as RADAR. The Vegetation Canopy LIDAR will fire out pulses of laser radiation and the LIDAR collects the photons with optical telescopes (Roach 2). By analyzing the returned signals, scientists receive a direct measurement of all the information the devices offer (Higgins and Roach 2).The Vegetation Canopy LIDAR Mission is scheduled to be launched into space in September 2000. It will ascend from Alaska’s Kodiak Launch Complex (Higgins and Roach 3). NASA and the University of Maryland are working together to plan other launchings of laser-based satellites into orbit. In July 2001, a laser instrument will ride aboard a satellite to map the surface of Earth’s ice sheets. This mission will produce results with a vertical resolution of just four inches. A comparison of this new data over several years will enable scientists to calculate the amount of ice that has been lost due to global warming and has contributed to a rise in sea levels. In the year 2003, scientists are planning to implement laser-based sensors on a mission to measure the chemical composition and structure of clouds to improve climate forecasts (Roach 2). These exciting and innovative missions will deliver their first science results in a little over three years. Not only are these exciting and innovative missions capable of producing fast results, but also they are cost-effective for NASA’s budget. These missions will provide the answers to “emerging research questions that will further expand the scientific knowledge of the Earth” (Isbell 1). ...
