NASA's PACE satellite will study Earth's tiniest mysteries from space: Watch it launch live Feb. 8

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Monisha Ravisetti is Space.com's Astronomy Editor. She covers black holes, star explosions, gravitational waves, exoplanet discoveries and other enigmas hidden across the fabric of space and time. Previously, she was a science writer at CNET, and before that, reported for The Academic Times.

On Feb. 8, NASA is scheduled to launch a major, nearly billion-dollar satellite to a reserved spot in Earth's orbit. Sitting above even the International Space Station, the spacecraft called PACE has a very big goal: To monitor our planet's health on an epic scale, starting from deep within its vast blue seas to far across its candy white clouds.

But still, the ocean's routine carries on, guiding several major pathways in our lives."It not only provides food that we eat and air that we breathe, but it helps regulate climate and weather," Werdell said. Plus, he emphasizes, the ocean provides compounds used in medicines and plays a part in the economy. Fisheries, after all, provide jobs. Even beaches rely on the ocean. "Boats cannot be everywhere all at once in the ocean," Werdell said.

"If you're a citizen of the world who likes breathing, and you like eating, and you like going to the beach, say thank you to a phytoplankton next time you see one," he said. The reason we'd want to watch over clouds might seem self-explanatory — it'd help with hurricane tracking and general storm monitoring — but what's really interesting is why we should care about a coordinated"aerosol watch" or sorts.

 

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