 Letter
to the Editor of the Washington Post by NASA
Administrator Michael Griffin, January 29,
2007
The Washington Post
Monday, January 29, 2007; Page A14
Letter to the Editor
Still Exploring Earth
Regarding the Jan. 18 editorial "Martian
Logic":
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
is committed to maintaining a strong science
program that fulfills critical needs on Earth
and answers fundamental questions about the
universe and humanity's place in it. We are
also committed to balancing these programs
with a renewed exploration program that will
once again extend humans beyond Earth's orbit,
to the moon and beyond. These programs are
not mutually exclusive but rather reinforce
one another from both scientific and technical
perspectives as we continue to make significant
contributions to humanity's understanding
of our planet, solar system and universe.
NASA's balanced set of science missions
is designed to increase knowledge and maximize
value. For example, the CloudSat and CALIPSO
satellites, which launched last year, peer
into the hearts of clouds and send scientists
data that help build better climate models
providing them with increased understanding
of the role that clouds and aerosols play
in regulating weather and air quality.
CloudSat and CALIPSO -- Cloud-Aerosol Lidar
and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation
-- are just two of the 14 satellites studying
our planet through NASA's Earth Observing
System. That system, along with satellites
operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, stream volumes of information
that provide countless benefits for us on
Earth. NASA plans to launch seven more spacecraft
over the next six years.
NASA, working with NOAA and other U.S.
government and international agencies, will
continue both the development of increasingly
complex space systems and the conduct and
funding of important research in earth science
that will help us monitor and understand global
climate and weather patterns.
MICHAEL GRIFFIN
Administrator
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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