What's Happening?
NASA's CLARREO Pathfinder (CPF) mission, initiated in 2016, is focused on achieving unprecedented accuracy in measuring Earth-reflected sunlight. The mission aims to improve the accuracy of solar sensors by 5-10 times, serving as an on-orbit calibration
reference for other sensors. The CPF payload, featuring the Reflected Solar spectrometer HySICS, will be hosted on the International Space Station (ISS) for a year, with an additional year for data analysis. The mission's high accuracy measurements are crucial for understanding Earth's variability and improving predictions of climate change impacts.
Why It's Important?
The CPF mission's high accuracy measurements are vital for enhancing the understanding of Earth's sensitivity to changes, such as increased carbon dioxide levels. This improved understanding can lead to more confident predictions of climate change impacts, aiding strategic planning and risk assessments by governments and industries. The mission's ability to transfer its calibration accuracy to other instruments will improve global Earth-observing capabilities, helping detect small decadal trends sooner and supporting international efforts to monitor environmental changes.
