HYDROS

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What will HYDROS Do?
Science Return HYDROS Will Deliver Global Views
of Terrestrial Water Cycle State Variable Soil
Moisture Content and Its Freeze/Thaw State Soil
Moisture is a Variable That Links the Global
Water, Energy, and Carbon Cycles
HYDROS NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder
(ESSP) Mission
Applications Return HYDROS Will Bring a New Era
for the Capability to Predict Costly Natural
Hazards (Extreme Weather, Floods, Droughts)
Initialization of the Soil Moisture State in
Numerical Models Extends the Predictability of
Processes Influenced by Surface Fluxes
National Security Return HYDROS Global
All-Weather Mapping Supports Battlespace
Decision-Making and Force-Enhancement Air
Force Low-Level Fog and NWP Army Terrain
Trafficability Navy Sea-Ice Edge and Age
Assessment
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Applications Demand the Data
HYDROS Data Will Improve Numerical Weather
Prediction (NWP) Over the Continents by
Accurately Initializing Land Surface States
Future NCEP 10 km NWP Domains
HYDROS Will Provide L3_10km_SM Soil Moisture Data
Product Using Combined Active and Passive
Measurements
Buffalo Creek Basin
Observed Rainfall 0000Z to 0400Z 13/7/96 (Chen et
al., NCAR)
"The strong motivation for this land data
assimilation and land-monitoring space mission
such as HYDROS is that the land states of soil
moisture, soil ice, snowpack, and vegetation
exert a strong control on ...the heating and
moistening of the lower atmosphereforecast of
tomorrow's heat index, precipitation, and severe
thunderstorm likelihood." Louis Uccellini, NCEP
The experience of the last ten years at ECMWF
has shown the importance of soil moisture...Soil
moisture is a major player on the quality of
weather parameters such as precipitation,
screen-level temperature and humidity and
low-level clouds." Anthony Hollingworth, ECMWF
3
What Pathfinders Should Do
Pathfinder NPOESS (Exploratory
Measurements) (Systematic Measurements)

• HYDROS as Pathfinder Experiment Adds
• All-Weather Sensing (Clear and Cloudy)
• 10 km Soil Moisture as Well As 3 km Freeze / Thaw
• Low Frequency (L-Band) Microwave Sensing in
  Diverse Landscapes (Non-Forested)
• Approaches NPOESS Objective Requirement Exceeds
  Threshold

4

Pathfinders Low-Risk With High Returns

• Spacecraft Coriolis Flight Heritage
• Light-Weight Mesh Deployable Reflector Proven
  TRW and Harris Designs

Shared Aperture and Feed for Simultaneous
L-Band Radar at 3 km (VV, HH, HV) L-Band
Radiometer at 40 km (V, H, U) at Constant 40o
Incidence 1000 km Total Swath for Global
Mapping 1-2 Day Polar and 2-3 Days Equatorial
Revisit 670 km, Sun-Synchronous Orbit with 6 am
Nodal Crossing Two Years Baseline Operations
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Algorithms and Science History
HYDROS Algorithms Have Extensive Airborne vs.
Ground-Truth Heritage at Multiple Scales
Soil Moisture ()
b)
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OVERVIEW Nine Year Plan
HYDROS
Timelines of Options
FY
Step-2 Proposal
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OVERVIEW Risk Mitigation Results

• Science Objectives
• Global Retrievability Map
• Observing System Simulation Study
• - SMEX02 Field Experiment Data
• - Radar Processing Descope Confirmation

All Tasks Submitted for Closure with Claims
Confirmed Bought Know-How of More Robust Science
Algorithm Implementation Science Results to be
Published in Journal Articles
Partnership Contributions Total 43M As
Needed Firm Plan to NASA-DOD NASA-CSA
Partnering
Partnership Objectives - Confirm Partnerships to
Meet Cost Cap
Matured Firmed Baseline Technical Design

• Technical Objective
• Boom-Reflector Study For RFP
• Boom Studies Demonstration
• - Scale Model of Antenna

Final Report, with 6 CDs, submitted August 11,
2003
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Discussion of Objective 6A
Astro Aerospace Concept
Harris Concept
Spin Motor
Upper Boom Segment
Middle Boom Segment
Lower Boom Segment
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REVIEW Partnering Results (for 43M)
IPO confirmed continued partnership tracking
stations contribution (2M) Signed
letter from original proposal, and invited
speaker at IPO/SUAG CSA confirmed continued
partnership and original antenna feed
contribution (6M) Signed letter from original
proposal, and contract with EMST for Obj. 6 CSA
seeking authorization for an added radar
processing contribution (5M) CSA funded
two Canadian contractors for processor estimation
studies Contractor cost estimates were within the
CSA cost cap DOD endorsed launch vehicle for
HYDROS (30M) Signed Tri-service
flag-level letter of advocacy for DOD November
SERB Signed USAF Weather Directorate
sponsorship Signed Air Force SERB ranking on
basis of military relevancy Detailed plan and
time-line for signed DOD commitment is in
place Added 500K funding provides support for
final partner confirmations (43M)
NASA cost avoidance through contributions
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DOD PARTNERS The STP-SERB Process
- 72 of SERB Score is Military Relevance -
Launch Contribution to HYDROS by STP
11

DOD PARTNERS Endorsement to SERB
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Results from Risk Mitigation

• Science
• - Validation of all science claims
• - Clear plan for HYDROS/User Agency Applications
  Working Group
• - Stronger Science Team through joint science
  efforts
• Partnering
• - Modified partners to meet cost cap with lower
  mission risk
• - Clear plan to final partner commitments by
  February 2004
• - Stronger relationships through joint
  partner-definition studies
• Technical
• - Good set of technical options to consider for
  lower risk/cost/mass
• - Clear plan to resolve technical options during
  formulation phases
• - Stronger technical team through joint technical
  efforts
• Overall
• - HYDROS better positioned to succeed as ESSP-3
  mission

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Current Status

• HYDROS was formally selected in December 2003.
• Phase A formulation underway for a 2009-2010
  launch