Keeping Up with PACE: Summary of the 2025 PAC3 Meeting

Introduction

Launched in Feb. 2024, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission is a cornerstone of Earth system science designed to deepen our understanding of how these environmental and biological components come together to influence our climate, carbon cycle, and ecosystems. PACE has funded three supporting components: the PACE Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment (PACE–PAX), the third PACE Science and Applications Team (SAT3), and the PACE Validation Science Team (PVST). Each group serves distinct but interdependent roles in advancing the scientific objectives of the mission through product development and rigorous assessment of data quality.

Recognizing the interconnected focus areas among these groups, the organizers consolidated this year’s separate gatherings into one comprehensive event – the “PAC3” meeting. The combined meeting took place from Feb. 18–21, 2025 at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City, just 10 days after the first anniversary of the PACE launch – see Photo 1 and Photo 2.

Photo 1. Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) scientists celebrated the one-year anniversary of the satellite’s orbit (February 8, 2025) during the PAC3 meeting. A “birthday” celebration took place during the meeting, complete with cake. Shown here are [left to right]: Ivona Cetinić [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)/Morgan State University, Ocean Ecology Laboratory (OEL)—PACE Validation Science Team lead, PACE-PAX Deputy Mission Scientist], Erin Urquhart Jephson [NASA Headquarters (HQ)—Program Manager of the NASA Earth Action Water Resources Program, PACE Program Applications Lead], Cecile Rousseaux [GSFC, OEL—PACE Science and Applications Team Lead], Kirk Knobelspiesse [GSFC, OEL—PACE Polarimeter Lead, PACE-PAX Mission Scientist], Jeremy Werdell [GSFC, OEL—PACE Project Scientist], Laura Lorenzoni [NASA HQ—Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program Scientist, PACE Program Scientist], Brian Cairns [NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS)—PACE Deputy Project Scientist, PACE-PAX Deputy Mission Scientist], and Bryan Franz [GSFC, OEL—PACE Science Data Segment Lead].

Photo credit: Judy Alfter [NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)/Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAER)]

Continue Reading

About The Author

Ben

I am the owner of Cerebral-overload.com and the Verizon Wireless Reviewer for Techburgh.com. My love of gadgets came from his lack of a Nintendo Game Boy when he was a child . I vowed from that day on to get his hands on as many tech products as possible. My approach to a review is to make it informative for the technofile while still making it understandable to everyone. Ben is a new voice in the tech industry and is looking to make a mark wherever he goes. When not reviewing products, I is also a 911 Telecommunicator just outside of Pittsburgh PA.

Twitter: @gizmoboaks

See author's posts