FAIRMONT, W.Va. — On Saturday, September 15, 2018, NASA’s Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. ICESat-2 will measure the height of our changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses per second. The satellite is carrying a single instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which measures the travel times of laser pulses to calculate the distance between the spacecraft and Earth’s surface. ICESat-2 will provide scientists with height measurements that create a global portrait of Earth’s third dimension, gathering data that can precisely track changes of terrain, including glaciers, sea ice and forests.
NASA’s IV&V Program has been involved with the mission since 2010, with team members working to provide in-phase defect identification and assurance of mission software. The team, led by computer engineer and IT lead Jerry Sims, has utilized expert, risk-focused application of proven software assurance techniques to identify and enable ICESat-2 software developers to resolve 440 individual software issues. Resolution of these issues prevented safety and mission critical operational defects in ICESat-2’s software, including that of ATLAS. IV&V’s analysis and results have provided both the program and the agency with high confidence that the ICESat-2 and ATLAS instrument software will operate safely and reliably.
Our planet’s frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are a key focus of NASA’s Earth science research. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, our cryosphere is changing in a warming climate. The satellite will also measure heights across Earth’s temperate and tropical regions, and take stock of the vegetation in forests worldwide.
For more information about the ICESat-2 mission, please visit https://icesat-2.gsfc.nasa.gov/
If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Bailee Miller at 304-367-8270 (work) or send an email to Bailee.R.Miller@ivv.nasa.gov