NASA Earth Science

<p>NASA Earth Science, formerly called NASA Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) and Mission To Planet Earth (MTPE), is a <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a> research program "to develop a scientific understanding of the <a href="/facts/Earth/HLLmDfj0">Earth</a> system and its response to natural and human-induced changes to enable improved prediction of climate, weather, and natural hazards for present and future generations".
Its director was <a href="/facts/Michael_Freilich_(oceanographer)/FQ60sHwd">Michael Freilich</a> (2006–2019).
</p><p>NASA supports research in the <a href="/facts/Earth_science/rQsXCSbM">Earth sciences</a> and, as part of its <a href="/facts/Earth_Observing_System/DvojMWq5">Earth Observing System</a> (EOS), launches and maintains Earth observing satellites to monitor the state of the climate, atmospheric chemistry, ocean and land ecosystems. It was a NASA scientist, Dr. <a href="/facts/James_Hansen/z0A4PnM9">James Hansen</a>, who first alerted the world to the dangers of <a href="/facts/Global_warming/rEN4BDE7">global warming</a> due to <a href="/facts/Greenhouse_gases/HXaHqrT8">greenhouse gases</a> emitted by human burning of <a href="/facts/Fossil_fuels/BPgxAqB7">fossil fuels</a>.  Earth Science research also provides the foundations of understanding for the search for <a href="/facts/Extraterrestrial_life/arxCPFTQ">extraterrestrial life</a> through the <a href="/facts/NASA_Astrobiology_Institute/q7p8PpkM">NASA Astrobiology Institute</a> (NAI), in which the focus is often on the extreme conditions for life to survive.
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NASA Earth Science open-in-new

NASA Earth Science