A Review of Sensor Technology Development at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center for Earth Science

It is critically important for the existence of life on Earth to understand and reliably predict how our planet is changing on a long-term basis. Over the past few decades, NASA, and other space agencies, have developed technologies and methodologies to measure Earth science parameters on a global scale with high spatial and temporal resolutions. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has significantly contributed to this cause. In this report, we plan to review the microwave, millimeter wave and optical sensors technology developed, validated, and patented at GSFC for Earth monitoring and analyzing data to create more accurate predictive models. Since its foundation, GSFC has been in the business of launching many spacecraft to explore Earth and the solar system. A number of novel technologies developed at GSFC have been embedded into sensor instruments on these exploring missions. This report will explore some of these innovations, many of which have been patented. GSFC is interested in licensing these patented technologies to U.S. industries and participating in collaborating discussions with global entities.