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SpaceX Launches Climate Change Satellite · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
• 0:05
  This is a show where we discuss the critical Crossroads, The
• 0:08
  Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink,
• 0:13
  and I'm your host, Will Walden. If you want uninterrupted
• 0:17
  episodes of the Elon Musk podcast, please go to
• 0:20
  clubelon.supercast.com to find out how there's a link in the
• 0:26
  show Notes Just recently, SpaceX successfully launched NASA's
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  Plankton Aerosol Cloud Ocean Ecosystem mission, also called
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  PACE, a nearly $1 billion Environmental Research
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  satellite. Now, this event took place early
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  on Thursday, despite previous threats to cancel the project.
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  We'll get into that a little bit later.
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  It's pretty juicy, and the mission's goal is to enhance our
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  understanding of climate change by studying the intricate
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  interactions among carbon aerosols and marine life on a
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  global scale. Now, Karen Saint Germain, the
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  director of NASA's Earth Sciences Division, said that
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  Pace's potential to revolutionize our comprehension
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  of aerosols, clouds, and the global energy balance is one of
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  the key factors for this mission.
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  She drew parallels between the significance of Pace's
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  contributions to oceanography and the James Webb Space
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  Telescope's contributions to cosmology, emphasizing the
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  mission's expected profound impact on our knowledge of
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  oceanic and terrestrial life right here on our planet Earth.
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  Now the mission faced delays due to adverse weather conditions,
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  but eventually launched from Cape Canaveral, marking a
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  significant achievement for SpaceX.
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  The Falconite's rocket liftoff was not only a visual spectacle
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  but also a technical milestone, achieving the first polar orbit
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  launch from the East Coast from the US government since 1960.
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  Huge deal in the spaceflight community.
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  Now, Pace's journey to the launchpad was fraught with
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  challenges. This is where we get a little
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  bit of juicy stuff here, including threats of
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  cancellation under the Trump administration.
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  However, persistent support from the scientific community and the
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  pushback from NASA and the pushback from the public as
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  well, ensured the project's continuation is noted by Jeremy
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  Werndell, PACE project scientist.
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  Now equipped with Advanced Instruments, the PACE satellite
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  aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the
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  interactions between the ocean, the atmosphere, and also the
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  land. This holistic approach is
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  crucial for unraveling the complexities of Earth's climate
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  system and addressing one of the most significant uncertainties
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  in climate modeling. The mission is expected to offer
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  a high precision data critical for refining computer models
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  used by policymakers, and this data will include real time
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  measurements of aerosol movement, plankton, health and
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  carbon transport, offering invaluable insights into climate
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  change dynamics. And NASA's officials under score
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  the importance of understanding the interactions between ocean
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  life and the atmosphere in addressing the climate crisis.
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  The PACE mission is set to provide crucial data on aerosols
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  and their role in cloud formation and weather systems,
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  shedding light on a key scientific mystery of our own
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  planet, Earth. Now with a total cost of $940
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  million, almost a billion dollars, the PACE mission
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  represents a significant investment in Earth observation
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  technology. It's successful deployment and
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  forthcoming scientific observations which will gather
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  data and will The data will be used for years, decades ahead.
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  It's expected to begin in about two months.
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  With that data collection. Now we're all waiting for this,
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  and the launch of PACE is part of NASA's broader effort to
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  utilize space based assets to study our own Mother Earth and
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  also the changing climate right here with us now.
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  This mission, along with others like the SWOT mission, aims to
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  revolutionize our understanding of Earth zone's oceans and their
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  role in the global climate system.
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  Now, NASA's commitment to addressing the climate crisis is
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  evident in its deployment In missions like PACE.
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  Efforts are vital for providing the global community with a lot
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  of data needed to make informed decisions about protecting our
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  planet and all the inhabitants, not only humans but also the
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  animals on our planet. Now, the record-breaking
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  temperatures of the past decade highlight the urgent need for
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  missions like PACE. By providing a better
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  understanding of carbon exchange between the ocean and the
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  atmosphere, NASA aims to enhance our ability to respond to
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  climate change. Aerosols, while small, play a
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  significant role in Earth's climate by influencing weather,
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  air quality and also the temperature.
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  The PACE missions detailed study of aerosols and improve our
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  understanding of their impact and help identify areas with
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  poor air quality. Now the oceans of our planet,
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  they cover about 70% of our surface.
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  They remain one of the least understood parts of our planet.
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  PACE aims to change this by offering unprecedented insights
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  into ocean biography and the intricate web of life that they
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  support. Now, Phytoplankton, despite
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  their microscopic size, are crucial for marine ecosystems
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  too, and also the global carbon cycle.
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  Pace's advanced instruments will allow scientists to study these
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  organisms in unparalleled detail, enhancing our
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  understanding of their role in Earth's biosphere.
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  And the mission's innovative tech will enable researchers to
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  differentiate among thousands of phytoplankton species, providing
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  new insights into marine biodiversity and its
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  implications for the food web, and also carbon sequestration.
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  Now, the changing conditions of the world's oceans, including
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  rising temperatures and alter nutrient distribution, pose
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  challenges for marine life. Pace's observations will
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  contribute to our understanding of how these changes are
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  affecting phytoplankton communities and by extension,
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  the entire marine ecosystem. And the successful launch of
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  PACE is a huge leap forward in our ability to monitor and
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  understand Earth's climate system.
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  By providing a more detailed picture of the interactions
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  between the atmosphere, oceans and also the land.
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  This mission will play a crucial role in addressing the
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  challenges posed by climate change.
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  Hey, thank you so much for listening today.
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