Glory will help researchers better understand the direct and indirect effects of atmospheric aerosols and of the Sun on Earth's climate. This animation reveals Glory's trio of remote-sensing instruments: Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS) will provide new capabilities in the characterization of aerosol particle microphysical properties through the collection of multiangle and multispectral radiance and polarization measurements. Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) is an electrical substitution radiometer (ESR) that records measurements of total solar irradiance (TSI) with extreme accuracy and precision. Cloud Camera data will provide cross track coverage over a broader swath of aerosol load than the APS. ||

The Glory spacecraft uses Orbital Sciences Corporation Space Systems Group's LEOStar-1 bus design, with deployable solar arrays, 3-axis stabilization, and X-band/S-band RF communications capabilities. The structure consists of an octagonal aluminum space frame and a hydrazine propulsion module containing enough fuel to support initial orbit raising and at least 36 months of on-orbit service. The spacecraft bus also provides payload power; command, telemetry, and science data interfaces, including onboard storage of data; and an attitude control subsystem to support instrument pointing requirements. Two animated beauty passes reveal different perspectives of the spacecraft in orbit. ||

The Glory spacecraft uses Orbital Sciences Corporation Space Systems Group's LEOStar-1 bus design, with deployable, four-panel solar arrays. This conceptual animation reveals Glory's unique solar array deployment sequence. ||

Glory will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base onboard a Taurus XL launch vehicle. The Taurus launch service is provided by Orbital Sciences Corporation Launch Systems Group, under contract to the NASA Kennedy Space Center. The Taurus XL will place Glory into a circular, Sun-synchronous injection orbit with an altitude of 640 kilometers and an inclination of 97.9 degrees. ||

The Sun's energy is one of the biggest forcings on Earth's climate, and for years satellites have measured total solar irradiance. Glory will continue collection of this critical climate data, which will contribute to the long-term climate record. The cutting edge TIM instrument will continue the work of NASA's SORCE mission. For complete transcript, click here. || Glorys_Suncatcher_512x288.00627_print.jpg (1024x576) [45.3 KB] || Glorys_Suncatcher_512x288_web.png (320x180) [150.8 KB] || Glorys_Suncatcher_512x288_thm.png (80x40) [15.2 KB] || Glorys_Suncatcher_960x540_AppleTV.webmhd.webm (960x540) [40.2 MB] || Glorys_Suncatcher_1280x720_ProRes.mov (1280x720) [3.2 GB] || Glorys_Suncatcher_1280x720_H264.mov (1280x720) [97.7 MB] || Glorys_Suncatcher_960x540_AppleTV.m4v (960x540) [107.5 MB] || Glorys_Suncatcher_640x480_ipod.m4v (640x360) [35.1 MB] || Glorys_Suncatcher_512x288.mpg (512x288) [36.1 MB] || Glorys_Suncatcher_320x240.mp4 (320x180) [14.3 MB] || Glorys_Suncatcher.wmv (320x180) [17.3 MB] ||

Total solar irradiance (TSI) is the dominant driver of the Earth's climate. The global temperature of the Earth is almost completely determined by the balance between the intensity of the incident solar radiation and the response of the Earth's atmosphere via absorption, reflection, and re-radiation. Roughly 30 percent of the TSI that strikes the Earth is reflected back into space by clouds, atmospheric aerosols, snow, ice, desert sand, rooftops, and even ocean surf. The remaining 70 percent of the TSI is absorbed by the land, ocean, and atmosphere. In addition, different layers of the Earth's atmosphere absorb different wavelengths of light. Changes in either the TSI or in the composition of the atmosphere can cause climate change. Two conceptual science animations provide two different perspectives that both illustrate Earth's energy budget. ||

Glory is a unique research satellite designed to orbit the Earth and achieve two major goals. Glory's first goal is to collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon in the Earth's atmosphere and climate system; its second goal is to collect data on solar irradiance for Earth's long-term climate record. This seven-minute video introduces Glory's science objectives, people, and instruments, and provides an overview of the Glory mission.For complete transcript, click here. || The_Road_to_Glory_512x288.01102_print.jpg (1024x576) [74.3 KB] || The_Road_to_Glory_512x288_web.png (180x320) [222.3 KB] || The_Road_to_Glory_512x288_thm.png (80x40) [14.2 KB] || The_Road_to_Glory_AppleTV.webmhd.webm (960x540) [90.6 MB] || The_Road_to_Glory_1280x720_ProRes.mov (1280x720) [6.3 GB] || The_Road_to_Glory_1280x720_H264.mov (1280x720) [204.8 MB] || The_Road_to_Glory_AppleTV.m4v (960x540) [235.9 MB] || The_Road_to_Glory_640x480_ipod.m4v (640x360) [76.0 MB] || The_Road_to_Glory_512x288.mpg (512x288) [141.3 MB] || The_Road_to_Glory_320x240.mp4 (320x180) [33.4 MB] || The_Road_to_Glory.wmv (320x180) [37.8 MB] ||

The Glory team is comprised of dedicated and highly skilled scientists and engineers. The following interview segments provide comments on the mission from key Glory personnel. Glory is a remote-sensing Earth-orbiting observatory designed to achieve two separate mission objectives. One is to collect data on the chemical, microphysical, and optical properties of aerosols, along with their spatial and temporal distributions. Glory's second mission objective is to continue collection of total solar irradiance data for the long-term climate record. Glory accomplishes these objectives by deploying two instruments aboard a low earth orbit satellite: the Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS) and the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM). Scientists are working to better understand exactly how and why Earth's climate changes, and the Glory mission will provide significant contributions toward this critical endeavor. ||

The name "A-Train" comes from the formation of international, Earth-observing satellites known as the Afternoon Constellation, which operate in a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705 km. The close proximity of the different spacecraft within the A-Train allows for coincident observations between instruments on different spacecrafts, providing scientists additional capabilities in their pursuit of answers about the Earth and its climate. Upon joining the A-train, Glory will help researchers better understand two critical forcings of Earth's climate: atmospheric aerosols and total solar irradiance. ||

In the lead up to launch, a number of critical spacecraft building and testing milestones took place at Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia. This video b-roll was filmed in cleanrooms at Orbital Sciences Corporation, and provides documentation of critical Glory milestone moments. ||