When most people think of NASA, they think of space exploration. But what many people don’t know is that NASA has a long history of exploring the ocean.
In fact, the first few projects funded by the new agency were focused on studying our planet’s vast oceans. So what happened that led to NASA largely abandoning its ocean exploration initiatives? Read on to find out!
About NASA
NASA was founded on October 1st, 1958, in the midst of the Cold War. The new agency was tasked with overseeing American efforts in the Space Race, a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to be the first to achieve various milestones in space exploration.
One of NASA’s first projects was Project Mercury, which aimed to put a human being into orbit around the Earth. This was followed by Project Gemini, which focused on developing the technology needed to perform space rendezvous and extra-vehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalks.
While these projects were ongoing, NASA also began funding research into oceanography. The first few years of the agency’s existence saw a number of ocean-related initiatives, including the launch of the Seasat satellite in 1978.
The Seasat satellite was designed to study Earth’s oceans, and it gathered data about sea surface topography, wave height, and wind speed. The satellite also had a radar system that could be used to map the seafloor.
Unfortunately, Seasat stopped working just three years after it was launched. But despite this setback, NASA continued to fund ocean research through other initiatives. In 1981, the agency launched the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS), which was a camera designed to study coastal areas and the properties of water.
The CZCS was followed by the launch of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) in 1997. The TRMM was a satellite that was designed to measure rainfall in tropical areas.
Why is NASA exploring the ocean?
There are a number of reasons why NASA is interested in exploring the ocean. One reason is that the ocean plays a vital role in regulating the Earth’s climate.
The ocean helps to store heat and carbon dioxide, and it also influences the Earth’s weather patterns. By understanding how the ocean works, we can gain insights into how the Earth’s climate works and how it might change in the future.
The hadal zone is one of the few places on Earth that humanity has yet to explore. Scientists at NASA are attempting to study this region and investigate the boundaries of life on earth by studying the hadal zone.
How is NASA exploring the ocean?
In 2019, NASA partnered with the World Hole Organization Institution (WHOI) to launch a new ocean-exploration initiative called International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).
The IODP is a multinational effort that aims to explore the Earth’s oceans and better understand their role in global processes.
As part of the IODP, NASA has been involved in a number of different projects, including the drilling of deep-sea sediments and the study of hydrothermal vents.
In addition to the IODP, NASA is also working on a number of other ocean-related projects, including the development of new technology to map the seafloor and the study of ocean acidification.
By better understanding the oceans, NASA hopes to gain insight into global climate change and other important Earth science processes.
NASA has long been involved in the exploration of the ocean, dating back to the early days of the space agency. NASA’s first major oceanographic project was the Seasat satellite, which was launched in 1978. Seasat was designed to study Earth’s oceans from space and collect data on things like sea surface temperature and waves.
Since then, NASA has continued to play a major role in oceanography, both through direct involvement in projects like the IODP and through the development of new satellite technology. In recent years, satellites like the Aquarius/SAC-D and SMAP have been used to map sea surface salinity and measure soil moisture, respectively.
about understanding the oceans themselves, but also about using that knowledge to improve our understanding of Earth as a whole.
The oceans play a major role in global climate and weather patterns, so by better understanding them we can improve our predictions of things like El Niño events and tropical cyclones. Additionally, the oceans are a major source of food and water, so understanding them is essential for both environmental and economic reasons.
NASA’s involvement in oceanography will continue to be important in the years to come as we strive to better understand Earth’s complex systems.
Why Did NASA Stop Exploring the Ocean?
So if NASA had such a strong interest in oceanography, why did the agency largely abandon its ocean exploration initiatives?
The question ‘Why did NASA stop exploring the ocean’ started appearing because of a viral TikTok video.
Because of a viral TikTok video, the query ‘Why did NASA stop exploring the ocean’ started to surface.
In March 2021, the TikTok account ‘memes_to_click’ uploaded a video claiming “NASA’s original mission was searching the oceans.”
The video almost immediately jumps into conspiracy theory territory, saying, “They [NASA] will not tell us what they found, but their plans abruptly switched to getting us off this planet ASAP.”
This video, along with others like it, led many people to believe that NASA had stopped exploring the ocean because they had found something they couldn’t tell us.
However, this is not the case. There are a number of reasons why NASA’s focus has shifted away from ocean exploration in recent years.
NASA Was Not Founded To Explore Earth’s Oceans
First and foremost, it’s important to understand that NASA was not founded with the intention of exploring Earth’s oceans.
The National Aeronautics and Space Act, which created NASA, was passed in 1958 with the explicit purpose of “conducting research into problems of flight within and outside the earth’s atmosphere.”
Exploring the ocean was not part of NASA’s original mandate.
Ocean exploration became a part of NASA’s portfolio in the early 1960s when the agency began working on the Seasat satellite.
As we mentioned before, Seasat was designed to study Earth’s oceans from space and collect data on things like sea surface temperature and waves.
However, Seasat was not intended to be a long-term oceanographic mission. It was originally only meant to last for three years, and it was eventually decommissioned in 1981.
The International Ocean Discovery Program
After Seasat, NASA’s involvement in oceanography largely took the form of indirect participation in projects like the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).
The IODP is a joint initiative between multiple nations, including the United States, that funds oceanographic research using the drilling ship JOIDES Resolution.
Since its inception in 1985, the IODP has drilled into the seafloor at over 500 sites around the world.
While the IODP is not a NASA-led initiative, the agency has played a significant role in its success.
Over the years, NASA has provided funding for IODP drilling projects and supplied scientists and engineers to work on the JOIDES Resolution.
The agency’s involvement in the IODP is currently set to continue through 2025, at which point its role will be reassessed.
The End Of The Space Shuttle Program
A major factor in NASA’s shift away from ocean exploration is the end of the Space Shuttle program.
The Space Shuttle was a reusable spacecraft that was used for a variety of missions, including carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
TheShuttle also played an important role in oceanography, as it was used to transport Seasat and other satellites to orbit.
The Space Shuttle program came to an end in 2011, after which NASA began relying on commercial spacecraft to transport astronauts to the ISS.
This change had a significant impact on the agency’s ability to conduct oceanographic research, as there are no commercial spacecraft that are designed to carry satellites.
As a result, NASA has been forced to rely on other agencies, like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to launch oceanographic satellites.
NOAA is the primary federal agency responsible for exploring and understanding Earth’s oceans and atmosphere.
The Change In NASA’s Budget
Another factor that has contributed to NASA’s shift away from oceanography is the change in the agency’s budget.
In recent years, there has been a decrease in the amount of money that NASA receives from the federal government.
This decrease has been due to a number of factors, including the end of the Space Shuttle program and the current economic climate.
As a result of the decrease in funding, NASA has been forced to make some difficult choices about which programs to prioritize.
And unfortunately, oceanography has often been one of the programs that has been left behind.
This is not to say that NASA no longer cares about the ocean. The agency is still involved in a number of oceanographic research projects, both directly and indirectly.
But it is clear that oceanography is no longer the priority it once was.
The Future Of Oceanography At NASA
It is difficult to say what the future of oceanography at NASA will be.
The current budget situation makes it unlikely that the agency will be able to increase its involvement in the field.
But at the same time, there are a number of factors that could lead to an increase in NASA’s involvement in oceanography.
One factor that could lead to an increase in NASA’s involvement is the development of new technology.
If new technology is developed that makes it easier and less expensive to launch oceanographic satellites, then NASA may be more likely to increase its involvement in the field.
Another factor that could lead to an increase in NASA’s involvement is a change in the priorities of the agency.
If there is a change in the administration or in the priorities of Congress, then NASA’s budget may be increased.
And if that happens, then oceanography may once again become a priority for the agency.
Only time will tell what the future of oceanography at NASA will be. But regardless of what happens, the field has been and will continue to be an important part of the agency’s history.
References
National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (Unamended) (nasa.gov)