450 



These activities are directed toward the fulfillment of one of the 

 objectives cited in the Space Act of 1958 : 



The establishment of long-range studies of the potential benefits to be gained 

 from, the opportunities for, and the problems involved in the utilization of 

 aeronautical and space activities for peaceful and scientific purposes. 



In 1964 an earth resources survey program was established within 

 NASA with a portion of that program devoted to a study of the 

 feasibility of conducting oceanographic exploration from aircraft and 

 spacecraft. This is not a large eifort in oceanography, but is one in 

 which many of the potential users of oceanographic data have par- 

 ticipated in the form of studies, tests or simply discussion. NASA 

 sponsored a study at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 

 (WHOI) from August 24^28, 1964 under the chairman of Dr. Gifford 

 C. Ewing of the WHOI to review the feasibility and to assess the in- 

 terest of the oceanographic community in a space oceanography pro- 

 gram. Since then, NASA has been working closely in a cooperative 

 effort with interested elements of the Department of Interior, Com- 

 merce, and Navy principally the Navy Oceanographic Office. These 

 agencies are assisting NASA through participation in conduct of air- 

 craft experiments and assessment of the value of experiments as they 

 may be applied in future satellites. 



This cooperative effort is assisted by an ad hoc Spacecraft Oceanog- 

 raphy Advisory Group consisting of members from Atomic Energy 

 Commission, Naval Air Systems Command, Environmental Science 

 Services Administration, Department of Health, Education, and Wel- 

 fare, U.S. Geological Survey, National Academy of Engineering, Na- 

 tional Academy of Science, National Science Foundation, Office of 

 Naval Research, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Army Coastal Engi- 

 neering Research Center, U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engi- 

 neering Laboratory, U.S. Coast Guard, Naval Research Laboratory, 

 and Navy Space Systems Activity. 



This group meets approximately once each quarter, or more fre- 

 quently if required. 



Spacecraft, of course, will not supplant surface, subsurface, and 

 airborne research and monitoring systems; rather they will supple- 

 ment them. The absolute accuracy, three dimensional capability, and 

 selective resolution of these more conventional systems will continue 

 to be necessary and must be utilized as a part of the overall system 

 to their best advantage. However, earth-orbiting spacecraft have 

 unique advantages for obtaining certain types of marine data as fol- 

 lows: Repetitive worldwide coverage, greater frequency of observa- 

 tion (once or twice daily for polar orbiting satellites and continuous 

 for geostationary satellites), ability to observe remote areas at will, 

 and an "all-weather" capability for certain parameters. Obscuring 

 cloud cover on the the other hand limits the effectiveness and frequency 

 of observation of some satellite sensors, particularly those that work 

 in the visible region. 



Space observation capability and other spacecraft technology have 

 a dual role to play in supporting our national program in oceanog- 

 raphy: Direct observation of the ocean surface, ocean-atmosphere 

 interface, and ocean-ice floe, ocean-glacier, and ocean-estnary interfaces 

 and data gathering assistance to conventional systems by providing for 



