Spaceborne laser development for future remote sensing applications

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, we are developing the next generation laser transmitters for future remote sensing applications including a micropulse altimeter for ice-sheet monitoring, laser spectroscopic measurements and high resolution mapping of the Earth's surface as well as potential missions to other planets for trace gas measurement and mapping. In this paper we will present an overview of the spaceborne laser programs and offer insights into future spaceborne lasers for remote sensing applications.

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