The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed in September 2010 a Formal Earth Science and Observation Framework for Cooperation. This included the setup of a joint NASA-ESA Earth Science Joint Program Planning Group (JPPG) to enhance cooperation in the area of Earth science observation and global climate change. In order to foster the cooperation, three sub-groups were established covering the domains of a) Mission and Technology, b) Cal/Val and Field Campaigns and c) Ground Segment and Data. The JPPG reports to ESA/NASA top executive management on an annual basis.

The key objectives of this collaboration include the identification, evaluation and initiation, as appropriate, of a broad suite of collaboration opportunities, ranging from the coordination for possible cooperation in future missions; the shared interests in technology and instrument development; and the identification of a major new mission that could only be addressed with substantial collaboration. An important aspect is the coordination of measurements from satellites and airborne platforms for calibration and validation to ensure enhanced science and mission return. Substantial efforts have been made in data exchange, defining technical interfaces for information sharing and improved interoperability, as well as, potential joint project on Science/Mission exploitation platforms. Finally, the cross-representation of key American and European experts in NASA Science Teams/Science Definition Teams and ESA Mission Advisory Groups is ensured and coordinated.

The NASA-ESA framework of cooperation in Earth observation will be presented, as well as, some of the major achievements obtained up until now in order to illustrate the benefits of such a coordinated approach for monitoring the Earth and its environment.

Organizer(s): Sandra Cauffman, Maurice Borgeaud, Pierluigi Silvestrin, Steven Neeck, Jack Kaye, Malcolm Davidson, Nickolaus Hanowski, Kevin Murphy, Simonetta Cheli, Kimberly Hurst