O Selecting Official. Xx. Xxxx Xxxxxx Deputy Associate Administrator (Advanced Planning) Office of Earth Science NASA Headquarters Washington DC 20546 Appendix A: Background - NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise The Office of Earth Science of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration uses NASA’s unique capabilities in space to study the fundamental Earth processes that power climate, weather, and natural hazards, and the impact of those processes on the quality of life. The Office has the responsibility to assure that the data, technology and attendant capabilities acquired and developed by NASA to meet the scientific mission of the agency are exploited to the maximum extent possible for the benefit of society and the economy of the nation, i.e., to understand and protect the planet. ESE’s goal is to develop an understanding of the complex, interrelated nature of the Earth – the nature of the solid earth, the atmosphere, the biosphere, the cryosphere, and the hydrosphere – so that we can better understand, predict, prepare for, and respond to, changes in climate, weather, natural disasters, and other events that threaten our economic and social well-being. The NASA Earth Science program is driven by the recognition of the societal importance of the natural variability of the planetary environment and the realization that humans are causing significant changes in atmospheric composition, land use and land cover, water resources, and biodiversity. NASA embraces the concept of “Earth system science” – the idea that the Earth can only be understood as an interactive system that includes the atmosphere, oceans, continents and life. This concept of Earth system science focuses on interdisciplinary science to understand the interactions between the Earth system components. NASA also clearly recognizes the societal importance of Earth system science, as the scope and pace of natural and human induced changes occurring in the Earth system combine with increasing pressures on land, water, and air resources to increase the demands for accurate environmental information about the present and future.
