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[pulsing music]

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Narrator: Ten years ago, a remarkable suite of instruments

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aboard the first of a series of polar-orbiting

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known as the Joint Polar Satellite System.

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This is the story of the satellite that led the way.

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It has measured storms, fires,

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v

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improving our weather forecasts, and carrying on

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critical long-term measurements of our planet.

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Announcer: 4, 3, 2 main engine start, one zero and liftoff

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Narrator: On Oct. 28, 2011, the Suomi-NPP satellite

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lifted off on a Delta II rocket from Vandenburg, California.

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Named after Verner Suomi,

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who invented the first spin-scan camera to observe weather from space,

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the satellite marked the beginning of another new era

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the Join Polar Satellite System, a mission to provde

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valuable weather and environmental data into the 2030s. 

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And during the last decade, Suomi-NPP

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has become well known for its Blue Marble images and

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also its Day Night Band, which show us power outages

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after storms and human activities at night,

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such as highways, sea travel, and natural gas flares.

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Continuing observations begun by satellites

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like NASA’s Terra, Aqua, and Aura,

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it allows for a number of products that help people on the ground: 

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Its data allow us to: Map wildfires, track the movement

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of wildfire smoke and then measure the air quality

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as that smoke moves through an area.

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Measure the insides of hurricanes and reveal the structure and intensity of a storm

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and the ocean surface temperature that fuels it,

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Track the health of major crops worldwide by showing how they’re impacted

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by weather and temperature,

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And measure emissions from volcanoes that help determine air quality and visibility for pilots.

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Over the last 10 years, NPP data has increased our understanding

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of major events, like the life cycle of Hurricane Sandy,

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the carbon released by Australian bush fires,

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Saharan dust storms across the Atlantic,

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and emissions decreases from global pandemic.

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The Joint Polar Satellite System’s next satellite

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launched six years later in 2017

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and its sister satellites will launch over the next decade,

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continuing these kinds of vital measurements in the years to come.

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[music fades]