CAPE CANAVERAL, FL — The world will be keeping an eye on Cape Canaveral as NASA prepares to launch its next major Earth and climate science satellite called PACE.
PACE, or Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, is set to capture planet Earth's pulse by studying interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere, according to NASA'S PACE Project Scientist Jeremy Werdell.
"[PACE] comes in the form of its capability to see microscopic, sometimes invisible, particles in the ocean and atmosphere," Werdell stated.
Wildfire smoke in the air and phytoplankton in the ocean are some of the particles that PACE will measure, helping NASA better understand how the microscopic particles affect the health of the oceans and the climate.
"How the biological response to the ocean is changing to a warming atmosphere. How the oceans and atmosphere interact in complex ways. There is a lot we're going to unravel here," Werdell said.
Werdell also said PACE will retrieve meaningful data using cutting-edge sensors that the world will benefit from once PACE is in orbit.
"If you like breathing and you like eating, you care about phytoplankton. If you like going to the beach, you want to know if it's open. Clean drinking water. Good air quality," Werdell mentioned. "There are so many ways that so many communities all over the planet will benefit from this mission."
PACE is expected to launch at 11:33 p.m. Arizona time, weather permitting, and will undergo further testing and calibration once in orbit before transmitting data back to NASA.
To watch the launch live, visit the NASA website here.
