National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

ASSESSMENT OF THE BENEFITS OF EXTENDING THE TROPICAL RAINFALL MEASURING MISSION

A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE RESEARCH AND OPERATIONS COMMUNITIES

INTERIM REPORT

Committee on the Future of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

Division on Earth and Life Studies

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

Support for this project was provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Contract No. NASW-01001. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number 0-309-10282-0

Additional copies of this report are available from the

National Academies Press,

500 Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, D.C. 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2006 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

This page intially left blank

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

COMMITTEE ON THE FUTURE OF THE TROPICAL RAINFALL MEASURING MISSION (TRMM)

EUGENE RASMUSSON (Chair),

University of Maryland (retired), College Park, Maryland

V. CHANDRASEKAR,

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

CAROL ANNE CLAYSON,

Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

JEFFREY D. HAWKINS,

Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, California

KRISTINA B. KATSAROS,

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (retired), Freeland, Washington

M. PATRICK MCCORMICK,

Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia

MATTHIAS STEINER,

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

GRAEME L. STEPHENS,

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

CHRISTOPHER S. VELDEN,

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

RAY A. WILLIAMSON,

George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

NRC Staff

PAUL CUTLER, Study Director

LEAH PROBST, Research Associate

ROB GREENWAY, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

BOARD ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE

ROBERT J. SERAFIN (Chair),

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

M. JOAN ALEXANDER,

NorthWest Research Associates/CORA, Boulder, Colorado

FREDERICK R. ANDERSON,

McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, Washington, D.C.

MICHAEL L. BENDER,

Princeton University, New Jersey

ROSINA M. BIERBAUM,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

MARY ANNE CARROLL,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

CAROL ANNE CLAYSON,

Florida State University, Tallahassee

WALTER F. DABBERDT,

Vaisala Inc., Boulder, Colorado

KERRY A. EMANUEL,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

DENNIS L. HARTMANN,

University of Washington, Seattle

PETER R. LEAVITT,

Weather Information Inc., Newton, Massachusetts

JENNIFER A. LOGAN,

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

VERNON R. MORRIS,

Howard University, Washington, D.C.

F. SHERWOOD ROWLAND,

University of California, Irvine

THOMAS H. VONDER HAAR,

Colorado State University/CIRA, Fort Collins

ROGER M. WAKIMOTO,

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

Ex Officio Members

ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR.,

University of Maryland, College Park

ERIC F. WOOD,

Princeton University, New Jersey

NRC Staff

CHRIS ELFRING, Director

PAUL CUTLER, Senior Program Officer

AMANDA STAUDT, Senior Program Officer

IAN KRAUCUNAS, Associate Program Officer

CURTIS MARSHALL, Program Officer

CLAUDIA MENGELT, Associate Program Officer

ELIZABETH A. GALINIS, Research Associate

LEAH PROBST, Research Associate

ROB GREENWAY, Senior Program Assistant

KATIE WELLER, Program Assistant

DIANE GUSTAFSON, Administrative Coordinator

ANDREAS SOHRE, Financial Associate

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

Prologue

This report was originally released in December 2004 in prepublication form as the first report of a two-phase study to be carried out by the same committee. The first phase was sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and focused on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). The second phase was sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and focused on the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The report of the second phase will be published in a separate volume in 2006.

A number of significant decisions for TRMM have been made since December 2004. In 2005, NASA approved a waiver of its controlled reentry guidelines to allow TRMM to operate beyond the minimum fuel point required for a controlled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. In advance of the 2005 NASA Senior Review of 12 Earth science missions, NASA’s TRMM team proposed to extend TRMM.1 NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center was directed to continue TRMM science operations through fiscal year 2009, and TRMM may be further extended as a result of a future NASA Senior Review.

As of the publication of this report, the TRMM spacecraft and instruments are in excellent condition and are fully operational.2 TRMM has enough fuel to operate until approximately 2012.

June 2006

1

The TRMM Senior Review Proposal is available online at http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/trmm_rain/Events/TRMMSeniorProp_1.pdf [accessed May 11, 2006].

2

As mentioned in Chapter 1, Box 1-1, the Clouds and Earth Radiant Energy System instrument failed shortly after launch. In 2002, one of the two Solar Array Drive Actuators lost sun-tracking function, leading to slightly less available power for the spacecraft but sufficient power for nominal operations of all working instruments. For up-to-date TRMM information and operational status, visit the mission Website at http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

This page intially left blank

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

Acknowledgments

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Phillip Arkin, University of Maryland, College Park

Peter Bauer, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Reading, Berkshire, UK

Russell Elsberry, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California

Roger Pielke, Jr., University of Colorado/CIRES, Boulder

Amanda Preble, Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Roger Wakimoto, University of California, Los Angeles

Although the reviewers listed above have provided constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the report’s conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Robert Dickinson, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Carl Wunsch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×

This page intially left blank

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2006. Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11195.
×
Page R12
Next: Executive Summary »
Assessment of the Benefits of Extending the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission: A Perspective from the Research and Operations Communities: Interim Report Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $41.00 Buy Ebook | $32.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Launched jointly in 1997 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a satellite mission that placed a unique suite of instruments, including the first precipitation radar, in space. These instruments are used to monitor and predict tropical cyclone tracks and intensity, estimate rainfall, and monitor climate variability (precipitation and sea surface temperature). TRMM has been collecting data for seven years; this data is used by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the National Center for Environmental Prediction, and the National Hurricane Center, among others worldwide. In July 2004, NASA announced that it would terminate TRMM in August 2004. At the request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the White House, and the science community, NASA agreed to continue TRMM operations through the end of 2004. Meanwhile, NASA asked a National Research Council (NRC) committee to provide advice on the benefits of keeping TRMM in operation beyond 2004. After holding a workshop with a number of experts in the field, the committee found that TRMM will contribute significantly to operations and science if the mission is extended; and therefore, strongly recommends continued operation of TRMM with the caveat that cost and risk will need to be further examined before a final decision about the future of TRMM can be made.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!