A sensor for monitoring global climate has been restored to the first satellite scheduled to fly in the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), officials from, NASA, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Air Force announced May 1.
Members of the NPOESS executive committee agreed to restore the Total Solar Irradiance Sensor, which measures the total amount of solar energy coming into the Earth’s atmosphere, a fundamental element in understanding climate change. The sensor had been removed during the 2006 restructuring of the program.
“We need these sensors to help us better differentiate between the natural and human causes of climate change and monitor the long-term energy shifts tied to climate change,” retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Conrad Lautenbacher, NOAA administrator.
The NPOESS Preparatory Project spacecraft is scheduled to be launched in late 2009.

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