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slide 1 - The NISAR satellite hulk, a giant conglomeration of wires, foil, and metal, is shown in the JPL satellite building facility, which a bunch of people in sanitized uniforms in the bottom corner

CBS News Profiles Upcoming NASA Earth Missions

JPL provides viewers with an inside look at how advanced radar technology launched into space can better track the consequences of climate change

slide 2 - Sarah Flores is a data manager and website developer at JPL who works with radar instruments.

Science and Art Together

Both at work and with her art, Sarah Flores keeps Earth in mind.

Partners in Water

Zainab Ali combined data collected in space by satellites, with data collected directly from a lake. She wound up with a sum greater than its parts.

slide 4 - Two photos of Cozette Parker. The photo on the left: Cozette Parker is standing outside in the desert with a big smile on her face. Tawny-colored hills of sand and dirt stretch out behind her. And a humumgous white antenna with a huge dome and intricate spokes holding it up arises out of the desert right behind her, a streak of brilliant sunlight reflecting against the photo. The photo on the right: Cozette Parker and Morgan Freeman standing side by side in a room at JPL, Cozette with a big smile on her face, Morgan Freeman looking cool and calm. Both are matching in blue clothes.

Forge your own JPL path

Cozette Parker grew up in the shadow of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. But she didn’t know what JPL did or have any idea she’d end up working there till much later.

slide 5 - Hurricane Ida's destruction in Louisiana is shown. A lonely mailbox emerges out of flood waters in the foreground, while trees and an electricity pole emerge further back. In the center of the image are the completely disheveled and helter-skelter remains of the home that belonged to the mail box. The only part of it left standing are the stairs going up the front porch.

Earth Stories

Read more stories about how JPL Earth Science is used in the community.

Features: JPL Earth science in the community

Lan Dang works on the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 and Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 satellites as the Science Data System Lead. When she’s not busy handling the data the satellite sends back, she’s pursuing her other passion: mentoring new hires and local schoolkids.

Lan Dang stands in a room, with others in the background, holding material for the tech demonstration/exploration they are working on.

Career profile: Lan Dang on mentorship at NASA-JPL

Observing your community can depend greatly on your perspective. A science teacher's dive into local carbon dioxide data provides a point of comparison for what NASA's carbon-monitoring satellite can reveal.

Observing your community can depend greatly on your perspective. A science teacher's dive into local carbon dioxide data provides a point of comparison for what NASA's carbon-monitoring satellite can reveal.

A Creative teacher's rooftop science

Annmarie Eldering first came to JPL in 1999 for a summer fellowship, and stayed for over 20 years. She experienced the excitement and stresses that come with leading the development of new satellites.

Annmarie Eldering smiles at the camera. She is hiking, with her hand on a walking stick, a giant blue pack on her back, a baseball cap, and tall trees all around her.

Career Profile: Annmarie Eldering on leadership at JPL

Green spaces can create urban oases, and a NASA mission has the data to show they also help pull carbon dioxide out of the air in cities.

Kids in the background standing on lush green grass, with pale pink flowers close-up.

A wall of green, a breath of fresh air

Earth Science Missions

Currently there are more than a dozen missions in operation and several more in development being managed by the Earth Science and Technology Directorate.

Airborne Missions

Airborne Missions

JPL's Earth Science Airborne Suborbital Instruments and Measurements consist of missions utilizing remote sensing instruments for suborbital studies which are flown on a variety of airborne systems.