Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events Mission (GEO-CAPE)
S.
R.
Kawa, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, stephan.r.kawa@nasa.gov
(Presenting)
S.
Janz, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, scott.janz@nasa.gov
R.
T.
Caffrey, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, robert.t.caffrey@nasa.gov
K.
E.
Pickering, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, kenneth.e.pickering@nasa.gov
A.
Mannino, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, antonio.mannino@nasa.gov
E.
M.
Middleton, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, elizabeth.m.middleton@nasa.gov
P.
K.
Bhartia, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, pawan.k.bhartia@nasa.gov
J.
F.
Gleason, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, james.f.gleason@nasa.gov
J.
Fishman, NASA Langley Research Center, jack.fishman@nasa.gov
D.
O.
Neil, NASA Langley Research Center, doreen.o.neil@nasa.gov
The U.S. National Research Council’s recent decadal survey, Earth Science and Applications from Space, has recommended the Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) mission for launch in the 2013-2016 time period. GEO-CAPE science objectives include sources, transport, and chemistry of atmospheric pollution as well as coastal ocean dynamics and biophysics. Objectives for the terrestrial biosphere should also be considered. The notional payload includes a medium-resolution (~7 km) continental-scanning UV-Visible spectrometer, a very high-resolution (~250 m) programmable UV-Vis-NearIR event imager, and a CO mapper operating in both reflected sunlight and thermal emission bands. The satellite is planned to be deployed in geostationary/geosynchronous orbit over the continental U.S. Key capabilities are to continuously sample processes that occur rapidly (1-3 hour time scales) at relatively small spatial scales. The very high-resolution, geosynchronous multi-disciplinary observatory would be a shared resource for regular observations, special observing studies, and emergencies. NASA has conducted preliminary instrument and mission design studies for concepts very similar to GEO-CAPE. Here, we draw from these studies to examine the science measurement requirements for GEO-CAPE, present some possible instrument implementation options, and summarize the overall scope of the mission in terms of technology readiness, algorithm and data analysis challenges, and size-weight-cost feasibility issues.
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