATELLITES IN
SPACE THAT ARE USING LASERS TO 
MAKE MEASUREMENTS.
RIGHT NOW EVERY DAY.
WE HOPE TO SEE MORE IN THE 
FUTURE AND I'LL TALK ABOUT 
THESE.
SO LET'S STEP BACK A BIT.
HERE'S A PICTURE FROM 19 -- 
1966.
OF A LOCAL PERSON PAT McCORMICK 
WHO WAS A GRADUATE STUDENT AT 
THE TIME, SPENT MANY YEARS AT 
LANGLEY AND THIS IS HIS LiDAR 
THE 48 INCH LiDAR.
YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A BIG MIRROR
HERE.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE A BIG SEARCH 
LIGHT IN THE AIR AND A BIG 
STRUCTURE BEHIND THERE THAT 
HOUSES IT.
VERY BIG INSTRUMENT.
IT WAS ACTUALLY BUILT AT THE 
TIME TO STUDY TURBULENCE IN THE 
ATMOSPHERE AND MOUNTAIN WAVES.
HOW THE ATMOSPHERE INTERACTS 
WITH TOPOGRAPHY, AS IT'S ROLLING
ACROSS MOUNTAINS FOR EXAMPLE.
A LOT OF THAT WORK WAS DONE IN 
THE LATE '60s AND THE EARLY '70s
THIS LiDAR WAS TAKEN OUT TO 
CALIFORNIA, IN '72 AND IT WAS 
USED NOT FOR MOUNTAIN WAVE 
STUDIES BUT FOR UNDERSTANDING 
AIR QUALITY AND LOOKING AT 
AEROSOLS WHICH ARE -- IS A TERM 
FOR BASICALLY ANYTHING IN THE 
AIR THAT ISN'T AIR.
POLLUTION, SMOKE, DUST, POLLEN, 
ALL OF THAT.
SO THE 48 INCH LiDAR WAS TAKEN 
OUT TO CALIFORNIA TO DO THIS 
STUDY.
IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL.
THEY WORKED WITH THE DEPARTMENT 
OF TRANSPORTATION TO TRY TO 
UNDERSTAND AIR QUALITY IN THE 
L.A. BASIN.
SO, BECAUSE OF THAT, THAT LAID 
THE GROUNDWORK FOR REALLY 
ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ABOUT 
CAN YOU USE A LiDAR TO DO 
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE?
CAN YOU SEND A LASER OUT AND GET
ANYTHING MEANINGFUL BACK?
AND THIS SYSTEM REALLY LAID THE 
GROUNDWORK AND SAID, YES YOU 
CAN.
WE CAN USE LiDARS TO MAKE THOSE 
MEASUREMENTS.
SO ADVANCEMENTS CAME ALONG AND 
THE NEXT NATURAL QUESTIONS THEN 
ARE, WELL, YOU CAN DO IT FROM 
THE GROUND.
YOU CAN DO IT FROM AN AIRCRAFT.
CAN YOU DO IT FROM SPACE?
SPACE IS A VERY DIFFERENT 
ENVIRONMENT.
FIRST OF ALL YOU HAVE A VERY 
ROUGH, SHAKY RIDE ON A ROCKET OR
A SPACE SHUTTLE TO GET TO SPACE.
ONCE YOU GET TO SPACE, IT'S A 
HARSH ENVIRONMENT OF TEMPERATURE
CHANGES, RADIATION, NO 
ATMOSPHERE.
AND THERE'S A QUESTION ABOUT 
WHETHER YOU COULD EVEN SAFELY 
OPERATE A LiDAR IN SPACE.
CAN YOU SEND OUT ENOUGH LASER TO
GET SOME RETURN FROM THE 
ATMOSPHERE WITHOUT BLINDING 
EVERYONE ON THE GROUND?
CAN YOU DO THAT?
SO WE SET OUT TO ANSWER THAT 
QUESTION AND THE RESULT WAS WHAT
WAS CALLED THE LiDAR IN SPACE 
TECHNOLOGY EXPERIMENT WHICH FLEW
FOR NINE DAYS IN 1984 ON SPACE 
SHUTTLE "DISCOVERY" AND PROVED 
YES YOU CAN DO LiDAR EXPERIMENTS
IN SPACE.
IT IS POSSIBLE.
THAT'S LED DIRECTLY TO THE KIND 
MUCH WORK THAT WE'RE DOING 
TODAY.
AND ONE THAT I WANT TO SHOW YOU 
IS CALLED CALYPSO.
THIS IS THE CALYPSO SATELLITE 
WHICH IS A LiDAR IN SPACE THAT 
MEASURES AEROSOLS IN CLOUDS IN 
THE ATMOSPHERE.
AND YOU MAY ASK WHAT IS THE USE 
OF A LiDAR IN SPACE?
WHAT DOES IT GIVE YOU THAT I 
CAN'T GET OTHER WAYS?
SO IN THIS IMAGE HERE, YOU CAN 
SEE FROM OTHER SATELLITES YOU 
CAN GET LOCATION OF CLOUDS, AND 
DUST AND FOREST FIRE, SMOKE, YOU
CAN SEE THAT IN IMAGES FROM 
OTHER SATELLITES.
BUT THAT GIVES YOU A 2-D 
REPRESENTATION.
BUT, ARE THESE HIGH ALTITUDE 
CLOUDS?
OR SITTING 100 FEET OFF THE 
OCEAN SURFACE?
YOU DON'T KNOW.
BUT THAT'S WHAT A LiDAR IN SPACE
GIVES YOU LIKE CALYPSO.
IT GIVES YOU WHAT WE CALL 
PROFILES.
THE THREE DIMENSIONAL LOCATION 
OF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
SO HERE'S AN EXAMPLE, ONE 
EXAMPLE OF WHAT CALYPSO DATA CAN
BE USED FOR.
THESE ARE IMAGES TAKEN OF WEST 
AFRICA, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT 
THERE'S DUST LEAVING AFRICA.
BLOWING OFF THE SAHARA DESERT 
WITH THE EASTERLY WINDS, HEADING
OUT OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.
AGAIN YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE IT 
IS.
BUT WHEN CALYPSO COMES ACROSS IN
ITS ORBIT, IT CAN TELL YOU HOW 
HIGH IT IS.
SO THESE DATA ARE FROM ZERO TO 
NINE KILOMETERS.
PRETTY HIGH IN THE ATMOSPHERE.
THE DARKER COLORS ARE MORE DUST.
SO A HEAVIER CONCENTRATION OF 
DUST.
SO NOW, AS YOU PUT TOGETHER 
SUBSEQUENT ORBITS OF THE 
SATELLITE OVER SEVERAL DAYS YOU 
CAN SEE THAT THERE'S THESE VERY 
LARGE PLUME TRANSPORTATION OF 
DUST FROM AFRICA OVER TO SOUTH 
AMERICA.
AND SO NOW YOU CAN START TO ASK 
QUESTIONS ABOUT, WELL, THIS IS A
GLOBAL RESEARCH QUESTION, RIGHT?
HOW DOES WHAT'S GOING ON IN 
AFRICA AFFECT WHAT'S GOING ON IN
THE AMAZON?
IT TURNS OUT THAT THE DUST 
THAT'S TRANSPORTED FROM THE 
SAHARA FERTILIZES THE AMAZON.
THERE'S ALSO RESEARCH GOING INTO
HOW DOES THE DUST THAT'S LEAVING
AFRICA AFFECT OUR HURRICANE 
SEASONS.
DOES IT HELP HURRICANE 
PRODUCTION?
DOES IT SUPPRESS IT?
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IMPACTS 
US, OF COURSE, EVERY SUMMER.
WE'D LIKE TO KNOW THAT.
SO THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS 
THAT CALYPSO HAS ADDED IS THE 
ABILITY TO MEASURE PARTICULATES,
SUCH AS DUST AND HOW THEY MOVE 
AROUND THE WORLD.
SO CALYPSO WAS LAUNCHED IN 2006.
IT'S BEEN UP FOR MORE THAN TEN 
YEARS.
PRODUCING A HUGE AMOUNT OF DATA 
WHICH HAS BEEN VERY USEFUL AND 
WE HOPE TO BUILD ON THAT AND 
BUILD SOME OTHER LiDARS AND PUT 
SOME MORE IN SPACE TO ANSWER 
SOME OTHER FUNDAMENTAL 
QUESTIONS.
PICTURE ON THE LEFT HERE IS A 
RESEARCHER AT NASA LANGLEY JIM 
PLANTE WHO'S WORKING ON A SYSTEM
THAT WE CURRENTLY FLY ON 
AIRCRAFT TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND 
HOW WE CAN MEASURE CARBON 
DIOXIDE FROM SPACE.
WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC.
ON THE RIGHT IS AN ARTIST 
RENDITION OF ANOTHER SATELLITE 
THAT'S MEANT TO MEASURE PLANKTON
POPULATIONS BENEATH THE OCEAN'S 
SURFACE.
SO FROM SPACE BEING ABLE TO 
MEASURE HOW MUCH PHYTO PLANKTON 
IS BENEATH'S THE EARTH'S 
SURFACE.
THAT HELPS US UNDERSTAND.
GLOBAL FOOD CYCLE.
HOW DO THOSE PHYTO PLANKTON 
POPULATIONS GROW, CHANGE, IS 
THERE ANYTHING AFFECTING THEM 
THAT WE NEED TO STUDY?
THAT AFFECTS FOOD OR EVERYBODY.
SO THESE ARE A COUPLE MISSIONS 
THAT ARE BEING WORKED ON AND 
PROPOSED FOR THE FUTURE.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S SWITCH GEARS FOR A MINUTE 
AND TALK ABOUT ATMOSPHERIC 
COMPOSITION.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE OZONE 
LAYER OVER THE SOUTH POLE.
IT -- IT WAS KNOWN IN THE '70s 
AND EARLY '80s IT HAD BEEN SHOWN
THEORETICALLY THAT CHEMICALS 
THAT WE WERE PRODUCING, 
ESPECIALLY CFCs, 
CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS AND 
CHEMICALS FROM EXHAUST, 
SUPERSONIC PLANES FLYING AT HIGH
ALTITUDE WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT 
OF DESTROYING ATMOSPHERIC OZONE 
AND INCREASING THE THICKNESS OF 
THE OZONE LAYER.
THE IMPACT OF THAT, OF COURSE, 
IS THAT THE OZONE LAYER IS THE 
EARTH'S SUNSCREEN.
IT ABSORBS UV RADIATION THAT 
WOULD OTHERWISE REACH THE 
SURFACE, AND ESSENTIALLY DAMAGE 
DNA OF YOU AND ME, CAUSING SKIN 
CANCER, DAMAGING PLANT AND 
ANIMAL DNA.
SO THE OZONE LAYER IS VERY 
IMPORTANT.
AND IT WAS KNOWN THAT THERE WAS 
CHEMISTRY THAT COULD DESTROY THE
OZONE LAYER BASED ON WHAT WE 
WERE PUTTING INTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN FROM NASA
SATELLITE CALLED TOMS WHICH 
ACTUALLY DID SHOW THAT THERE WAS
A SUBSTANTIAL THINNING IN THE 
OZONE LAYER OVER ANTARCTICA.
THE DARK BLUES AND PURPLES THERE
SHOW LOW LEVELS OF OZONE, 
WHEREAS THE REDS AND ORANGE AND 
YELLOW 140E HIGHER LEVELS.
SO THERE'S DEFINITE THINNING 
THERE.
AND IT'S INTERESTING TO POINT 
OUT THAT WHEN THIS WAS 
ORIGINALLY SEEN IT WAS FLAGGED 
AS AN INSTRUMENT ANOMALY.
THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE THAT IT WAS 
ACTUALLY TRUE.
THAT THE OZONE LAYER COULD BE 
THAT THIN.
SO THEY WENT OUT AND THEY TOOK 
GROUND BASED MEASUREMENTS AND 
PROVED THAT, INDEED, YES, THERE 
IS THINNING OF THE OZONE LAYER 
AT THE POLES.
SO THIS WAS A PROBLEM THAT 
OBVIOUSLY WE NEEDED TO 
UNDERSTAND AROUND THERE WAS WORK
AT LANGLEY DONE TO LOOK INTO 
THAT.
ONE OF WHICH WAS CALLED THE 
STRATOSPHERIC AEROSOL 
MEASUREMENT OR S.A.M. 1 
INSTRUMENT.
S.A.M. 1 AND YOU CAN SEE THERE'S
PAT McCORMICK THERE IS HOLDING 
IT IN HIS HAND, IT WAS FLOWN IN 
1975, AND WAS FLOWN ON THE 
APOLLO 3 TEST PROJECT OPERATED 
BY ASTRONAUT DEKE SLAYTON ACROSS
A SPAN OF NINE DAYS.
AND THIS WAS REALLY THE PIONEER 
FOR THIS MEASUREMENT.
IT SHOWED THAT YOU COULD MEASURE
ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND 
GASES IN THE ATMOSPHERE BY USING
A SPACE AGE INSTRUMENT LIKE 
THIS.
SO S.A.M. 1 WAS A SUCTION.
S.A.M. 2 FOLLOWED ON IN 1978, 
FLYING ABOARD THE NIMBUS 7 
SPACECRAFT AND THAT LASTED 
ACTUALLY FROM '78 UNTIL 1993.
A VERY LONG TIME.
SO THE SUCCESS OF THESE 
INSTRUMENTS LED TO OTHER 
INSTRUMENTS THAT WERE -- HAD 
INCREASED CAPABILITIES.
THE NEXT GENERATION WAS CALLED 
THE STRATOSPHERIC AEROSOL AND 
GAS EXPERIMENT, SAAG.
THE FIRST WAS LAUNCHED IN 1979 
AND LASTED FROM 1979 UNTIL 1981.
NOW IT DID TAKE GOOD DATA DURING
THOSE YEARS.
BUT IT WAS NOT OPERATIONAL IN 
APRIL 1982 WHEN THE EL CHACONE 
VOLCANO ERUPTED IN MEXICO.
AND IT WAS KNOWN, I GUESS, 
THEORETICALLY THAT VOLCANOES PUT
A LOT OF ASH AND DUST AND A LOT 
OF PARTICULATES HIGH INTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
AND THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO 
AFFECT GLOBAL TEMPERATURES 
AROUND THE WORLD.
BECAUSE IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR
THAT DUST AND THE PARTICULATES 
TO COME OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
SO THIS WAS KNOWN BUT 
UNFORTUNATELY PHASE ONE WAS NOT 
OPERATIONAL WHEN THAT HAPPENED.
SO A LOT OF TIMES YOU HEAR ABOUT
ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS AT 
NASA IS CONTINUITY OF 
MEASUREMENTS.
OKAY.
AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHY.
WHY DO WE HAVE ONE SATELLITE AND
THEN FOLLOW IT ON WITH SATELLITE
TWO, SATELLITE THREE, SATELLITE 
FOUR LIKE THAT?
IT'S FOR CONTINUITY OF 
MEASUREMENTS.
BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT 
YOU'RE GOING TO MISS WHEN YOU'RE
NOT LOOKING.
SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE WHERE 
STAGE 1 WAS NOT ACTIVE FOR THIS 
ERUPTION.
STAGE 2 WENT UP IN 1984 RAND 
OPERATED UNTIL 2005.
AND FORTUNATELY IT WAS IN ORBIT 
FOR ANOTHER MAJOR EE RUNS, MOUNT
PINATUBO, WHICH THE IMAGE HERE 
ON THE LEFT SHOWS YOU ASH AND 
GAS COMING UP FROM MT. PINATUBO.
THIS IS ACTUALLY PRIOR TO THE 
EXPLOSION.
PRIOR TO THE ERUPTION.
SO YOU CAN SEE THE AMOUNT OF 
STUFF A VOLCANO PUTS INTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
SAAGE 2 WAS OPERATIONAL FOR THIS
MEASUREMENT AND I HAVE A PLAQUE 
HERE, I'M A SCIENTIST, I HAVE TO
AT LEAST HAVE ONE IN HERE.
ON THE LEFT THE VERTICAL AXIS IS
LATITUDE.
SO THIS IS BASICALLY LOOKING 
POLE TO POLE.
SOUTH POLE TO NORTH POLE.
AND THEN WE MOVE ALONG IN TIME 
AS WE GO FROM LEFT TO RIGHT.
AND THE NUMBERS HERE ARE 
DIFFERENT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.
NUMBER THREE HERE WAS THE EL 
CHACHONE ERUPTION WHICH IN THIS 
DATA FROM MULTIPLE INSTRUMENTS 
WAS MISSED.
THERE'S A BIG BLACK HOLE THERE 
IN THOSE MEASUREMENTS.
FORTUNATELY NUMBER SIX HERE WAS 
THE PINATUBO ERUPTION, AND YOU 
CAN SEE THE EFFECT THAT THAT HAD
ON THE ATMOSPHERE.
THE DARK BLUES, PURPLES, BLACKS,
SHOW A RELATIVELY CLEANER 
ATMOSPHERE.
NOT A LOT OF POLLUTANTS IN 
THERE.
LIGHT AFTER THE PINATUBO 
ERUPTION YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH 
STUFF WAS PUT UP HIGH INTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
AND THAT WAS CAUGHT BY THE SAAGE
INSTRUMENTS.
SO VERY SUCCESSFUL IN THAT 
SUCCESS CONTINUES TODAY.
SAAGE THREE IS THE LATEST 
ITERATION OF HIS INSTRUMENT AND 
IT ACTUALLY JUST LAUNCHED LAST 
MONTH.
MARCH 19th.
LITTLE MORE THAN A MONTH AGO.
THIS PICTURE ON THE LEFT IS AN 
IMAGE OF THE TEAM IN THEIR 
CONTROL ROOM HERE AT NASA 
LANGLEY.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY COMMUNICATING 
WITH THE INSTRUMENT IN THAT 
PICTURE.
IT'S ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL 
SPACE STATION.
♪♪
>> OKAY.
WE'RE ALL SQUARED AWAY WHENEVER 
YOU GUYS ARE.
>> ROGER.
>> "CHALLENGER" -- 
>> OKAY.
-- AT THIS TIME, STAND BY.
♪♪
>> OKAY SO THAT GIVES YOU A 
LITTLE BIT OF THE HISTORY OF THE
SAGE INSTRUMENTS.
WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH OZONE?
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
ANOTHER EXPERIMENT CALLED THE 
HALOGEN OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIMENT,
HALO WHICH WAS MEANT TO LOOK AT 
THE RECOVERY OF OZONE AND TO 
UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHANGES THAT
WERE MADE TO TRY AND CURB THESE 
CHEMICALS GOING INTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE ACTUALLY HAD ANY 
EFFECT.
AND IT DID.
THIS IS A PLOT ON THE LEFT-HAND 
SIDE BASICALLY SHOWS YOU HOW 
MUCH CHLORINE IS IN AVAILABLE TO
DAMAGE OZONE.
SO THIS IS THE AMOUNT OF 
MATERIAL THAT IS IN THE 
ATMOSPHERE THAT'S AVAILABLE TO 
DAMAGE OZONE.
AND THIS IS TIME AS WE GO FROM 
LEFT TO RIGHT.
ON THE TOP HERE IS A SLOT 
SHOWING THE GROUND, THE AMOUNT 
AT THE GROUND THAT'S BEEN 
PRODUCED BY HUMANS.
WHICH TAKES A LONG TIME TO MAKE 
ITS WAY, WAY UP INTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE TO HIGHER ALTITUDE 
WHERE IT CAN AFFECT OZONE.
SO YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT THAT 
LEVELED OFF, AND THIS, I'M SORRY
I CUT OFF THE DATES ON THIS, BUT
THAT'S ABOUT 1992 OR SO.
THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL IN 1987 
WAS THE TREATY THAT BANNED CFCs,
AND WAS REALLY THE ATTEMPT TO 
TRY AND CURB THIS PROBLEM.
SO WE CAN SEE THAT THE CHLORINE 
AT THE GROUND PEAKED, AND ABOUT 
SIX, SEVEN YEARS LATER THESE 
BLUE DOTS SHOW THE CHLORINE 
AVAILABLE UP AT HIGH ALTITUDE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT REACHED A 
PEAK ALSO MUCH LATER BUT IT DID 
PEAK, AND IT LEVELED OFF AND 
CAME DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
SO, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF BEING 
ABLE TO CHANGE OUR ENVIRONMENT 
FOR THE BETTER.
SO WE NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH 
OZONE.
IT'S CAUSED BY CFCs AND OTHER 
CHEMICALS, AND WE WERE ABLE TO 
PUT TREATIES IN PLACE TO TRY AND
CURB THIS PROBLEM.
SO, AGAIN, THE IMPACT FOR THAT 
CAN BE SHOWN KIND OF 
DRAMATICALLY BY THESE COMPUTER 
SIMULATIONS ON THE LEFT HERE IS 
IMAGE OF THE EARTH WITH THE 
AMOUNT OF OZONE.
AGAIN THE YELLOWS, ORANGE, REDS 
ARE HIGHER AMOUNTS OF OZONE AND 
THE DEEP PURPLES AND BLUES AND 
BLACKS ARE GOING TO BE LOWER 
AMOUNTS OF OZONE.
THE LEFT SHOWS YOU THE WORLD 
THAT WE EXPECT TO LIVE IN GIVEN 
REAL DATA FROM THE PAST, AND 
THEN EXTRAPOLATING THAT INTO THE
FUTURE.
THE PICTURE ON THE RIGHT SHOWS 
YOU WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE 
HAD WE NOT CURBED CFCs AND 
CHEMICALS GOING INTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
YOU CAN SEE AS THE YEARS ROLL 
ALONG, THERE'S A PRONOUNCED 
OZONE HOLE THERE, BUT IN THE 
LEFT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE 
THINNING DECREASING AND 
RECOVERING.
WHERE ON THE RIGHT IT'S 
CONTINUING UNABATED.
SO THIS THINNING IN THE OZONE 
LAYER IS ABOUT, NOWADAYS IT 
WOULD HAVE BEEN AFFECTING ALL OF
ANTARCTICA.
YOU'LL SEE IT START OCCURRING 
MORE PROMINENTLY AT THE NORTH 
POLE, AND YOU SEE HOW THESE DIPS
ARE NOW STARTING TO GET DOWN 
INTO CANADA, EUROPE, ASIA, 
AFFECTING POPULATION CENTERS 
PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY.
AS WE GET OUT INTO THE 2060s YOU
CAN SEE THE DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE.
OKAY.
SO THAT'S SOME OF THE WORK THAT 
WE AT NASA LANGLEY HAVE 
CONTRIBUTED TO, IS TRYING TO 
UNDERSTAND AND HELP MITIGATE 
THESE PROBLEMS.
ALL RIGHT.
OTHER AREAS THAT WE CONTRIBUTE 
TO, ONE IS MEASURING THE EARTH'S
ENERGY BUDGET.
SO, MOST OF THE ENERGY THAT THE 
EARTH GETS COMES FROM THE SUN.
EVERY DAY.
BUT THERE'S A QUESTION ABOUT HOW
MUCH OF THAT ENERGY IS ACTUALLY 
REACHING THE SURFACE.
HOW MUCH OF IT STAYS IN THE 
EARTH ENVIRONMENT.
THE SUN SENDS A CERTAIN AMOUNT 
OF ENERGY IN THE FORM OF SOLAR 
RADIATION OUR WAY.
BUT HOW MUCH OF THAT IS ACTUALLY
ABSORBED, OR REFLECTED BY THE 
ATMOSPHERE, BY CLOUDS, BY 
GROUND.
THAT WAS AN UNKNOWN QUESTION 
UNTIL SATELLITES WERE PUT IN 
PLACE TO ANSWER THAT.
SATELLITES THAT SIT OUTSIDE THE 
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE AND MEASURE 
INCOMING RADIATION AS WELL AS 
THE RADIATION THAT IS LEAVING 
THE EARTH AND COMING BACK FROM 
REFLECTION, AND OR NOT COMING 
BACK BECAUSE IT'S ABSORBED.
SO SOME OF THE FIRST INSTRUMENTS
TO DO THAT WERE THE EARTH'S 
RADIATION BUDGET EXPERIMENT 
INSTRUMENTS.
OR THE ERBE INSTRUMENTS.
THESE WERE FORMED IN THE '70s.
THE FIRST INSTRUMENTS WERE 
LAUNCHED I BELIEVE IT WAS '84 
FOR THE ERBE INSTRUMENT.
'84 AND '86 ON A COUPLE OF 
SATELLITES.
AND THESE PROVED THAT, YES, YOU 
CAN MAKE THESE MEASUREMENTS.
AGAIN, THIS IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT
CAN WORK.
IT CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS.
SO THERE WERE FOLLOW-ON 
INSTRUMENTS.
AND ONE OF THE MAJOR ONES BEING 
CLOUDS IN THE EARTH'S RADIANT 
ENERGY SYSTEM.
SO, SERIES WAS AN ATTEMPT TO 
UNDERSTAND HOW DOES RADIATION 
INTERACT WITH CLOUDS.
SO BEFORE SERIES WAS PUT UP 
THERE WAS A MAJOR QUESTION ABOUT
DO CLOUDS WARM OR COOL THE 
EARTH?
WHY IS EARTH DIFFERENT THAN MARS
AND VENUS?
WHICH ARE NOT TERRIBLY 
DISSIMILAR ORBITS.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?
SO SERIES WAS PUT IN PLACE TO 
ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS.
THE FIRST SERIES INSTRUMENT 
LAUNCHED IN DECEMBER OF 1997 
ABOARD A NASA SATELLITE, AND 
BECAUSE THAT WAS SO SUCCESSFUL, 
THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL OTHER 
SERIES INSTRUMENTS, THERE'S 
ACTUALLY CURRENTLY FIVE FLYING 
ON THREE DIFFERENT NASA 
SATELLITES, MAKING THESE 
MEASUREMENTS GLOBALLY EVERY DAY.
SO LET ME BRING YOU BACK TO 
EARTH FOR A MINUTE.
NOT EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS 
MEASUREMENTS FROM SPACE.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO TIE THESE
MEASUREMENTS TO WHAT GOING ON ON
DIRECTLY ON THE GROUND.
THIS IMAGE IS THE SERIES OCEAN 
VALIDATION EXPERIMENT, OR CODE 
LIGHTHOUSE WHICH IS LOCATED OUT 
IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY.
AND THIS OPERATED FOR 17 YEARS 
AS A GROUND VALIDATION POINT.
SO SATELLITES GO OVER, YOU NEED 
TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ACTUALLY 
AGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE MEASURING
ON THE GROUND, AND BASICALLY 
VALIDATE WHAT THE MEASUREMENTS 
ARE THAT THEY'RE GIVING YOU.
SO THE CODE LIGHTHOUSE IS ONE 
WAY WE DID THAT.
I'LL SHOW OTHER EXAMPLES IN A 
MINUTE.
BUT THE FUTURE FOR SERIES IS 
ONGOING RIGHT NOW.
THE INSTRUMENT IS SERIES FM-6 
WHICH IS EXPECTED TO LAUNCH THIS
YEAR FALL 2017 ON THE JPS X-1 
SATELLITE.
SO THAT'S COMING UP VERY SOON.
AND OTHER FOLLOW-ON INSTRUMENTS 
INCLUDE THE RADIATION BUDGET 
INSTRUMENT OR RBI AND THE 
CLIMATE ABSOLUTE RADIANCE AND 
REFRACTIVETY OBSERVANCE OR 
CLARIO.
RBI IS ACTUALLY BEING BUILT 
RIGHT NOW.
ITS TENTATIVE LAUNCH DAY IS IN 
2020.
CLARIO AND THE CLARIO CLARIO 
PATHFINDER MISSION WHICH WOULD 
FLY ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE 
STATION IS STILL IN THE 
DISCUSSION STAGE AND THAT WOULD 
TENTATIVELY BE A 2020 LAUNCH TO 
BE ON STATION AS WELL.
SO WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON THERE.
WITH EARTH'S RADIATION BUDGETS.
ANOTHER AREA OF COURSE ALL OF 
THOSE ROLL INTO THE ATMOSPHERIC 
COMPOSITION, ATMOSPHERIC 
CHEMISTRY AND ALSO TYING IN AIR 
QUALITY.
A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO 
HAPPENS ON AIRCRAFT.
AS WELL.
SO WHEN YOU PUT A SATELLITE IN 
SPACE IT HAS A DEFINED ORBIT.
A LOT OF THE SATELLITES WE WORK 
WITH FOR CALYPSO IS ONE EXAMPLE 
WHERE IT COMES OVER A POINT ON 
THE GROUND ONCE A DAY, EVERY 16 
DAYS.
OKAY SO THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY 
TELLING YOU ABOUT WHAT'S GOING 
ON THE NEXT DAY WHEN THE 
SATELLITE'S NOT COMING OVER THAT
POINT.
IN THE SAME WAY IF YOU'RE MAKING
GROUND BASED MEASUREMENTS THAT'S
TELLING YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THE 
POINT WHERE YOU'RE MAKING THE 
MEASUREMENTS.
DOESN'T NECESSARILY TELL YOU 
SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON 
100 MILES FROM THAT POINT.
SO WE TRY AND FILL THE GAPS.
ONE WAY WE DO THAT IS WITH 
AIRCRAFT MEASUREMENTS.
THIS IS A SMALL EXAMPLE, 
ACTUALLY THIS IS JUST A FEW OF 
THE MISSIONS THAT WE'VE THROWN 
FROM NASA LANGLEY ON VARIOUS 
RESEARCH AIRCRAFT SUCH AS THIS 
ONE.
THIS IS A C-130 NASA C-130 THAT 
NICE OUT OF WALLOP.
SO WE DO A LOT OF AIRCRAFT WORK 
AND A LOT OF THESE AIRCRAFT LINE
UP TO FLY UNDERNEATH SATELLITES,
THEY ALSO FLY OVER GROUND SITES,
SUCH AS THE COVE LIGHTHOUSE, OR 
THIS FACILITY WHICH IS CALLED 
THE CAPABILITY SITE WHICH IS OUT
AT NASA LANGLEY AND THIS MAKES A
NUMBER OF ATMOSPHERIC 
MEASUREMENTS, COMPOSITION, 
CHEMISTRY, TEMPERATURE PRESSURE,
BASIC AIR QUALITY MEASUREMENTS 
AND PROVIDES THESE MEASUREMENTS 
TO THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF 
AIR QUALITY.
SO, WE HAVE THIS OUT AT NASA 
LANGLEY.
THEY ALSO LAUNCHED WEATHER 
BALLOONS PERIODICALLY TO TAKE 
MEASUREMENTS UP THROUGH THE 
ATMOSPHERE.
AND WE COMBINE ALL THESE ASSETS 
INTO FOCUSED AIRCRAFT CAMPAIGNS.
ONE OF WHICH WAS A COUPLE YEARS 
AGO, 2011 TO 2014 CALLED 
DISCOVER AQ OR DERIVING 
INFORMATION ON SURFACE 
CONDITIONS FROM COLUMN AND 
VERTICALLY RESOLVED OBSERVATIONS
RELEVANT TO AIR QUALITY.
THERE WILL BE A QUIZ ON THAT 
AFTERWARDS.
66 BUT THE POINT OF DISCOVER AQ 
REALLY WAS AGAIN TRYING TO TIE 
TOGETHER WHAT WE'RE MEASURING 
FROM A SATELLITE VERSUS WHAT 
WE'RE MEASURING ON THE GROUND.
SO, YOU CAN'T HAVE AIR QUALITY 
STATION YAEFRS WHERE IN THE 
WORLD, RIGHT?
ESPECIALLY IN SFARS AREAS.
I'M FROM MONTANA.
NOT A LOT OF AIR QUALITY 
STATIONS OUT THERE IN THE 
RANCHES AND POSTURES AND THINGS 
LIKE THAT.
SO YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT 
YOUR SATELLITE DATA ARE GIVING 
YOU TO MAKE IT RELEVANT TO THE 
PEOPLE ON THE GROUND.
FOR MISSIONS LIKE DISCOVERY AQ, 
INSTRUMENT AIRCRAFT, AND GO OUT 
AND MAKE THESE MEASUREMENTS AND 
TRY TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS 
ABOUT HOW DO YOU TIE THE 
MEASUREMENTS TOGETHER.
THIS IS AN IMAGE OF SOME OF THE 
FLIGHT PLANS AS THEY WERE FLYING
OVER THE DENVER AREA.
THEY ALSO FLEW FOR A MONTH OVER 
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WHICH WAS INTERESTING IF YOU 
HAVE A REALLY LARGE PLANE FLYING
1,000 FOOT OFF THE GROUND OVER 
D.C. TRAFFIC.
THAT GETS A LOT OF ATTENTION.
BUT THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL, AND 
ACTUALLY LED TO A PARTNERSHIP 
WITH KOREA FOR THE KOREA/U.S. 
AIR QUALITY MISSION OR KUAQ.
PEOPLE MIGHT QUESTION WHY WOULD 
WE CARE ABOUT AIR QUALITY IN 
KOREA?
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
IT'S NOT VIRGINIA.
WHAT'S THE POINT?
WELL, THE POINT IS THAT AIR 
QUALITY AND POLLUTION IS NOT A 
LOCAL PROBLEM.
IT'S A GLOBAL PROBLEM.
SO AIR QUALITY IN OTHER PARTS OF
THE WORLD, BECAUSE WE LIVE IN 
THIS UNIFIED ATMOSPHERE AFFECTS 
US.
AND THE THINGS THAT WE DO AFFECT
OTHER PEOPLE.
SO I PERSONALLY HAVE BEEN ON 
MISSIONS WHERE WE'VE MEASURED 
POLLUTION COMING IN TO 
CALIFORNIA FROM CHINA.
OKAY.
THAT GETS TRANSPORTED ACROSS THE
OCEAN.
SO IT'S IN OUR BEST INTERESTS TO
WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS 
INTERNATIONALLY TO TRY AND 
UNDERSTAND AIR QUALITY BECAUSE 
IT HELPS EVERYBODY.
AND SO WE'VE PARTNERED WITH 
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS TO DO 
THIS.
TEMPO IS A MISSION THAT WILL BE 
LOOKING AT POLLUTION OVER THE 
U.S., SPECIFICALLY.
THAT'S A LANGLEY-LED MISSION.
THAT STANDS FOR TROPOSPHEREIC 
EMISSIONS MONITORING OF 
POLLUTION.
IT'S ACTUALLY FINISHING UP AND 
WILL BE READY FOR A LAUNCH LATER
THIS YEAR 2017.
BUT IT WILL SIT OVER THE UNITED 
STATES IN A GEOSTATIONARY ASH 
BIT.
IT WILL SIT IN ONE SPOT 
BASICALLY AND VIEW HOURLY SCANS 
OF AIR QUALITY POLLUTION ACROSS 
THE UNITED STATES.
FROM CANADA TO MEXICO.
THE PLAN FOR EUROPE AND ASIA 
SENTINEL FOUR IS A EUROPEAN 
MISSION SET TO LAUNCH IN 2022 I 
BELIEVE, AND GEMS IS A 2018 
LAUNCH FOR ASIA.
WE ALSO STUDY OTHER THINGS.
WE HAVE A COUPLE MISSIONS THAT 
ARE GOING ON RIGHT NOW TO ANSWER
SOME OTHER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.
ONE IS CALLED ATMOSPHERIC CARBON
AND TRANSPORT AMERICA.
AND I WORK ON THIS MISSION.
THIS IS UNDERSTANDING, TRYING TO
UNDERSTAND HOW DOES CARBON 
DIOXIDE AND METHANE GET 
PRODUCED, AND THEN SWEPT UP IN 
WEATHER SYSTEMS, MOVED ACROSS 
THE UNITED STATES, AND THEN 
PULLED OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE AT 
OTHER PLACES.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T 
HAVE A GREAT UNDERSTANDING OF SO
WE'RE TRYING TO MEASURE THAT BY 
INSTRUMENTING AIRCRAFT AND 
FLYING ALL OVER THE EASTERN HALF
OF THE U.S., THESE ARE SOME OF 
THE FLIGHT GROUND TRACKS THAT 
WE'VE HAD.
AND WE FLY IN SATELLITES TO TRY 
AND COORDINATE WITH THOSE 
MEASUREMENTS.
SO TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE 
CARBON CYCLE, ANOTHER MISSION 
THAT IS FLYING RIGHT NOW IS THE 
NORTH ATLANTIC AEROSOLS AND 
MARINE ECOSYSTEM STUDY.
AND THIS IS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
HOW AEROSOLS, THE THINGS IN THE 
AIR INTERACT WITH THE OCEAN'S 
SURFACE.
AND THEY ALSO ARE DOING SOME OF 
THAT PHYTO PLANKTON WORK TRYING 
TO UNDERSTAND THE PHYTOPLANKTON 
POPULATION.
AND I HAVE LITTLE VIDEO HERE TO 
KIND OF DEMONSTRATE HOW DO WE 
MAKE THESE MEASUREMENTS FROM 
PLANES.
WELL WE TAKE PLANES AND OUTFIT 
THEM WITH CERTAIN INSTRUMENTS, 
AND REALLY PACK AS MANY 
INSTRUMENTS AS WE CAN ONTO THESE
THINGS.
WE PUT INLETS ON THE AIRCRAFT.
MUCH LIKE THAT.
WHICH AS WE'RE FLYING THROUGH 
THE ATMOSPHERE WILL TAKE IN 
SAMPLES FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AND 
TAKE THOSE INTO THE CABIN OF THE
INSTRUMENTATION TO MAKE 
MEASUREMENTS DIRECTLY THERE.
THERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF IT THREE 
REMOTE SENSORS THAT ARE LOCATED 
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PLANE.
ONE OF WHICH IS AN ACTIVE 
SENSOR.
IT CARRIES A LASER TO MEASURE 
THE ATMOSPHERE BELOW THE PLANE.
THE OTHERS RELY ON SUNLIGHT.
WE ALSO PUT CLOUD PROBES OUT ON 
THE WINGS SO AS YOU'RE FLYING 
THROUGH A CLOUD YOU CAN 
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THAT CLOUD 
COMPOSED OF.
WHAT IS THE SIZE OF THE 
PARTICLES.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF
THE CLOUD.
WE ALSO HAVE OTHER INLETS THAT 
WE MOUNT FOR UNDERSTANDING THE 
COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE 
AND THE CHEMISTRY.
WHAT'S IN THE AIR?
WE CAN MEASURE THAT VERY 
PRECISELY.
THERE'S ALSO INSTRUMENTS THAT 
LOOK ABOVE THE AIRPLANE.
NOT EVEN BELOW BUT LOOK UP AND 
CAN GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT'S IN
THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE THE 
AIRPLANE.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT 
RESEARCHERS AND GROUPS THAT WORK
ON THESE MISSIONS.
WHAT ELSE DO WE DO AT LANGLEY?
THAT'S A LOT OF THE BIG ITEMS.
A COUPLE OTHER THINGS THAT WE 
TRY TO DO TO MAKE THE DATA 
RELEVANT ARE WORKING WITH NASA'S
APPLIED SCIENCES PROGRAM.
ONE PROJECT THAT LANGLEY THAT 
WORKED ON THAT IS CALLED THE 
DEVELOP PROGRAM AND WHAT THEY DO
IS THEY MATCH PARTICIPANTS, 
WHICH COME FROM A WIDE VARIETY 
OF BACKGROUNDS, RECENT 
GRADUATES, MILITARY PERSONNEL, 
STUDENTS TRANSITIONING 
PROFESSIONALS TO TAKE THESE 
FOLKS, MATCH THEM UP WITH 
SCIENCE ADVISERS, MANY AT 
LANGLEY AND THEN TEAM THEM UP 
WITH PARTNERS AND STATE AND 
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL 
AGENCIES, AND ACTUALLY WE WORK 
WITH PEOPLE INTERNATIONALLY, AS 
WELL, TO USE NASA DATA TO SOLVE 
PROBLEMS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO 
LOCAL GROUPS.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, COASTLINE 
FLOODING.
AND INUNDATION.
THERE'S STATE AND LOCAL 
GOVERNMENTS THAT WANT TO 
UNDERSTAND THOSE PROBLEMS, BUT 
THEY DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW HOW 
TO USE THE NASA DATA.
SO, THAT'S ONE ASPECT OF THE 
APPLIED SCIENCES PROGRAM IS 
MAKING THAT RELEVANT TO THESE 
FOLKS.
WE ALSO HELP TO MANAGE THE NASA 
WILDFIRES, WILDLAND FIRES 
PROGRAM.
♪♪
THIS IS AN IMAGE TAKEN FROM -- 
ACTUALLY MULTIPLE IMAGES SHOWING
WILD FIRES AROUND THE WORLD.
AND IT'S INTERESTING TO WATCH 
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE AS YOU 
MOVE THROUGH DIFFERENT SEASONS 
YOU CAN SEE BURNING IN THE 
SUB-SAHARAN -- SUB-SAHARAN 
AFRICA.
IN THE FALL YOU'LL SEE 
AGRICULTURAL BURNING IN THE 
U.S., IN THE SOUTH, FARMLANDS 
ARE BURNED AND PREPPED FOR 
PLANTING OF THE NEXT SEASON.
CAN DEFINITELY SEE THE LINE OF 
FIRES BELOW THE VERY SPARSELY 
POPULATED SAHARAN DESERT THERE.
SO WE HELP TO MANAGE THIS 
PROGRAM TO MONITOR FIRES.
SEE HOW THEY'RE MOVING, HOW 
THEY'RE CHANGING.
AND HOW THEY'RE AFFECTING US AND
OUR AIR QUALITY.
WE ALSO HELP TO MANAGE NASA'S 
APPLIED SCIENCE ATMOSPHERIC 
DISASTERS PROGRAM WHICH HELPS TO
MONITOR DISASTERS THAT MATTER TO
US.
LIKE THIS IS A PICTURE OF 
HURRICANE SANDY.
SEVERAL YEARS AGO COMING UP THE 
U.S. EAST COAST.
SO THAT WORK IS ALL DONE HERE AT
NASA LANGLEY.
NOW ONE THING I WANT TO POINT 
OUT AS I'M CLOSING UP HERE IS 
ALL OF THIS DATA BELONGS TO THE 
TAXPAYER.
NASA IS A TAXPAYER FUNDED 
ORGANIZATION.
ALL OF THIS DATA IS AVAILABLE 
FREELY FOR USE BY ANYBODY.
SOME OF THE DATA ARE STORED AT 
NASA LANGLEY IN THE ATMOSPHERIC 
SCIENCE DATA CENTER WHICH IF YOU
READ SOME OF THE NUMBERS ABOUT 
THE AMOUNT OF DATA THAT'S IN THE
ARCHIVES THAT'S BEEN DISTRIBUTED
AROUND THE WORLD IT'S MIND 
BOGGLING.
BUT THESE DATA ARE ALL SAVED, 
AND MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC
TO USE AND WE ENCOURAGE, OF 
COURSE, PEOPLE TO LOOK AT IT, 
AND HELP US UNDERSTAND SOME OF 
THESE PROBLEMS.
AND IF YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED,
THERE'S ALSO PROGRAMS THAT WE 
HAVE AT NASA LANGLEY INVOLVING 
CITIZEN SCIENCE.
ONE OF WHICH IS THE GLOBE 
OBSERVER APP WHICH YOU CAN LOOK 
UP IN THE APP STORE, AND ADD TO 
YOUR SMARTPHONE IF YOU SO 
CHOOSE.
AND WHAT IT ALLOWS YOU TO DO IS 
GO OUT AND MAKE OBSERVATIONS OF 
THE ATMOSPHERE AND CLOUDS AND 
ADD THAT TO A DATA BASE WHICH 
THEN AUGMENTS THE MEASUREMENTS 
THAT WERE TAKEN FROM SPACE.
SO IN CONCLUSION, I WANT TO SAY 
WE'VE COME A LONG WAY FROM 1960.
THIS IS AGAIN THE IMAGE FROM 
APRIL 1st, 1960.
SO I WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH THE 
ADVANCEMENTS THAT WE'VE HAD IN 
THE 57 YEARS STARTING WITH THAT 
ONE.
AND BRINGING YOU UP TO DATE WITH
THESE IMAGES.
♪♪
>>> SO IN CONCLUSION I WANT TO 
SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 
COMING.
THANK YOU FOR BEING MY AUDIENCE 
TODAY.
PLEASE JOIN US NEXT WEEK FOR 
SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND EXPLORATION
AT LANGLEY.
WE'VE GOT TWO GREAT TALKS STILL 
COMING UP, AND AS WALT POINTED 
OUT, THERE'S A LOT OF CENTENNIAL
ACTIVITIES GOING ON THIS YEAR.
SO PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE THE TIME,
COME OUT AND JOIN US.
ESPECIALLY THERE'S AN OPEN HOUSE
IN OCTOBER.
IF YOU WANT TO COME OUT AND SEE 
SOME OF THE STUFF THAT I WAS 
ABLE TO TALK ABOUT TODAY, PLEASE
COME AND JOIN US.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS.
GO GO RIGHT HERE, QUICK.
>> I UNDERSTAND THAT TB MEANS 
TERABYTE.
WHAT HAS PB STAPD FOR?
>> PETA BYTE.
THAT'S 1,000 TIMES BIGGER THAN A
TERABYTE.
SO, YEAH GETS BIGGER AND BIGGER.
>> I'D BE INTERESTED TO SEE SOME
OF THIS GET INTO THE NEWS MEDIA.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
I KNOW I DID TALK WITH A 
REPORTER FROM THE DAILY PRESS, 
OH, A WEEK OR TWO GO, THERE ARE 
SOME STORIES BEING PLANNED 
ESPECIALLY FOR THE CENTENNIAL.
WATCH IN THE NEWSPAPERS, 
HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET SOME MORE 
PRESS THIS YEAR.
>> I NOTICE THAT ON YOUR OZONE 
MAP YOU SHOWED THE THINNING WAS 
OVER BOTH POLES RATHER THAN 
OTHER LAND MASSES.
WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THAT?
>> IT'S INTERESTING, THE -- IT'S
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION.
SO SOMETHING THAT I FOUND 
INTERESTING, AS I'VE LEARNED 
ABOUT THIS, IS IF YOU PUT 
SOMETHING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE IT
MOVES, RIGHT?
IT GOES SOMEWHERE.
THE WIND TAKES THESE CHEMICALS 
AND POLLUTANTS ELSEWHERE.
AND WHAT HAPPENS, REALLY, IS A 
LOT OF THESE CIRCULATION 
PATTERNS WIND UP CARRYING 
CHEMICALS AND AEROSOLS TO THE 
POLES, WHERE THEY WIND UP.
THEY MOVE AWAY FROM THE THE 
EQUATOR BASICALLY.
SO, TO GIVE YOU A REAL WORLD 
EXAMPLE OF THIS, I WAS UP IN 
ALASKA SEVERAL YEARS AGO, 2010, 
AND WE WERE UP THERE MEASURING 
AEROSOLS AND POLLUTANTS IN THE 
ATMOSPHERE AND I WAS STUNNED AT 
HOW BAD THE AIR QUALITY WAS UP 
THERE.
BECAUSE, EVERYTHING THAT IS 
BURNING IN SIBERIA, THAT SMOKE 
WINDS UP IN THE POLES.
SO THAT'S -- THAT GIVES YOU AN 
EXAMPLE OF WHY YOU WOULD SEE 
EFFECTS FIRST IN THE POLES, 
VERSUS ELSEWHERE.
[ INAUDIBLE ]
NO, NOT FOR THIS.
NOT FOR WHAT WE WERE TALKING 
ABOUT HERE.
>> AN EXCELLENT QUESTION BECAUSE
WHEN WE FIRST SAW THAT IT WAS 
TOTALLY UNEXPECTED.
THE MODELS THAT WE HAD OF THE 
ATMOSPHERE DID NOT PREDICT THAT 
THAT WOULD OCCUR AND YOU SEE THE
GREATEST REDUCTION AT THE POLES.
AND SO IT JUST REINFORCES THE 
NEED FOR THESE SORTS OF GLOBAL 
MEASUREMENTS, BECAUSE IF WE THEN
TOOK THAT INFORMATION AND WERE 
ABLE TO THEN UPDATE AND RESIZE 
OUR MODELS, WE NOW UNDERSTAND, 
AS MIKE SAYS, THE CIRCULATION 
PATTERNS RESULT IN THE REDUCTION
AT THE POLES.
>> ALL RIGHT.
EARLIER YOU TALKED ABOUT THE 
FRONT COMING IN FROM AFRICA.
AND THEN TALKED ABOUT SOMETHING 
COMING IN FROM KOREA.
DO THESE FRONTS EVER COLLIDE?
OR DO THEY DISAPPEAR BEFORE THEY
GET TOGETHER?
>> THE WIND MOVEMENTS ARE, FOR 
AT LEAST THOSE, THEY'RE ON 
OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WORLD.
SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE 
INTERACTION.
I GUESS YOU COULD THINK ABOUT IT
LIKE WEATHER FRONTS THAT COME 
THROUGH OUR AREA, RIGHT?
IF YOU GOT A FRONTAL SYSTEM 
COMING THROUGH YOU'RE GOING TO 
END UP WITH RAIN.
FOLLOWED BY SOME PROBABLY SOME 
NICER WEATHER AS IT CLEARS OUT.
THOSE FRONTS DO MOVE GLOBALLY.
THAT'S TRUE.
BUT, I DON'T THINK THEY WOULD 
STAY STATIONARY ENOUGH TO 
ACTUALLY INTERACT ON THE LEVEL 
THAT MAYBE YOU'RE THINKING 
ABOUT.
>> SO WHAT INTERACTION YOU DO 
SEE, SO WHEN MIKE SHOWED THE 
FINAL SEQUENCE, AND YOU SAW A 
LOT OF THE ANIMATION, YOU SAW 
LOTS OF SWIRLS, RIGHT, 
PARTICULARLY IN REGIONS WHERE 
YOU'RE GETTING SHEER, BECAUSE 
IT'S A GLOBAL CIRCULATION IN THE
TROPICS YOU'RE GETTING WINDS 
FROM THE EAST, MAYBE MOVE 
THROUGH THE TEMPERATE REGION, 
WINDS FROM THE WEST AND AREAS 
BETWEEN THEM, OFTENTIMES YOU SEE
THE SWIRLING EVENTS.
THEY DON'T NICELY COLLIDE BUT 
THEY DO CREATE, YOU KNOW, 
GREATER EDDIES AND DIFFERENT 
DYNAMICS THAT HAVE AN IMPACT 
ACROSS THE GLOBE.
>> HI.
THE LASER SATELLITES THAT YOU'RE
USING, AND INSTRUMENTS ARE THEY 
A SINGLE SPECTRUM, ARE THERE 
MULTIPLE LASERS TO CAPTURE 
ISOTOPES OF SIMILAR AEROSOL?
>> YEAH, YEAH, GOOD QUESTION.
SO THE -- THE CALYPSO LiDAR FOR 
EXAMPLE ONLY HAS A COUPLE WAVE 
LENGTHS.
BASICALLY HAS ONE LASER THAT 
PUTS OUT A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAVE
LENGTHS.
WHICH ARE THEN USED TO LOOK AT 
AEROSOLS.
AS YOU SEE SOME OF THESE 
TECHNOLOGIES, THERE'S A 
PROGRESSION IN SUCCESSIVELY 
HARDER, MORE DIFFICULT, MORE 
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.
SO CALYPSO FOR EXAMPLE JUST HAS,
I HATE TO CALL IT SIMPLE, BUT 
IT'S SIMPLER LASERS.
SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF THAT 
WE'RE LOOKING AT NOW FOR 
EXAMPLE, IF YOU WANT TO MEASURE 
CARBON DIOXIDE FROM SPACE THAT 
WILL REQUIRE MULTIPLE WAVE 
LENGTHS TO BE ABLE TO PICK OUT 
THE CARBON DIOXIDE JUST BASED ON
THE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE.
SO, A LOT OF WHAT WE DO AT NASA,
ACTUALLY AT LANGLEY, IS WE 
FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THESE 
THINGS WORK ON AIRCRAFT.
ONCE YOU PUT IT IN SPACE YOU 
DON'T GET ANOTHER SHOT.
SO YOU SEE A LOT OF THESE 
INSTRUMENTS START OUT SIMPLER, 
ASKING THE FUNDAMENTAL 
QUESTIONS, TRYING NOT TO DO TOO 
MUCH TOO FAST.
BUT THEN THE FOLLOW-ONS GET 
SUCCESSFULLY MORE ADVANCED AND 
THE LiDARS ARE AN EXAMPLE OF 
THAT.
>> I JUST HAVE A COUPLE QUICK 
QUESTIONS.
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I REMEMBER 
THEM SAYING ABOUT AEROSOLS, YOU 
KNOW, CREATING A HOLE IN THE 
OZONE LAYER.
AND IS -- THAT'S SMALL AEROSOL 
THAT WE USE HERE ON EARTH, BUT 
YOU'RE TALKING BIGGER AEROSOL, 
RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
SO, DEFINITION HERE.
COULD PROBABLY USE SOME 
CLARIFICATION.
WE USE THE WORD OR I USE THE 
WORD AEROSOL AS A CATCH-ALL FOR 
ANYTHING IN THE AIR THAT'S NOT 
AIR.
SO POLLUTION, SMOKE, POLLEN, 
DUST, BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY
LIKE YOU MIGHT BE THINKING 
AEROSOL CANS OR SOMETHING.
>> MM-HMM.
>> YEAH, SO THAT'S -- THAT'S A 
DIFFERENT USE OF THAT WORD.
SO, CHEMICALS THAT USED TO BE IN
SOME OF THOSE CANS WERE BANNED 
IN THE MONTREAL TREATY.
SO THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT 
I'M TALKING ABOUT.
AEROSOL AS WE USE IT TODAY IS 
MORE OF A CATCH-ALL FOR THINGS 
IN THE ATMOSPHERE.
>> OKAY.
AND ONE OTHER THING.
CALIFORNIA HAS VERY STRICT 
EMISSION FOR THEIR AUTOMOBILES, 
AND I WAS JUST WONDERING LIKE IS
LANGLEY AND NASA BEING HERE, HOW
COME VIRGINIA DOESN'T HAVE THAT 
STRICTNESS THAT CALIFORNIA DOES?
I KNOW WE PAY PROPERTY TAX TWICE
A YEAR ON THE CAR.
BUT I MEAN WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE
LIKE WHEN YOU MOVE HERE FROM 
ANOTHER STATE, UNLIKE 
CALIFORNIA, WHEN YOU MOVE FROM 
ANOTHER STATE, YOUR CAR REALLY 
HAS TO GO UNDER THEIR EMISSION 
THINGS.
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
>> I MEAN, IT REALLY COMES DOWN 
TO POLITICS.
JUST AS A REMINDER, NASA, YOU 
KNOW, HAS NO REGULATORY 
FUNCTION.
I MEAN OUR JOB IS TO PROVI
DATA, INFORMATION TO PEOPLE TO 
MAKE THOSE SORTS OF DECISIONS.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, IF YOU SEE 
DIFFERENCES FROM ONE STATE TO 
THE OTHER, IT'S REALLY DRIVEN BY
THE LOCAL POLITICS.
WE PROVIDE THE DATA TO 
EVERYBODY, AND PEOPLE CAN MAKE 
DIFFERENT CHOICES.
>> IT APPEARED TO ME ON ONE OF 
YOUR SLIDES THAT THE OZONE 
THINNING WAS VERY ADVANCED IN 
FUTURE YEARS.
HOW ARE WE DOING ON THE FIGHT 
AGAINST THE OZONE THINNING?
>> BETTER.
BETTER.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY
STAGE THREE WAS RECENTLY 
LAUNCHED TO GO ON THE 
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
AND I'VE HEARD THE TERM USED 
THAT WE'RE MONITORING NOT 
NECESSARILY MONITORING THE 
THINNING ANYMORE AS MUCH AS 
WE'RE MONITORING THE RECOVERY.
WHICH IS MUCH BETTER WAY TO LOOK
AT IT.
SO THE -- I WANT TO BE CLEAR ON 
THE ONE SLIDE THAT I DID SHOW 
ABOUT THINNING OF THE OZONE 
LAYER.
THE PLOT WHICH WAS ON YOUR LOWER
RIGHT WAS A PREDICTION, IF WE 
HAD NOT DONE ANYTHING IT WOULD 
GET MUCH WORSE.
BUT, FORTUNATELY THAT IS NOT THE
REALITY.
>> I'D LIKE YOUR QUESTION ABOUT 
THE EFFECT OF CATASTROPHIC 
EVENTS LIKE MASSIVE VOLCANO 
ERUPTIONS, PINATUBO AND OTHERS 
AND THEIR EFFECT ON CLIMATE 
CHANGE RELATIVE TO MANMADE 
THINGS.
HOW ARE YOU HANDLING THE 
CATASTROPHIC EVENTS SUCH AS THAT
AND METEORS AND THAT AND THE 
EFFECT THAT THEY'RE HAVING ON 
ATMOSPHERIC CHANGE AS COMPARED 
TO WHAT MAN IS DOING?
>> GOOD QUESTION.
WELL, SO, IT'S INTERESTING, AS 
YOU HAVE LIKE AN INSTRUMENT SAGE
TWO UP IN ORBIT OR SAGE THREE 
WHICH IS UP THERE NOW THEY'RE 
MONITORING EVERYTHING THAT 
HAPPENS EVERY DAY.
SO, IF CATASTROPHIC EVENTS 
OCCURS, SUCH AS A VOLCANO, YOU 
CAN SEE THAT READILY IN THE DATA
RECORD, AND THAT'S SOMETHING 
THAT'S VERY IMMEDIATE EFFECT.
AND IT'S CLEAR YOU CAN SEE THE 
STAGES THAT HAPPEN.
STAGE TWO IN THE ERBE INSTRUMENT
ACTUALLY SHOWED WHAT WE THOUGHT 
THAT VOLCANOS WHEN THEY PUT 
THEIR PARTICULATES UNINTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE DO COOL THE EARTH 
GLOBALLY TENTH OF A DEGREE FOR 
MULTIPLE YEARS.
BEFORE THAT IS TAKEN OUT OF THE 
ATMOSPHERE TAKES A LONG TIME FOR
THOSE HIGH PARTICLES TO GET 
REMOVED FROM THE ATMOSPHERE.
SO HAVING THESE INSTRUMENTS 
HELPS US TO SEE, THE DIRECT 
EFFECT OF THOSE CATASTROPHIC 
EVENTS AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME
WE'RE MEASURING WHAT'S HAPPENING
WITH HUMAN DRIVEN CLIMATE 
CHANGE.
SO YOU MEASURE THAT BUT THAT'S 
MORE OF A LONG-TERM -- I WOULD 
SAY LOOKING FOR TRENDS, RATHER 
THAN SOMETHING VOLCANIC, WHICH 
IS VERY IMMEDIATE AND 
CATASTROPHIC.
>> IT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
BECAUSE IT ALWAYS COMES UP, HOW 
DO YOU SEPARATE NATURAL 
VARIABILITY WITH HUMAN INDUCED 
CHANGE.
AND SO, AS MIKE POINTED OUT, WE 
HAD SOME OF THESE INSTRUMENTS UP
NOW FOR OVER 30 YEARS, AND SO 
THAT GIVES US AT LEAST A 30 YEAR
BASELINE TO UNDERSTAND WHERE 
CHANGES ARE AND IF WE HAPPEN TO 
HAVE A CATASTROPHIC EVENT SUCH 
AS MOUNT PINATUBO WE CAN NOW 
UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IMPACT IS.
I THINK IT WAS HALF DEGREE SEE 
THE IMPACT FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS
BEFORE THOSE PARTICULATES CAME 
OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
SOMETHING LIKE A METEOR.
WE HAVEN'T HAD ONE OF THOSE 
RECENTLY, THANK GOODNESS, 
BECAUSE THAT IS SO CATASTROPHIC 
WE AREN'T SURE THAT WOULD BE 
RECOVERABLE DEPENDING HOW 
SIZABLE THAT METEOR IS.
THEN WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THESE 
SATELLITES IS ALSO THEN LOOK AT 
THE PHYSICS.
WE CAN LOOK AT THE TRENDS BUT WE
CAN ALSO REALLY LOOK INTO THE 
PHYSICS OF INDIVIDUAL PHENOMENON
AND THEN WE UTILIZE THAT WITH 
MODELING CAPABILITIES TO SEE CAN
WE REPLICATE WHAT WE'RE SEEING 
NOW, SAY, WITHOUT -- WITHOUT SAY
INCREASED CO2 FROM ACTIVACTIVIT.
AND THE POINT IS RIGHT NOW THE 
MODELS SAY YOU CAN'T ACCOUNT FOR
THE CHANGES THAT WE'RE SEEING 
WITHOUT ADDING TO THE MODEL.
SO IT'S MULTIPLE PARTS, 
MONITORING, IT'S THE 
UNDERSTANDING, THE PHYSICS, AND 
TYING IT TO MODELS THAT YOU'RE 
CONSTANTLY IMPROVING BASED ON 
THE INFORMATION WE'RE GETTING 
FROM THE SATELLITES.
>> I DON'T THINK SO, NO.
>> THERE IS A GROUP IN 
CALIFORNIA, PRIVATELY
FINANCED -- TEST PILOT AND 
RESEARCHER, AND THEY'RE GOING UP
WITH A GLIDER UP TO 100,000 
FEET.
THAT'S THE GOAL.
THEY MADE IT TO 50,000 FEET 
ALREADY.
THEY'RE TRYING TO MEASURE THE 
POLAR VORTEX AND RESEARCH THAT.
>> OKAY.
INTERESTING.
YEAH, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH 
THAT.
[ INAUDIBLE ]
OKAY.
THANK YOU.
>> DO YOU EXPECT A CATASTROPHIC 
EVENT TO OCCUR IN THIS YEAR'S 
BUDGET?
>> I'M SUPPOSED TO ANSWER ALL 
BUDGET QUESTIONS.
ACTUALLY, AT THE MOMENT, NO.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN WHAT THE 
PRESIDENT -- YOU KNOW, PUT OUT, 
WHAT HE CALLED HIS SKINNY 
BUDGET.
AND YOU KNOW, AFTER WE SAW SOME 
OF THE INDICATIONS OF WHAT MIGHT
HAPPEN WITH THE EPA AND WITH 
NOAA'S BUDGET WE WERE ACTUALLY 
PLEASANTLY SURPRISED THAT THE 
EARTH SCIENCE AND NASA WERE ONLY
5%.
SO BEING REDUCED FROM ALMOST $2 
BILLION TO A YEAR TO ABOUT $1.9 
WE CAN DO AN AWFUL LOT OF REALLY
GOOD WORK WITH THAT.
WE ARE STILL WAITING TO SEE WHAT
THE NEW ADMINISTRATION'S 
PRIORITIES ARE.
BUT AS I TELL EVERYBODY, I'VE 
BEEN WORKING AT NASA LANGLEY IN 
ONE CAPACITY OR ANOTHER FOR 30 
SOME YEARS AND WE'VE ALWAYS HAD 
GREAT SUPPORT.
SO WE'LL SEE.
>> I'M NOT BEING FLIPPANT.
THAT PICTURE THAT YOU SHOWED OF 
THE EARTH, THAT WAS THE FIRST --
SATELLITE PICTURE.
HOW WAS THAT ACCEPTED?
AFTER ALL IT WAS APRIL FOOLS' 
DAY.
>> THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT.
YEAH, I -- I CAN SAY I WAS NOT 
AROUND AT THAT TIME.
I'VE BEEN TOLD IT WAS A HUGE 
SUCCESS.
I MEAN, IT'S YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND
OF LIKE LANDING ON THE MOON FOR 
THE FIRST TIME.
IT'S MAYBE UNBELIEVABLE FOR THE 
PEOPLE WHO SEE IT FOR THE FIRST 
TIME.
SOMETHING THAT YOU AND I WERE 
TALKING ABOUT WE TAKE FOR 
GRANTED EVERY DAY.
THOSE IMAGES YOU SEE AT THE END 
OF THE VIDEO YOU CAN PULL UP, 
YOU KNOW, ALL SORTS OF WEBSITES 
AND FIND THAT STUFF ALL THE 
TIME.
SEEING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME IS 
PROBABLY VERY MEANINGFUL.
>> AND I'LL ADD I THINK THE REAL
ADVANTAGE YOU LOOK AT THAT 
PICTURE AND IT'S SO COARSE AND 
YOU'RE TRYING TO FIGURE WHAT AM 
I LOOKING AT HERE.
I KNOW WHEN MY CHILDREN WRR IN 
THE WOMB, THE REALLY OLD 
SONOGRAMS AND YOU'RE SAYING ARE 
THOSE THE BABY?
OH, YEAH, I'LL BELIEVE YOU.
YOU REALLY COULDN'T MAKE HEAD OR
TAIL OUT OF IT.
THE SAME THING THERE BUT IT WAS 
THE ANIMATION.
IT WAS A TV CAMERA.
YOU COULD ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, 
EVEN THOUGH THE SATELLITE IS 
GOING OVER, YOU HAVE TO 
COMPENSATE FOR THE SATELLITE 
MOTION, YOU CAN ACTUALLY WATCH 
THINGS TRACK, AND IT'S THAT 
TIME, YOU KNOW, IT'S THAT 
TEMPORAL CONTINUITY THAT REALLY 
GAVE YOU THE SENSE THAT OH, NOW 
I GET A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT 
THESE STORMS LOOK LIKE FROM A 
LARGE SCALE AND I CAN NOW USE 
THAT TO INCREASE MY KNOWLEDGE.
THAT WAS THE PART I THINK THAT 
WAS BREATHTAKING.
NOT JUST THE ONE STILL PICTURE.
>> IS THERE ANY TIME BETWEEN THE
AIR PATTERNS THAT YOU MONITOR 
AND THE OCEAN PATTERNS SUCH AS 
EL NINO AND DO YOU DO ANYTHING 
THAT HELPS THE WEATHER PEOPLE 
WITH EL NINO?
>> YEAH, ACTUALLY I DON'T 
PERSONALLY.
MY RESEARCH DOESN'T TIE IN TO EL
NINO.
AND OCEAN CIRCULATION SO MUCH.
BUT I DO KNOW THAT YES, THOSE 
ARE COUPLED.
THE TEMPERATURE THAT YOU'RE 
SEEING ON THE OCEAN AFFECTS WIND
PATTERNS GLOBALLY.
SO, YEAH.
.
>> YEAH, AND SO WHEN MIKE SHOWED
YOU THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ON
RADIATION, THE RADIATION BUDGET,
THE ERBE INSTRUMENTS, THEY GIVE 
US AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF 
INFORMATION ABOUT HOW EL NINO 
ACTUALLY PROPAGATES INTO THE 
ATMOSPHERE AND ACROSS THE GLOBE.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, SAY, 
LONG-TERM TRENDS IN THE 
ATMOSPHERE, EL NINO IS LONG 
SCALE NOISE THAT YOU HAVE TO 
REMOVE SO AS YOU SEE THAT COMING
AND GOING EVERY TWO OR THREE 
YEARS YOU CAN'T TOO EXCITED 
ABOUT THE WARMINGS OR THE 
COOLINGS, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND
THAT AND TAKE IT OUT AND LOOK AT
THE LONG-TERM SIGNAL.
SO WE'RE MAKING HUGE 
CONTRIBUTIONS IN TERMS OF 
UNDERSTANDING HOW THAT REALLY 
IMPACTS THE ENERGY BUDGET, AND 
THAT IN TURN CAN IMPACT HOW WE 
COULD POTENTIALLY GET IMPROVED 
FORECASTS AT THE FOUR TO SIX 
MONTH SCALE WHICH WOULD BE 
ENORMOUSLY VALUABLE TO 
AGRICULTURE FORECAST AND THINGS 
LIKE THAT.
>> I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.
FIRST ONE, I LIVED IN YORK 
COUNTY FOR 40 YEARS, SINCE THE 
'70s, THREE QUARTERS OF AN ACRE,
TO NOTICE THAT WHEN HUGE STORMS 
COME OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA 
EVENTUALLY DROP DUST UP HERE, 
THEY ALSO DROP SEEDS.
I'VE GOT ALL KINDS OF SEEDS THAT
HAVE GROWN OVER THE YEARS.
REALLY INTERESTING.
DO YOU MONITOR ANYTHING ABOUT 
THAT -- VEGETATION?
AND SECOND QUESTION, WILL THE 
SPEAKERS NEXT WEEK TALK ABOUT 
THE CONCEPT OF USING A SPACE 
VEHICLE TO ORBIT THE EARTH 
SEVERAL TIMES AND THEN CARRY 
THINGS TO THE MOON BY PEOPLE 
FROM EARTH CAN GO UP TO THE 
TRANSPORT TAKE THINGS DOWN TO 
THE MOON AND ALSO TAKE THINGS 
THAT ARE MINED ON THE MOON AND 
BRING THEM BACK TO EARTH?
>> OKAY.
TO ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION, 
NO.
I DON'T BELIEVE ANYBODY AT 
LANGLEY HAS MEASURED SEEDS AND 
TRANSPORTATION OF PLANT LIFE.
THAT'S VERY INTERESTING.
I KNOW IT'S HARD WHEN YOU'RE 
MEASURING GLOBALLY TO LOOK AT 
SOMETHING ON THAT SMALL OF A 
SCALE.
OKAY.
SO SOMETHING LIKE DUST OR -- YOU
CAN TRACK THOSE LARGE PLUMES.
BUT SOMETHING SMALL LIKE SEEDS I
DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER DONE.
I DO KNOW WE'VE DONE SOME FLYING
LOCALLY AROUND HERE WITH SOME OF
THESE LASER SYSTEMS THAT WE'RE 
TRYING TO ADVANCE IN SPACE AND 
WE HAVE SEEN POLLEN IN THE AIR.
ESPECIALLY ON THOSE DAYS WHEN 
YOU HAVE THAT GREEN LAYER ON 
YOUR CAR WE'VE SEEN THAT FROM 
AIRCRAFT.
SO, YEAH, THERE'S SOME LEVEL 
THERE WHERE YES YOU COULD SEE 
IT.
BUT I DON'T THINK SEEDS HAVE 
MADE THAT THRESHOLD.
TO ANSWER YOUR OTHER QUESTION, 
WALT -- HE SAYS YOU HAVE TO COME
BACK NEXT WEEK TO FIND OUT.
THERE'S A TEASER FOR YOU.
>> DO YOU MIND TELLING US 
ANYTHING ABOUT [ INAUDIBLE ] 
>> YES.
SO NASA'S BEEN MAKING VERY 
ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS OF SEA 
LEVEL FOR DECADES NOW.
WE WANTED -- WE UNDERSTOOD THAT 
IF THERE WERE WARMING, WHETHER 
MANMADE OR OTHERWISE WE 
UNDERSTAND THAT WOULD CREATE 
RISE SEAS FOR TWO REASONS.
ONE, IF YOU MELT THE ICE OFF A 
LAND MASS AND IT FLOWS INTO THE 
OCEAN THE OCEAN WILL RISE.
SECOND IF YOU WARM WATER IT 
EXPANDS.
SO THESE PARTICULAR MEASUREMENTS
AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THEM IN 
CONJUNCTION WITH THE FRENCH, 
HAVE SHOWN THAT THE SEA LEVELS 
HAVE BEEN RISING ABOUT THREE 
MILLIMETERS A YEAR, YOU KNOW, 
FOR DECADES NOW.
AND WE SEE THAT IN DEPENDING ON 
THE AMOUNT OF WARMING, 
SPECIFICALLY IN PLACES LIKE 
GREENLAND OR ANTARCTIC WHERE YOU
HAVE LARGE MASSES OF SNOW AND 
ICE ON LAND MASSES, THAT COULD 
ACCELERATE.
HERE LOCALLY, IT'S A BIG 
PROBLEM.
BECAUSE VIRGINIA BEACH IS THE 
SECOND MOST SUSCEPTIBLE CITY IN 
THE UNITED STATES TO RISING 
SEAS.
BEHIND NEW ORLEANS.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS, 
UNFORTUNATELY, OUR LAND IS ALSO 
SIPGING.
SO AT ABOUT THE SAME RIGHT SO 
IT'S ABOUT A DOUBLE EFFECT HERE.
SO WE'VE BEEN DOING QUITE A BIT 
OF WORK WITH OLD DOMINION, AND 
ALSO WORKING WITH LOCAL 
GOVERNMENTS, AND IT'S BEEN 
EXTRAORDINARILY BIPARTISAN 
BECAUSE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT 
PARTICULARLY FOR BUSINESSES NEAR
THE SHORELINE, IF IT FLOODS AND 
PEOPLE CAN'T GET TO YOUR 
RESTAURANT, THAT'S AN ECONOMIC 
IMPACT.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY 
SHARING OUR DATA WITH THE LOCAL 
COMMUNITIES, TO HELP THEM DO 
LONG-TERM PLANNING.
SO, WE DON'T PARTICULARLY -- WE 
DON'T MAKE THESE SPECIFIC 
MEASUREMENTS AT LANGLEY.
WE FEED SOME OF THE STUDIES 
BASED ON THE ENERGY BUDGET THAT 
CAN HELP UNDERSTAND PREDICTING 
FOR THE FUTURE.
BUT WE HAVE SCIENTISTS THAT 
ACTUALLY THEN UTILIZE THAT FOR 
ADVANCED PLANNING.
>> TIME FOR ONE QUESTION.
>> THIS IS A REALLY CRAZY 
QUESTION.
BUT IT GOES BACK TO A JAMES BOND
MOVIE I SAW YEARS AGO.
AND I'M JUST WONDERING WITH ALL 
THE RESEARCH, EXPERIMENTING, HAS
THERE EVER BEEN A THOUGHT THAT 
OUR GOVERNMENT, OF COURSE THIS 
MIGHT BE ABOVE YOUR SECURITY 
CLEARANCE, TO TRY TO CONTROL 
THIS WEATHER?
IF YOU DID CONTROL WEATHER WE 
COULD CONTROL THE WORLD.
>> I'LL TAKE THAT.
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
WELL, FIRST I HAVE TO TELL YOU, 
I DON'T HAVE A SECURITY 
CLEARANCE.
SO THEY WOULDN'T TELL ME IF THEY
KNEW ANYWAY.
I THINK, SO SHORT ANSWER IS NO.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S 
CONTROLLING THE WEATHER.
AND JUST MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS ON
THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT 
MYSELF AS A SCIENTIST, I GET A 
FEEL FOR.
IS HOW MASSIVE THESE WEATHER 
SYSTEMS ARE.
OKAY.
SO ONCE YOU START TALKING ABOUT 
TRYING TO CONTROL OR CREATE A 
WEATHER SYSTEM LIKE A HURRICANE,
IF YOU EVER LOOK AT A PICTURE OF
A HURRICANE, AND YOU PUT THAT --
TAKE A CUTOUT OF THAT PICTURE 
AND PUT IT OVER THE UNITED 
STATES, A MASSIVE, MASSIVE 
STORM, AND JUST THE TECHNOLOGY 
THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO CONTROL 
OR CREATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT 
WOULD HAVE TO BE ON THE SAME 
ORDER OF THAT SIZE.
SO IT'S A VERY TECHNOLOGICALLY 
SOUNDING PROBLEM.
>> AND OF COURSE YOU ALWAYS HAVE
TO DEAL WITH UNINTENDED 
CONSEQUENCES.
SO A LOT OF THE EARLY WORK IN 
TERMS OF THINGS LIKE CLOUD 
SEEDING IF YOU REMEMBER THAT, 
WHEN I WAS YOUNG THEY TALKED 
ABOUT THAT QUITE A BIT.
THE RESULTS OF THINGS LIKE THAT 
WERE EXTREMELY MIXED.
SOMETIMES IT INCREASED RAINFALL.
SOMETIMES IT DECREASED RAINFALL.
AND SO, THIS BECOMES A MORE 
PERTINENT QUESTION NOW WHEN 
PEOPLE TALK ABOUT GEOENGINEERING
AT SAY, YOU KNOW, THE WORLD IS 
WARMING.
DID WE DO SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, 
DRAMATIC, LIKE SAY INJECT OUR 
OWN STRATOSPHERIC AEROSOLS TO 
BLOCK THE SUNLIGHT.
AND QUITE FRANKLY THERE'S A LOT 
OF RESEARCH BEING DONE TO 
UNDERSTAND THAT BUT NOT A LOT OF
SERIOUS TALK ABOUT DOING IT 
BECAUSE I THINK WE WOULD 
REALLY -- I PERSONALLY WOULD BE 
VERY AFRAID OF THE UNINTENDED 
CONSEQUENCES.
BUT WE STUDY IT IN CASE SOME 
OTHER NATION DECIDES TO DO IT 
UNILATERALLY.
WE REALLY NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE
THAT CONVERSATION AND THEN TRY 
TO MAKE SURE WE CAN MAKE 
RATIONAL DECISIONS.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND JOIN US NEXT WEEK FOR SPACE 
EXPLORATION.
THANK YOU.
HAVE A GOOD DAY.
