NASA's Aquarius Gets a Presidential Visit
Argentina's president got an up-close look at NASA's Aquarius instrument at the Argentine facility where it's being integrated with the SAC-D spacecraft.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de  Kirchner (center in blue) was briefed Jan. 20 during a tour of the facility  where the JPL-built Aquarius instrument is being integrated with the  Argentinian satellite, called the Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC-D).The visit took place during the kickoff of the  satellite's system contractor new satellite integration facility in Bariloche,  Argentina. The president met with Aquarius/SAC-D team members from NASA,  Argentina's space agency, Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, and the  contractor.The primary instrument on the mission, Aquarius  is designed to provide monthly global maps of how salt concentration varies on  the ocean surface -- a key indicator of ocean circulation and its role in  climate change. Seven Argentine space agency-sponsored instruments will provide  environmental data for a wide range of applications, including natural hazards,  land processes, epidemiological studies and air quality issues.The minimum three-year mission is scheduled to  launch this year from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.