Microwave limb sounder on EOS-CHEM for atmospheric chemistry and global change investigations

The microwave limb sounder (MLS) for NASA's Earth Observing System Chemistry Mission series of satellites is currently under development, with launch planned for 2002 on EOS- CHEM. This sensor builds on heritage from the successful MLS on NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which was first to demonstrate the microwave limb sounding technique for measuring the abundance of trace species in the Earth's atmosphere from an orbiting satellite. Its relevance to the atmospheric chemistry and global change objectives of Mission to Planet Earth is discussed along with details of the instrumentation being developed.