Above : The thickness of the Earth's ozone layer from 1982 to 2012

OMPS Continues More Than 30 Years of Ozone Data

02.23.2012 - A new satellite instrument suite is now sending back detailed information about the health of the Earth's ozone layer, the shield that protects the world's population from harmful levels of the sun's ultraviolet radiation. OMPS continues an over three decade-long partnership between NASA and NOAA in studying ozone. OMPS consists of three instruments: the downward-looking nadir mapper and nadir profiler, and a new instrument called the limb profiler.

OMPS data will contribute to observing the recovery of the ozone layer in the coming years. The layer is expected to recover from the effects of the ozone depleting substances like halons or chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) over the coming few decades. This recovery comes as a result of a world-wide agreement in 1987 that phased out the use of these ozone-depleting substances. [read more]

Press Releases

02.21.2012 - Suomi NPP to turn on Direct Broadcast data

02.08.2012 - Infrared Sounder on Suomi NPP Starts its Mission

02.02.2012 - VIIRS Eastern Hemisphere Image - Behind the Scenes

02.01.2012 - 'First Light' Taken by CERES Instrument

01.25.2012 - NPP Renamed in Honor of Satellite Pioneer
01.26.2012 - NASA-led Study Solves Case of Earth's 'Missing Energy'
01.19.2012 - NPP Resumes Mission Checkout Phase
12.16.2011 - First Global Image from VIIRS
11.22.2011 - NPP Satellite Acquires First VIIRS Image
11.16.2011 - NASA Invites Elementary Students to an Inside Look at NPP!
11.10.2011 - NPP Satellite Acquires First ATMS Measurements
10.20.2011 - NASA Invites Twitter Followers to Launch of NPP
10.20.2011 - Significant Antarctic Ozone Hole Remains
10.20.2011 - Ozone Depletion a Bigger Deal Down Under
10.19.2011 - A Look Back at a Decade of Fires
10.12.2011 - NASA Readies NPP Satellite for Launch
10.02.2011 - Study of Unprecedented Arctic Ozone Loss
09.06.2011 - NPP Satellite Prevents Gap in Critical Climate Data
09.06.2011 - CERES Continues Legacy of Cloud Study on NPP

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Mission Overview

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership collects and distributes remotely-sensed land, ocean, and atmospheric data to the meteorological and global climate change communities as the responsibility for these measurements transitions from existing Earth-observing missions such as Aqua, Terra and Aura, to the NPOESS. It will provide atmospheric and sea surface temperatures, humidity sounding, land and ocean biological productivity, and cloud and aerosol properties.

Mission Posters
+ Learn about the mission science through this posters series

2012 'Blue Marble'

A 'Blue Marble' image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's most recently launched Earth-observing satellite - Suomi NPP. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on January 4, 2012. [read more]

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