{"id":16035,"date":"2022-08-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=16035"},"modified":"2022-08-22T11:34:31","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T09:34:31","slug":"gently-does-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/2022\/08\/15\/gently-does-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Gently does it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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ESA\u2019S ESTEC TEST CENTRE, <\/strong>THE NETHERLANDS <\/p>\n\n

At the largest satellite test facility in Europe, engineers have successfully unfolded this 11-metre, five-panel solar wing. It\u2019s part of ESA\u2019s EarthCARE (Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) satellite mission, which aims to help us better understand how Earth\u2019s atmosphere functions as a system, to give us more reliable climate predictions and better weather forecasts. <\/p>\n\n

Using an atmospheric LIDAR (which uses lasers to calculate distances) and a cloud-profiling radar, EarthCARE will construct vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols, while a multispectral imager will distinguish between the different cloud types. The satellite will also measure reflected radiation at the top of the atmosphere. All this will allow scientists to address one of the biggest mysteries in atmospheric science: what role do clouds (and aerosols) play in the climate system? <\/p>\n\n

Orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 393km, this wing will be stretched out behind the satellite, like a tail. It\u2019s expected to launch in 2023. <\/p>\n\n