PREFIRE POLAR MISSION - SCI
& TECH
News: NASA’s new mission to study
polar regions’ heat loss to launch on May 22
What's in the news?
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Recently, a NASA
PREFIRE polar mission was scheduled for launch from New Zealand.
PREFIRE Polar Mission:
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The PREFIRE Polar Mission, or Polar Radiant Energy
in the Far-InfraRed Experiment, involves twin satellites equipped with
instruments to measure Earth's poles
approximately six hours apart.
Objective:
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To comprehensively assess the heat loss spectrum from Earth's polar regions, offering
crucial insights to refine climate models.
Aim:
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To bridge existing knowledge gaps and furnish data
for enhancing climate change and sea level rise predictions.
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Specifically, it seeks to unveil how Earth's
atmosphere and ice impact the emission of heat into space from both the Arctic
and Antarctic regions.
Satellite Operations:
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Cube satellites, each resembling a shoebox, will be deployed via an
Electron launch vehicle.
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Outfitted with validated Mars-tested technology,
these satellites will scrutinize an understudied segment of Earth's radiant
energy.
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The twin
satellites, carrying thermal infrared spectrometers, will orbit
asynchronously near the poles, overlapping every few hours to optimize
coverage.
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Weighing less than 6 pounds (3 kilograms) each, the
instruments will utilize thermocouples, akin to those found in household
thermostats, for data collection.
Significance:
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Shedding light on why the Arctic has warmed significantly faster than other regions since the
1970s.
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Providing insights into the emission efficiency of far-infrared heat by substances like snow
and sea ice, along with the influence of clouds on far-infrared radiation.
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Enhancing future
predictions regarding the exchange of heat between Earth and space, and its
implications for phenomena like ice sheet melting, atmospheric temperatures,
and global weather patterns.