1
00:00:01,770 --> 00:00:07,660
\h        Narrator: The Ocean Surface Topography Mission aboard the Jason-2 spacecraft is poised to take

2
00:00:07,660 --> 00:00:12,830
\h        its place in space to find out more about Earth and its oceans.

3
00:00:12,830 --> 00:00:20,060
\h        The OSTM/Jason-2 flight comes about 16 years after the first satellite was launched to measure the height

4
00:00:20,060 --> 00:00:26,510
\h        of the world's seas in detail and show us how climate changes are impacting every continent.

5
00:00:26,510 --> 00:00:33,000
\h        That first satellite, called Topex/Poseidon, measured sea surface height down to about 1.5 inches and

6
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:40,050
\h        provided the first database of global oceanographic information for this measurement. OSTM/Jason-2

7
00:00:40,050 --> 00:00:48,000
\h        will allow scientists to monitor ocean coastal regions with increased accuracy, nearly 50 percent closer than before.

8
00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:54,750
\h        Join NASA now for a look at this mission and what it means to life on Earth.

9
00:00:54,750 --> 00:00:59,850
\h        Tiffany Nail/NASA LSP: Hi, I'm Tiffany Nail of NASA's Launch Services Program. We're about to take

10
00:00:59,850 --> 00:01:06,090
\h        a closer look at the Ocean Surface Topography Mission on the Jason-2 spacecraft.

11
00:01:06,090 --> 00:01:14,100
\h        It's easy to think of the world's oceans as flat, blue expanses of water with waves relatively equal in shape and height.

12
00:01:14,100 --> 00:01:21,090
\h        But NASA and the French Space Agency, CNES, have been working together since the 1990s to show that the

13
00:01:21,090 --> 00:01:27,660
\h        Earth's largest bodies of water actually have a very dynamic topography of hills and valleys.

14
00:01:27,660 --> 00:01:32,550
\h        These hills and valleys give scientists information on the heat stored in the ocean

15
00:01:32,550 --> 00:01:37,930
\h         and how ocean circulation influences earth's weather and climate.

16
00:01:37,930 --> 00:01:46,160
\h        By better understanding the ocean, the minds behind OSTM/Jason-2 say we can all better understand the Earth.

17
00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:50,820
\h        Narrator: The oceans are an indicator of changes to come in the planet's climate.

18
00:01:50,820 --> 00:01:55,900
\h        By detecting minor changes in sea surface height now, scientists may be able to better

19
00:01:55,900 --> 00:01:59,380
\h         forecast the strength and intensity of hurricanes.

20
00:01:59,380 --> 00:02:06,320
\h        Researchers could forecast trouble for the world's fisheries in advance, possibly in time to prevent the problems.

21
00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:11,290
\h        The OSTM/Jason-2 mission will take instruments into space that are similar to the

22
00:02:11,290 --> 00:02:15,280
\h         ones launched on Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1.

23
00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:21,040
\h        Those missions have already fueled studies on new theories about Earth's climate and weather patterns.

24
00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:26,660
\h        OSTM/Jason-2 will help create the first multi-decadal global record for

25
00:02:26,660 --> 00:02:30,850
\h         understanding the vital roles of the ocean in climate change.

26
00:02:30,850 --> 00:02:35,450
\h        Data from the new mission will allow us to continue monitoring global sea level change,

27
00:02:35,450 --> 00:02:41,930
\h        one of the most important consequences and indicators of global climate change.

28
00:02:41,930 --> 00:02:45,160
\h        Tiffany Nail/Launch Services Program, NASA: I'm here today with Armando Piloto, the LSP mission manager

29
00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:50,030
\h        for the launch of the OSTM/Jason-2 spacecraft. Armando, thanks for joining us.

30
00:02:50,030 --> 00:02:52,230
\h        Armando Piloto/LSP Mission Manager: It's great to be here.

31
00:02:52,230 --> 00:02:53,500
\h        Tiffany Nail/Launch Services Program, NASA: This mission is launching from the

32
00:02:53,500 --> 00:02:58,530
\h         west coast of California. Why was that important for this flight?

33
00:02:58,530 --> 00:03:03,340
\h        Armando Piloto/LSP Mission Manager: Launch from California is important for this flight because of the nature of the

34
00:03:03,340 --> 00:03:11,550
\h        OSTM/Jason-2 orbital requirements. The spacecraft needs to be located at an orbit that is high in inclination.

35
00:03:11,550 --> 00:03:16,960
\h        The reason for that is because they want to be able to maximize their science and be

36
00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,260
\h         able to map as much of the ocean as possible.

37
00:03:20,260 --> 00:03:29,700
\h        So from a launch vehicle perspective, we can get them to this inclination more efficiently by being able to launch from the west coast.

38
00:03:29,700 --> 00:03:31,650
\h        Tiffany Nail/Launch Services Program, NASA: We are a day away from launch. The

39
00:03:31,650 --> 00:03:39,790
\h        OSTM/Jason-2 is inside the Delta II rocket out on Space Launch Complex 2. What work is left to be done?

40
00:03:39,790 --> 00:03:44,880
\h        Armando Piloto/LSP Mission Manager: Well Tiffany, as you can imagine a lot of work has been invested to get us to this point.

41
00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:49,670
\h        We're very excited but there are some very important activities coming up.

42
00:03:49,670 --> 00:03:56,480
\h        From a spacecraft perspective they have to go in and finalize their inspection and final closeouts.

43
00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:04,970
\h        They also have to continue charging the batteries, close to T-0. In addition to that, the launch vehicle team is active,

44
00:04:04,970 --> 00:04:08,550
\h        doing their final inspection of the entire vehicle to make sure all systems

45
00:04:08,550 --> 00:04:11,220
\h         are ready to go. In addition to that,

46
00:04:11,220 --> 00:04:17,340
\h        once that's completed, there will be some final connections made to the ordnance lines on the solid rocket motors.

47
00:04:17,340 --> 00:04:24,700
\h        Then the mobile service tower will be removed away from the launch vehicle. Once that's completed,

48
00:04:24,700 --> 00:04:31,320
\h        then we will enter the final stages of the campaign. We will go into our terminal count.

49
00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:36,980
\h        And during these final hours, there's a lot that's going on. We will be fueling the first stage.

50
00:04:36,980 --> 00:04:47,850
\h        We would also be doing checks with the gimbling of the engines. There will also be several polls directing during the campaign.

51
00:04:47,850 --> 00:04:53,880
\h        Toward the end, the spacecraft and both the launch vehicle, once everything's ready to go,

52
00:04:53,880 --> 00:05:00,740
\h        they will go to internal power and hopefully tomorrow morning, early in the morning, we will be having a launch.

53
00:05:00,740 --> 00:05:03,200
\h        A successful launch of the OSTM/Jason-2 mission. Tiffany Nail/Launch Services Program, NASA:

54
00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,340
\h        Thanks for coming by Armando, and good luck with the launch.

55
00:05:06,340 --> 00:05:08,480
\h        Armando Piloto/LSP Mission Manager: Thank you, Tiffany.

56
00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:13,380
\h        Tiffany Nail/Launch Services Program, NASA: Now that we've learned more about the remaining launch activities of

57
00:05:13,380 --> 00:05:19,140
\h        OSTM/Jason-2, let's find out more about the science of the mission from the project scientist. Take a look.

58
00:05:19,140 --> 00:05:21,680
\h        Josh Willis/Oceanographer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory It's a very difficult technological challenge in order to

59
00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:27,550
\h        measure sea surface height with the precision of about one inch, from 830 miles in space.

60
00:05:27,550 --> 00:05:33,200
\h        This is accomplished in two ways. First you have to know the position of the satellite very accurately.

61
00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:39,400
\h        So this is accomplished with a number of instruments, including a GPS receiver, sort of like the one in your car,

62
00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:45,910
\h        but a little more sophisticated. Laser reflecting array and another system called DORIS (dual-frequency Doppler system).

63
00:05:45,910 --> 00:05:50,160
\h        These essentially tell us where the satellite is. Now the radar altimeter tells us the distance

64
00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:53,620
\h         between the satellite and the surface of the ocean,

65
00:05:53,620 --> 00:06:00,760
\h        by basically just bouncing a radio wave off of it. So using these two pieces of information; the position of the satellite and the

66
00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:05,790
\h        distance of the satellite from the ocean to itself, you can figure out the height of the ocean.

67
00:06:05,790 --> 00:06:13,400
\h        That's what the satellite tells us. Scientists use these data to help understand the ocean and its role in the climate system.

68
00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:21,430
\h        The ocean is sort of like the fly wheel of the climate system. It's big, it's slow moving and it helps move heat around the globe.

69
00:06:21,430 --> 00:06:27,120
\h        So the oceans really are important to understanding climate and measuring sea level is a

70
00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:33,530
\h        really important way of measuring the oceans and their role in the climate system.

71
00:06:33,530 --> 00:06:39,860
\h        The oceans absorb 84 percent of the heat from global warming. Now, when they absorb this heat they expand,

72
00:06:39,860 --> 00:06:46,730
\h        just like a lot of other materials. Water, when it gets warm, it stands a little taller. This is part of the signal that the satellites measure.

73
00:06:46,730 --> 00:06:55,530
\h        So satellites like OSTM, Jason and Topex before it really help us measure the total amount of heat that's absorbed by the ocean.

74
00:06:55,530 --> 00:07:00,810
\h        That's a big chunk of the heat that goes into the climate system from global warming.

75
00:07:00,810 --> 00:07:09,100
\h        This mission is really a stepping stone, along the path of a long record of sea level rise. In order to understand climate,

76
00:07:09,100 --> 00:07:15,600
\h        you really have to measure the earth for a long period of time. OSTM, the Ocean Surface Topography Mission

77
00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:23,160
\h        will extend our record of sea level, almost to 20 years. But 20 years is not all that long in terms of global warming.

78
00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:28,440
\h        I mean this has been going on for 100 years or more. So, we definitely need future missions.

79
00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:33,830
\h        We definitely need to keep our eyes on the oceans, because that's where a lot of the action is.

80
00:07:33,830 --> 00:07:36,170
\h        Tiffany Nail/Launch Services Program, NASA: Thanks for joining us. You can log on