Abstract
This chapter covers the 1998–2001 period. Ghassem Asrar became associate administrator and changed the name of his division from “Mission to Planet Earth” to “Earth Science.” He wished to emphasize the science and fly under the intensifying political radar of climate change. He built on TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 success by getting a decision for a Jason-2 follow-on. This would feature a new technology called wide-swath altimetry. Goldin was adamant that NASA do R&D, not operations, or routine monitoring. He wanted innovation, firsts. Asrar also wanted to emphasize “the new” and sought to transfer Jason-2 to NOAA and its European counterpart, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) when it was mature. Meanwhile, he continued the NASA–CNES alliance. All seemed well.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Ghassem Asrar, interview by author, Dec. 14, 2020.
- 2.
Ibid.
- 3.
Richard Leshner and Thor Hogan, The View from Space: NASA’s Evolving Struggle to Understand Our Home Planet (Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Press, 2019), 168.
- 4.
Berrien Moore, interview by Rebecca Wright, Oral History, EOS Collection, NASA, Apr. 4, 2011.
- 5.
Tillman Mohr, “EUMETSAT’s Contribution to Jason-2—Its First Optional Programme,” in History of Meteorology, Atmosphere, and Ocean Science from Space in France and Europe by its Actors Ed. by Fellous, Jean-Lewis., (Paris, France: Institut Francais d’Histoire de l’Espace, forthcoming).
- 6.
Curt Suplee, “Melting Accounts for 7% of World’s Sea-Level Rise,” The Washington Post (July 21, 2000), A03. Retrieved from https://icesat.gsfc.nasa.gov/icesat/press_release/greenland.html
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lambright, W.H. (2023). High Hopes. In: NASA and the Politics of Climate Research. Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40363-7_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40363-7_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-40362-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-40363-7
eBook Packages: HistoryHistory (R0)