Vice President Harris Visits NASA to See Vital Climate Science Work
GREENBELT, Md. (NASA PR) — The urgency of Earth science and climate studies took the spotlight Friday as Vice President Kamala Harris visited NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The vice president received a firsthand look at how the nation’s space program studies climate change and provides crucial information to understand our planet’s changes and their impacts on our lives.
During the visit, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson unveiled the first images from Landsat 9, a joint mission of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) launched in late September. The images show Detroit with neighboring Lake St. Clair, a changing Florida coastline, and areas of Navajo Country in Arizona. They will add to the wealth of data helping us monitor crop health and water used for irrigation, manage vital natural resources, and track the impacts of climate change.
The new images, all acquired Oct. 31, also provide data about the changing landscapes of the Himalayas and Australia, adding to Landsat’s unparalleled data record that spans nearly 50 years of space-based Earth observation.
“I truly believe space activity is climate action. Space activity is education. Space activity is also economic growth. It is also innovation and inspiration. And it is about our security and our strength,” the vice president said. “When it comes to our space activity, there is limitless potential. … So, as we go forth from here, let us continue to seize the opportunity of space.”
Harris and Nelson also discussed NASA’s announcement of a new Earth Venture Mission-3 (EVM-3). Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) will study how tropical storms and thunderstorms develop and intensify, which will help improve weather and climate models.
“Our NASA experts today provided us a sweeping look at the many ways we need to understand our planet better, from drought and urban heat, to our oceans and the many landscapes we can see changing from the heavens,” said Nelson. “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to making real progress on the climate crisis to benefit the next generation, and NASA is at the heart of that work.”
NASA, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and USGS, is among the federal agencies that conduct climate research and provide climate data critical for agencies and organizations worldwide. Extreme weather and climate events – including droughts, floods, and wildfires – are becoming regular occurrences. Insights from space help us study our planet as a unified system to understand these phenomena and benefit people where they live.
The vice president met with scientists and engineers to discuss how NASA’s broad portfolio of Earth science missions helps address the climate challenges facing our world.
NASA’s wide-ranging Earth science activities include satellites operated in partnership with other agencies. Those include NOAA and USGS, which also had representatives on hand to meet with Harris.
“Now in its sixth decade, the NOAA-NASA partnership puts the world’s best technology in space to improve the nation’s ability to monitor and predict Earth’s climate and weather,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Teams of NOAA and NASA experts co-located at NASA Goddard are advancing our nation’s next-generation of geostationary satellites, called GOES-R, which produce essential data for accurate and timely forecasts that save lives and help people adapt to climate change.”
“Landsat 9’s compelling images and underlying scientific data will help Interior to better manage our nation’s lands and resources, preserve our cultural heritage, honor our trust responsibilities with Native Americans and indigenous peoples, and address the climate crisis,” said Tanya Trujillo, the Department of the Interior’s assistant secretary for water and science. “Every day, the nearly 50-year Landsat data archive managed and freely shared by USGS is providing new insights and decision-support for government officials, educators, and businesses to better understand and sustainably manage our changing landscapes.”
During her visit, Harris operated a robotic arm undergoing testing for a future in-orbit refueling mission of the Landsat 7 satellite. That satellite currently is studying Earth as part of the Landsat fleet.
Harris also visited the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, which involves an instrument currently under construction at Goddard for a 2022 launch. PACE will advance assessment capabilities for ocean health by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton – tiny plants and algae that sustain the marine food web. The GOES-R program, whose GOES-T satellite is scheduled to launch for NOAA in February 2022 to improve weather forecasts, was also showcased.
Learn more about NASA’s Earth science work at:
19 responses to “Vice President Harris Visits NASA to See Vital Climate Science Work”
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tone deaf
Maybe if the general public was paying any attention. Her tree remarks seem to have flown under the radar. Probably because the MSM’s faith in the efficacy of tub-thumping 24/7 for leftist verities has been badly shaken, at least temporarily, by the events of Nov. 2. Outside of the space press this little junket seems to have attracted zero attention.
The Goddard visit seems to have involved mainly walking around and looking at stuff. That, along with her Space Council chairpersonship, is likely why Harris was given this chore. Biden is iffy enough just looking at stuff. But, as unsteady as he has been on his pins lately, the walking around part would have represented significant risk of another public stumble. Why risk headlines in the right-wing press like, “If a President falls in a Greenbelt and the MSM don’t report it, does it make a sound?” Perhaps the White House PR cadre finally includes at least one person with at least half a brain.
lol
the events flew under the radar because they are none events.the consistent reality in space “things” is that outside of the contractors and the groupies no one really cares.
the stuff that does something like Landsat is all like “the light switch working”. the “wow factor” went away a long time ago kind of like “live in color” …the stuff that doesnt do much; humans in space, rockets to Mars, etc” is all stuck in the fan boy world with the rest of Americans going “who cares”
what I find tone deaf (and agreed it probably needed more explanation) is that all pols right and left depend on silly metrics to try and find some reason to do even the things that matter…when in reality they should just talk about what it doese and why those things are important
the rest of your stuff is just partisan chest thumping
Yes, NASA has ceased to be relevant to the development of space beyond its robotic missions adding data points on conditions and possible resources. The programs that NASA used under Administrator Bridenstine to support commercial activities have primed the pump.
If Elon Musk is able to survive the insane “Billionaire Tax” and the attacks on Boca Cuhica he will be able to develop a pathway to the Moon that starts to move robotic activity there attractive. His recent statement that many of the first Starships there will be left there as base facilities shows he is beginning g to make the shift from Mars to the Moon.
whatever thats pretty political
all of the commercial efforts that are in operation now came under administrators and staff before Jimbo and well if anything Lori Garver deserves a lions share of the credit for them
its really unclear where if any specific place Musk is going. we can talk all you would like about Starship and I think it gets to something that is functional but its unclear what the four corners of the page are of that functionality. its clear that STarship has serious mass issues. I just saw today that on the next version and with zero flight experience they have reduced the thickness of the SS…thats all mass
but to the point of where I was going with this
its unclear to me that there is any real link between any crewed space effort and the people of the US. OK Musk is shifting from Mars to the Moon, what is he going to do there to make revenue? its not like there are things on the Moon that the earth bound economy needs?
and until that happy moment arrives…where there is some economy in space or on the (insert body here) that has value on earth…humanity is going really no where…particularly at the rates that government is willing to spend money
and I am ok with the Billionares tax. if thats what stops Elon from spending money in space well he wasnt that committed
or put it another way. without federal dollars its unclear Musk would develop a crewed version of starship. or have the money to do it.
Hope you are good with having to sell the ranch that you had in the family for generations to pay your wealth tax.
Remember, the income tax started out as a tax the 1% plan, but quickly resulted in a expansion of federal spending followed by expanding the income tax to apply to everyone.
The market that will be the payoff for Starship will be satellite launch. However, having a lunar landing capability will enable entrepreneurs to start exploring and test lunar business models with it.
that first paragraph is just fear talking. I dont have a problem paying federal taxes but then again I am not all that greedy in terms of money. to me it is both obscene and non productive that Musk and Jeff and the waltons have all this wealth, while 60 percent of the workers in the country make under 40K
“The market that will be the payoff for Starship will be satellite launch”
I am full of anticipation
How is it non-productive for them to have the money to invest in new technology and productive for workers to spend consumption for the short term? That makes no sense in terms of economic history.
And do you honestly think that NASA will spend it better in developing RLVs than Elon Musk will?
As for taxes working themselves down the average income levels, that has been the story throughout history.
Musk is investing a fraction of his wealth…and thats even more so true for Bezos and the Waltons. the country has gone poor making them rich
I dont think 1) NASA could spend it better and 2) NASA or space spending is in no way keyed to the future of the republic.
taxes have bottomed out. when trump left office 60 percent of Americans made so little they paid no federal taxes
One does have to wonder how much damage the “Billionaire Tax” would do to the country if enacted. I would expect some similar results to the inheritance taxes that often have families selling assets to pay the taxes. And to the offshoring that 90+% income taxes incentivized decades back.
The true insanity is in the spending. Tax base modifications are prescription attempts, by untrained doctors.
Yes, it would shift the investment thinking of entrepreneurs from long term building of businesses to short term cash out to pay taxes on their unrealized returns. This will systematically starve these firms of the capital they need to build their business models. Innovation and economic progress will be slowed just when it’s needed most to save the economy from over spending by Washington and to save the world by moving to a more environmentally sustainable economy.
Classic “seen and the unseen” here on taxes. Though I suspect it’s more a case of refuse to see. While I am concerned about the taxation methods, the spending concerns me far more. It’s akin to trying to out earn an addiction.
In other terms, first stop the bleeding. Everything else can wait.
Racial Equity! Racial Justice! Racial Inclusion!
https://twitter.com/jacobks…
Not quite as inspiring as ‘to the Universe and beyond’, but hey, whattaya gonna do?
$L$ delenda est
as I said tone deaf. GAURDIANS OF THE GALAXY 🙂
we should just go ahead and call SLS the Nelson
Grand Moff Nelson will not retreat in his moment of triumph! He spent years supporting SLS, and now it finally operational…
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
$L$ delenda est
oddly enough I think the run on the death star has started and Nelson has figured out that he is going to be the Administrator holding the bill when it comes in…ie that the thing is to expensive 🙂
I guess that would make SLS Block 2 the Full Nelson.
yes