The CERES experiment is one of the highest priority scientific satellite instruments developed for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). CERES products include both solar-reflected and Earth-emitted radiation from the top of the atmosphere to the Earth's surface. Cloud properties are determined using simultaneous measurements by other EOS instruments such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Analyses of the CERES data, which build upon the foundation laid by previous missions such as the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), will lead to a better understanding of the role of clouds and the energy cycle in global climate change.

      GIFTS, a part of NASA's New Millennium Program, will demonstrate advanced technologies for future Earth science missions from space in geosynchronous orbit. The instrument is the first step toward incorporating technological breakthroughs into the next generation of operational weather observing systems. Images from GIFTS will give scientists the ability to observe, with unprecedented spatial resolution, atmospheric temperature and moisture changes on very short timescales.

      Vaporized water is an invisible gas that is present everywhere in the atmosphere. The distribution of atmospheric water vapor is of fundamental importance to weather and climate, atmospheric radiation studies, global hydrological cycle and atmospheric chemistry. The LASE program was initiated as an effort to produce an autonomous system for measuring water vapor levels from airborne and spaceborne platforms using LIDAR technology.

      The SSE Project, managed by NASA Langley, works with other government and private organizations to develop the commercial potential of NASA satellite measurements. The goal of the SSE Project is to put state-of-the-art, satellite-derived solar and meteorological data into the hands of individuals who are involved in the research and analysis of the feasibility of renewable energy technologies.