La NASA refuerza Artemis: añade una misión y perfecciona su arquitectura general
article1 month ago
Geosphere
Measuring the Earth’s surface and interior to better understand our home planet
Mission
Geosphere studies processes and changes in the Earth’s core, mantle, and crust along with surface topography, composition, and geology, as well as the hazards they generate. Geosphere relies on essential measurements including InSAR, GNSS, lidar, gravity, optical, thermal, and hyperspectral observations.
Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, private companies, and academic institutions are developing the first space-based quantum…
Article
Overview
Geosphere uses NASA's unique capabilities and observational resources to better understand the structure and dynamics of the core, mantle, and lithosphere, and interactions between these processes and Earth’s fluid envelopes. These dynamics are intricately linked with the Earth’s system components and interface with Earth system global cycles.
Geosphere comprises three primary components: Crustal Dynamics, Earth Interior, and Earth Surface Properties. Crustal Dynamics seeks to advance our fundamental understanding of land surface deformation and change as driven by natural and anthropogenic mechanisms such as tectonics, gravity, and subsurface fluid flow. This research further informs the assessment, mitigation, and forecasting of natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions, along with hazards related to human activities such as land subsidence. Earth Interior studies explore the underlying driving forces for Earth’s magnetic field, plate tectonics, and other core, mantle, and lithospheric processes observed at the surface or through geopotential fields. Earth Surface Properties uses spectrometry and visible to near infrared and thermal infrared data to characterize surface mineralogy and measure thermal and chemical features. This research advances discovery and management of natural resources and critical minerals, provides insights into geomorphic processes, and advances understanding of geohazards such as landslides and volcanoes.
The Core Science Questions Driving NASA's Geosphere Research
How do magmatic systems evolve, under what conditions do volcanoes erupt, and how do eruptions and volcano hazards develop?
What are the dynamics of Earth’s deep interior and how does Earth’s surface respond?
What are the dynamics of Earth’s magnetic field and its interactions with the rest of Earth’s systems?
How do human activities impact and interact with Earth’s surface and interior?
What is the nature of deformation associated with plate boundaries and what are the implications for earthquakes, tsunamis, and other related natural hazards?
How does the Geosphere respond to exchange of water among Earth system and what are the larger implications?
Solicited program elements relevant to Geosphere are publicized through the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) NASA Research Announcements (NRAs) on the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) website. Past, open, and future solicitations can be searched and viewed on NSPIRES.
Crustal Dynamics seeks to advance our fundamental understanding of land surface deformation and change as driven by natural and anthropogenic mechanisms such as tectonics, gravity, and subsurface fluid flow. Crustal Dynamics further informs the assessment, mitigation, and forecasting of natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions, along with hazards related to human activities such as land subsidence.
A satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar image showing relative deformation of the Earth surface during explosive eruptions of the Calbuco volcano in Chile on April 22-23, 2015.
ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech
Earth Interior
Earth Interior studies explore the underlying driving forces for Earth’s magnetic field, plate tectonics, and other core, mantle, and lithospheric processes observed at the surface or through geopotential fields. Earth Interior focuses on sustained observations from space to detect features such as the migration of magma beneath volcanoes, the movement of tectonic plates, land subsidence, and the reshaping of landscapes.
A cutaway of the Earth's interior. The convective motion of our planet's liquid outer core is thought to give rise to its dynamo and magnetic field.
NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio
Earth Surface Properties
Earth Surface Properties uses spectrometry and visible to near infrared and thermal infrared data to characterize surface mineralogy and measure thermal and chemical features. Earth Surface Properties advances discovery and management of natural resources, provides insights into geomorphic processes, and advances understanding of geohazards such as landslides and volcanoes.
Data collected by NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) on April 23, 2024, indicates the location of plant communities across a swath of the mid-Atlantic United States. Overlain on a Google base map, each color represents a different type of natural biome or agricultural land.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Geosphere Data Access and Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs)
NASA Earth Science missions see Earth from space and enable researchers to monitor and understand our home planet. Missions range from instruments onboard the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth-orbiting satellites that span both large and small (i.e., CubeSats) form factors. NASA’s Earth Science missions often have US or other international partnerships and frequently collect data for 10 or more years.
Campaigns use instrumented aircrafts, balloons, ships, and surface networks over land and ocean, to better observe and understand our home planet. Campaigns represent coordinated efforts with intensive observation periods over one or more regions that can last anywhere from weeks to years. These measurements help support missions by providing initial tests of instruments before they are launched to space. Campaigns also provide important measurements to calibrate and validate satellite data in addition to collecting observations in support of related scientific endeavors.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:26 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
Kevin Reath Geosphere Associate Program Scientist (ASRC Contractor) Crustal Dynamics, Earth Interior, and Earth Surface Properties Research Contact | Bio
Earth Science Division Embeds
Jessica Burnett Earth Science Data Systems Embed Contact
