NASA Announcement: Call for Members of the Science Utilization Team for the SAGE III on ISS Mission
February 2012
NASA Announcement ID: NNH12ZDA007L
NASA is soliciting applications and nominations for members of the Science Utilization Team (SUT) for the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III instrument on the International Space Station (ISS) mission (SAGE3/ISS). Responses will take the form of a Letter of Application submitted to the SAGE3/ISS Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters.
1. Scope of the Program
The SAGE3/ISS mission (http://www-sage3oniss.larc.nasa.gov/) is a strategic Climate Continuity mission and is included in NASA’s plan: “Responding to the Challenge of Climate and Environmental Change: NASA’s Plan for a Climate-Centric Architecture for Earth Observations and Applications from Space (hereafter referred to as the “Climate Initiative”) sponsored by NASA’s Earth Science Division. The Climate Initiative can be found at http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/. This plan was informed in part by the National Research Council’s (NRC) Decadal Survey of Earth Science at NASA, NOAA, and USGS, entitled “Earth Science and Applications from SAGE3/ISS: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond” (the NRC’s Earth Science Decadal Survey, available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11820).
The primary objective of SAGE3/ISS is to monitor the vertical distribution of aerosols, ozone, and other trace gases in the Earth’s stratosphere and troposphere to enhance our understanding of ozone recovery and climate change processes in the stratosphere and upper troposphere. SAGE3/ISS will provide data necessary to:
– Assess the state of the recovery in the distribution of ozone
– Extend the SAGE III aerosol measurement record that is needed by both Climate models and Ozone models
– Gain further insight into key processes contributing to ozone and aerosol variability
The ISS inclined orbit of 51.6 is ideal for SAGE III measurements because the orbit permits solar occultation measurement coverage to approximately +/- 70 degrees of latitude. SAGE3/ISS will make measurements using the solar occultation measurement technique, lunar occultation measurement technique, and the limb scattering measurement technique.
The SAGE3/ISS Science Utilization Team (SUT) will be different from historical Science Definition Teams within NASA’s Earth Science Division in that previous versions of SAGE have flown for long periods and their measurements are well characterized, mature, validated algorithms exist, and the SAGE3/ISS instrument has already been built. Once the SUT’s work has concluded, the team will be disbanded prior to any solicitations for a competed science team issued by NASA.
2. Science Utilization Team for the SAGE3/ISS Mission
2.1 SAGE3/ISS SUT Structure
The SAGE3/ISS ISS SUT will consist of at least five members with expertise in atmospheric composition, aerosols, radiation science, and climate change. The SAGE3/ISS Program Scientist will make a recommendation to the Director of the Earth Science Division for a Chair of the SAGE3/ISS SUT from the selected SUT members. The Director of the Earth Science Division will select the SUT Chair. The NASA SAGE3/ISS Program Scientist, the NASA SAGE3/ISS ISS Project Scientist, and possibly other agency representatives will be ex officio members of the SUT.
2.2 SAGE3/ISS SUT Responsibilities
The members of the SAGE3/ISS SUT will focus primarily on assessing the scientific and data usage approaches critical to achieving the goals of the SAGE3/ISS mission as outlined in NASA’s Climate Initiative.
NASA’s charge to the SUT will be to provide guidance on the utilization of the science measurements made by SAGE3/ISS for addressing long-term trends of ozone, aerosols, and other trace gases; to assess the need for new research products based on the spare measurement capacity on SAGE3/ISS; and to identify and advise on any additional algorithm development based on these measurements. The SUT will consider innovative uses of the SAGE3/ISS measurements to address emerging science issues or to contribute to policy and management decision making. The applicability of fusing multiple data sets from a variety of sensors will also be considered. Sensor calibration and data validation plans will also be addressed by the SUT to ensure that the overall goals of the SAGE3/ISS mission as outlined by the NASA’s Climate Initiative are met.
Members of the SAGE3/ISS SUT will work in collaboration with NASA Headquarters, NASA Program and Project management and technical personnel at the participating field centers, and the atmospheric composition, aerosols, and climate change communities to provide input during the early formulation phases of SAGE3/ISS. The SUT will communicate its findings and recommendations to the project thru the ex officio members.
All meetings of the SAGE3/ISS SUT will be open and all reports and other output of the SAGE3/ISS SUT will be made publicly available. The SAGE3/ISS SUT will be in place through the early formulation phases of the mission. Subsequently, a solicitation for a competed science team may be issued by NASA.
The initial meeting of the SAGE3/ISS SUT will be targeted for May of 2012. The SUT can be expected to meet in person approximately once a year. The SUT also may have regular phone-in meetings. Meetings will be called by the SUT Chair and the agendas will be set by the Chair in coordination with NASA management to ensure that planned activities are aligned with programmatic needs and expectations. The SAGE3/ISS mission will be implemented through the Earth Systematic Missions Program Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. All travel expenses to meetings will be reimbursed. Salary and other financial support will not be provided.
2.3 SAGE3/ISS SUT Membership Proposal Content
Response to this Call is in the form of a Letter of Application. In the letter, the applicant should provide evidence of expertise and knowledge in areas highly relevant to the SAGE3/ISS primary scientific goals and related technology. For SAGE3/ISS, expertise could include but is not limited to: understanding ozone and aerosol trends; retrieval algorithms for atmospheric trace gases and aerosols; atmospheric modeling and intercomparisons, sensor calibration, data product validation approaches, and dataset fusion.
The Letter may also contain a brief list of references to scientific or technical papers the applicant has published that establish her/him as a leader in the atmospheric composition and/or aerosol science communities or as an expert in SAGE3/ISS-related technology areas. The Letter should also contain a statement of how much time the applicant will commit over the next 24 months for activities related to the SAGE3/ISS SUT.
Letter applications are invited from individuals, not groups. Collaborations and teams are not solicited. Each Letter is to be limited to two pages, with 12-pt font and 1-inch margins. The subject line of a responsive application must read “NASA SAGE3/ISS SUT Application”. Letter applications should be submitted by E-mail to the Program Scientist. Responses to this invitation should be received no later than March 9, 2012.
3. Selection of the SAGE3/ISS Science Definition Team
The NASA Headquarters SAGE3/ISS Program Scientist will select SAGE3/ISS SUT members from the pool of respondents. The Program Scientist may submit letters for external peer-review as needed.
Application letters should be submitted to:
Dr. Richard Eckman
Atmospheric Composition Modeling and Analysis Program
Earth Science Division – Science Mission Directorate
Mail Suite 3B74
NASA Headquarters
300 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20546
Tel: 202-358-2567
E-mail: Richard.S.Eckman@nasa.gov
Fax: 202-358-3172
