Instruments

The primary science instrument planned for PACE is the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), which will collect very precise data over a wide spectrum of wavelengths. PACE will also include two polarimeters to measure how sunlight is changed when passing through clouds, aerosols, and the ocean. PACE's polarimeters and the OCI will complement each other beautifully, providing unmatched views of our seas and skies.
Learn more about how PACE's advanced technology will shed new light on our ocean and atmosphere from the resources listed below.
FAQs
Dr. Gary Davis, PACE Mission Systems Engineer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Beyond Blue: Why Ocean Color Really Matters (30-Apr-19).
Another type of testing we do is to make sure that the instrument can survive the rigors of launch and the space environment. So for those types of tests we will do a vibration test where we shake the instrument to make sure it stays together and doesn't fall apart during launch. We will also do thermal tests where we make the instrument very hot and then very cold and very hot and very cold to simulate the space environment as we orbit the earth to make sure it can survive.
So, in a nutshell, there are many tests I could go into, but we do performance tests and environmental tests.
Dr. Gary Davis, PACE Mission Systems Engineer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Beyond Blue: Why Ocean Color Really Matters (30-Apr-19).
Dr. Jeremy Werdell, PACE Project Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Beyond Blue: Why Ocean Color Really Matters (30-Apr-19).
Dr. Jeremy Werdell, PACE Project Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Beyond Blue: Why Ocean Color Really Matters (09-Apr-21).