Microsatellite Technologies for Civil Earth Observations, 71141-71143 [2014-28178]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 230 / Monday, December 1, 2014 / Notices
good faith throughout the agency
decision-making process and develop
and maintain effective communication,
coordination, and cooperation with
Indian Tribes. The NRC representative
for consultations with Tribal officials or
representatives will be of an appropriate
rank of NRC representatives and level of
interaction commensurate with the
circumstances. The appropriate level of
interaction will be determined by past
and current practices, continuing
dialogue between NRC and Tribal
governments, and program office
consultation procedures.
5. The NRC Will Coordinate With Other
Federal Agencies
When the Commission’s action
involves other Federal agencies, the
NRC will perform its Tribal consultation
jointly with other Federal agencies, as
appropriate.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
6. The NRC Will Encourage
Participation by State-Recognized
Tribes
The NRC recognizes the distinction
between Indian Tribes who are
Federally recognized and those who are
not. The NRC will outreach to States to
identify the appropriate Staterecognized Tribes to invite to participate
in its regulatory process, including
opportunities related to rulemaking,
hearings, licensing, decommissioning,
and enforcement.
Designated Official and Tribal Liaisons
The Deputy Executive Director for
Materials, Waste, Research, State, Tribal
and Compliance Programs serves as the
NRC’s designated official for Tribal
consultations.3 The designated official
shall ensure that agency program
personnel have considered the Tribal
implications related to their
responsibilities within the NRC’s scope
of jurisdiction and shall facilitate
meaningful and timely consultation and
coordination concerning the
development, administration, and
enforcement of NRC’s regulatory actions
that have substantial direct effects on
one or more Indian Tribes.
The designated official shall be
supported by staff who have functional
responsibility to serve as
intergovernmental liaisons to Indian
Tribes, under NRC Management
Directive 5.1. These NRC Tribal liaisons
3 In 2006, the Commission created the position of
Deputy Executive Director for Materials, Waste,
Research, State, Tribal and Compliance Programs
(SECY–06–0125, ‘‘Proposed Reorganization of the
Offices of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
and State and Tribal Programs’’ (ADAMS Accession
No. ML061950452)). The position includes different
responsibilities, including that of the Commission’s
designated official for Tribal consultations.
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will facilitate government-togovernment consultation by serving as
the agency’s primary points of contact
for Indian Tribes, coordinating with the
appropriate office or personnel
regarding programmatic inquiries, and
facilitating the appropriate level of
communication and exchange of
information between Tribal officials and
NRC staff. The Tribal liaisons shall also
educate NRC staff about Tribal issues
including cultural sensitivity and the
Federal Trust Relationship. The
designated official shall have the
authority to delegate tasks to NRC Tribal
liaisons as he/she deems fit.
VI. Procedural Requirements
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
This Policy Statement does not
contain new or amended information
collection requirements and, therefore,
is not subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.).
Public Protection Notification
The NRC may not conduct or sponsor,
and a person is not required to respond
to, a request protocol for information or
an information collection requirement
unless the requesting document
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day
of November, 2014.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Rochelle C. Bavol,
Acting, Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2014–27325 Filed 11–28–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Microsatellite Technologies for Civil
Earth Observations
Notice of Request for
Information (RFI).
ACTION:
The purpose of this Request
for Information (RFI) is to solicit input
from interested parties on: (1) The
current and near-term state of
microsatellite technologies, and (2)
whether microsatellite systems will be
capable of meeting current and future
civil Earth-observing needs.
Public input provided in response to
this RFI will inform the Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
as to the state of technologies associated
with microsatellites to meet the Nation’s
civil Earth observational requirements.
SUMMARY:
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71141
Responses must be received by
30 days from publication date to be
considered.
DATES:
You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• Downloadable form/email: To aid
in information collection and analysis,
OSTP encourages responders to fill out
the downloadable form located at
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/
default/files/microsites/ostp/microsat_
rfi_final.pdf and email that form, as an
attachment, to EarthObsStudy@
OSTP.gov. Please include
‘‘Microsatellite Technologies for Civil
Earth Observations’’ in the subject line
of the message.
• Fax: (202) 456–6071.
• Mail: Office of Science and
Technology Policy, 1650 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20504.
Information submitted by postal mail
should allow ample time for processing.
Response to this RFI is voluntary.
Respondents need not respond to each
section of the RFI; however, they should
clearly identify those sections to which
they are responding by listing the
corresponding number for each point
listed below. Respondents must mark
their responses as ‘‘Business
Confidential’’ if responses contain
information that is business proprietary,
or commercial confidential information.
OSTP will protect such information
consistent with applicable law.
Please note that the U.S. Government
will not pay for response preparation, or
for the use of any information contained
in the response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Timothy Stryker, 202–419–3471,
tstryker@ostp.eop.gov, OSTP.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
Background
In recent decades, the United States’
Earth-observing capacity has grown in
scale and complexity, with multiple
Federal agencies collecting information
about the state of the Earth system.
Earth observation systems consist of
sensing elements that directly or
indirectly collect observations of the
Earth, measure environmental
parameters, or survey biological or other
Earth resources (such as land surface,
biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and
oceans). The platforms carrying these
sensing elements may be mobile or
fixed, and are space-based, airborne,
terrestrial, freshwater, or marine-based.
Space-based observation systems have
been used for decades to collect critical
information used by the civil Earth
observation community. The high
vantage point afforded by Earth orbit
provides the opportunity to conduct
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71142
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 230 / Monday, December 1, 2014 / Notices
observations covering broad areas, over
long periods with frequent revisit rates.
Satellite platforms can be costly, and
technology improvements are
implemented on lengthy timeframes. As
microsatellite technology improves, the
cost of collecting sustained and
scientific observations from space may
decrease, not only reducing costs for
current observations, but potentially
enabling additional missions.
In 2013, the National Science and
Technology Council (NSTC) released a
National Strategy for Civil Earth
Observations (https://
www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/
microsites/ostp/nstc_2013_
earthobsstrategy.pdf) outlining a policy
framework organized by Societal Benefit
Areas (SBAs) to enable stable,
continuous, and coordinated global
Earth-observation capabilities for the
benefit of society. Societal benefits
accrue from Earth observations that
inform scientific research, policy, and
decision-making. SBAs are
interconnected at local, regional,
national, and international scales, and
include scientific research, economic
activities, and environmental and social
domains.
Many SBAs involve critical
government functions, such as the
continuity of national government and
the protection of life and property. The
NSTC framework enabled the
development of a National Plan for Civil
Earth Observations informed by a
government-wide assessment of the
impact of more than 350 Earth
observation systems.
The National Plan for Civil Earth
Observations (https://
www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/
microsites/ostp/NSTC/2014_national_
plan_for_civil_earth_observations.pdf)
published in July 2014, lists the highest
priority measurement groups for
observations as:
• Weather and seasonal climate
monitoring and prediction, which
characterize phenomena such as
precipitation, storms, wind, floods, sea
state, drought, wildfires, ice, air quality
(including ozone), and weather risks to
human health and transportation.
• Dynamic land-surface monitoring
and characterization to support food
and water security, water availability
and quality, fire detection and
suppression, human health, forestry,
soil characterization (including soil
moisture), hazards mapping and
response, and natural-resource
management.
• Elevation and geo-location to
support food and water security, hazard
and risk mapping, and natural-resource
management.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
14:08 Nov 28, 2014
Jkt 235001
• Water level and flow to support
coastal inundation and inland flooding,
water availability, hydropower
management, transportation, human
health, water equivalent of snow, and
tsunami hazard preparedness.
In addition to these highest priority
measurement areas, the National Plan
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/
default/files/microsites/ostp/NSTC/
2014_national_plan_for_civil_earth_
observations.pdf) specifies additional
categories of measurement areas that are
also important for sustained
observations for public services. These
categories include:
• Ecosystem and biodiversity
resource surveys for terrestrial,
freshwater, and marine ecosystems,
including fisheries and wildlife
management;
• Environmental-quality monitoring,
specifically disease-vector surveillance,
water quality, and air quality associated
with changes in atmospheric
composition, including particulate
matter and short-lived climate
pollutants;
• Geo-hazard monitoring for
Earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides,
regional and local subsidence (e.g.,
sinkholes), inundation, and tsunamis;
and
• Space-weather monitoring of
geomagnetic storms, sunspots, solar
flares, associated x-ray and ultraviolet
emissions, solar wind (including
coronal mass ejection), solar energetic
particles, traveling ionosphere
disturbances, and associated changes of
the Earth’s geomagnetic field and
ionosphere for their impact on human
activities.
The National Plan also describes the
following measurement categories as
essential to the Federal government’s
research objectives:
• Atmospheric state, including
measurements of temperature, pressure,
humidity, wind, and ozone at the
accuracy required for long-term climate
research, and, as appropriate, to
improve short and medium-range
weather forecasting;
• Cryosphere, including
measurements of ice sheets, glaciers,
permafrost, snow, and sea ice extent and
thickness;
• Earth’s energy budget, including
total solar irradiance and Earth’s
radiation budget, and the reflectance
and scattering properties of clouds,
aerosols, and greenhouse gases,
specifically for understanding Earth’s
sensitivity to climate change;
• Extremes, including specific and
routine observations for the study of
extreme temperatures, drought,
precipitation, and wind;
PO 00000
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• Geo-hazard research, including
monitoring land-surface deformation to
better understand regional and local
disaster potential and effects, and the
monitoring of phenomena that precede
natural disasters (such as seismic, stress,
strain, geochemical, and temperature
changes);
• Greenhouse gas emissions and
concentrations, including
understanding sources and sinks of
greenhouse gases, as well as changes in
long-lived greenhouse gas and shortlived climate pollutant concentrations
over time;
• Integrated geophysical and
biosphere characterization (terrestrial,
freshwater, and marine), including longterm dynamics to understand ecosystem
change and biogeochemical processes
(particularly the carbon cycle);
• Ocean state, including observations
of sea levels, temperature, salinity, pH,
alkalinity, currents and characteristics
of marine ecosystems;
• Space weather, including long-term
understanding of the Earth-Sun
relationship, solar dynamics, and the
drivers of space-weather impacts at the
Earth’s surface (such as coupling
between space weather and geomagnetic
storms); and
• Water cycle, including the analysis
of droughts, floods, and water
availability (precipitation, soil moisture,
snow-water equivalent,
evapotranspiration, groundwater,
surface water, and runoff).
Societal Benefit Areas
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/
default/files/microsites/ostp/nstc_2013_
earthobsstrategy.pdf)
• Agriculture and Forestry:
Supporting sustainable agriculture and
forestry.
• Biodiversity: Understanding and
conserving biodiversity.
• Climate: Understanding, assessing,
predicting, mitigating, and adapting to
climate variability and related global
change.
• Disasters: Reducing loss of life,
property, and ecosystem damage from
natural and human-induced disasters.
• Ecosystems (Terrestrial and
Freshwater): Improving the management
and protection of terrestrial and
freshwater ecosystems.
• Energy and Mineral Resources:
Improving the identification and
management of energy and mineral
resources.
• Human Health: Understanding
environmental factors affecting human
health and well-being.
• Ocean and Coastal Resources and
Ecosystems: Understanding and
protecting ocean, coastal, and Great
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 230 / Monday, December 1, 2014 / Notices
Lakes populations and resources
(including fisheries, aquaculture, and
marine ecosystems).
• Space Weather: Understanding,
assessing, predicting, and mitigating the
effects of space weather on
technological systems (including
satellites, power grids, communications,
and navigation).
• Transportation: Improving the
safety and efficiency of all modes of
transportation (including air, highway,
railway, and marine).
• Water Resources: Improving water
resource management through better
understanding and monitoring of the
water cycle.
• Weather: Improving weather
information, forecasting, and warning.
• Reference Measurements:
Improving reference measurements—the
underpinnings of all the SBAs—and the
fundamental measurement systems and
standards supporting them (such as
geodesy, bathymetry, topography, and
geolocation).
OSTP invites you to submit public
comments (limit 5 pages) on the
technical feasibility of developing
microsatellites that can be deployed at
equal or lower cost compared to current
satellites to meet the sustained missions
of the civil Earth observation
community. For the purposes of this
study, OSTP considers microsatellites as
having a mass of less than 100 kg. In
your written response, please identify
the number of each topic as you address
it.
OSTP welcomes public input on the
following topics:
1. Identify the measurement
categories highlighted in the National
Plan for Civil Earth Observations
relevant to your mission;
2. Technical near-term (1–5 years)
capabilities of microsatellite system(s)
related to Earth observations capabilities
as defined above;
3. Reliability, system lifetime, and
maintainability;
4. Launch requirements including
planned launch options (rideshare,
microsatellite launch companies, etc.), if
they exist;
5. Current technical limitations on
microsatellites for operational Earth
observing missions; and
6. Broad estimates of development,
launch and operational costs of specific
systems.
Ted Wackler,
Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant Director.
[FR Doc. 2014–28178 Filed 11–28–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270–F5–P
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No.
31347; File No. 812–14331]
MUFG Union Bank, N.A.; Notice of
Application
November 24, 2014.
71143
The
following is a summary of the
application. The complete application
may be obtained via the Commission’s
Web site by searching for the file
number, or for an applicant using the
Company name box, at https://
www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or by
calling (202) 551–8090.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Applicant’s Representations
1. The applicant is a wholly-owned
indirect subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ
Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG).1 MUFG
is a global financial services
organization that offers a broad range of
banking, trust, and securities services to
individuals and entities around the
SUMMARY: Summary of Application:
world. The applicant is frequently
Applicant requests an order that would
selected to act as trustee in connection
permit an issuer of asset-backed
with ABS issued by Issuers.
2. An ABS transaction typically
securities (‘‘ABS’’) that is not registered
involves the transfer of assets by a
as an investment company under the
seller, usually by a ‘‘sponsor,’’ to a
Act in reliance on Rule 3a–7 under the
bankruptcy remote special purpose
Act (an ‘‘Issuer’’) to appoint the
corporate or trust entity that is
applicant as a trustee in connection
established for the sole purpose of
with the Issuer’s ABS when the
holding the assets and issuing ABS to
applicant is affiliated with an
investors (an ‘‘ABS Transaction’’).
underwriter for the Issuer’s ABS.
Payments of interest and principle on
Applicant: MUFG Union Bank, N.A.
DATES: Filing Dates: The application was the ABS depend primarily on the cash
flow generated by the pool of assets
filed on July 11, 2014 and amended on
owned by the Issuer.
October 3, 2014 and October 10, 2014.
3. The parties to an ABS Transaction
Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An
enter into several transaction
order granting the application will be
agreements that provide for the holding
issued unless the Commission orders a
hearing. Interested persons may request of the assets by the Issuer and define the
rights and responsibilities of the parties
a hearing by writing to the
to the transaction (‘‘Transaction
Commission’s Secretary and serving
Documents’’). The operative Transaction
applicant with a copy of the request,
Document governing the trustee is
personally or by mail. Hearing requests
referred to herein as the ‘‘Agreement.’’
should be received by the Commission
4. The sponsor of an ABS Transaction
by 5:30 p.m. on December 19, 2014 and
assembles the pool of assets by
should be accompanied by proof of
purchasing or funding them, describes
service on the applicant, in the form of
them in the offering materials, and
an affidavit or, for lawyers, a certificate
retains the underwriter to sell interests
of service. Pursuant to Rule 0–5 under
in the assets to investors. The sponsor
the Act, hearing requests should state
determines the structure, drafts the
the nature of the writer’s interest, any
documents, and prices the ABS
facts bearing upon the desirability of a
Transaction. The sponsor selects the
hearing on the matter, the reason for the
other parties to the ABS Transaction,
request, and the issues contested.
including the underwriter, the servicer,
Persons who wish to be notified of a
and the trustee.
hearing may request notification by
5. The servicer, either directly or
writing to the Commission’s Secretary.
through subservicers, manages the
ADDRESSES: The Commission: Brent J.
assets held by the Issuer. The servicer
Fields, Secretary, U.S. Securities and
typically collects the income from the
Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., assets and remits the income to the
Washington, DC 20549–1090.
Applicant: MUFG Union Bank, N.A.,
1 The applicant also requests that the order apply
to an Issuer’s future appointment of any other entity
445 S. Figueroa Street, Suite 1203, Los
controlling, controlled by, or under common
Angeles, CA 90071.
control (as defined in Section 2(a)(9) of the Act)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
with the applicant as a trustee in connection with
an Issuer’s ABS. The applicant represents that any
Rochelle Kauffman Plesset, Senior
other entity intending to rely on this relief will
Counsel, at (202) 551–6840, or Nadya
comply with the terms and conditions of the
Roytblat, Assistant Chief Counsel at
application. Any existing entity currently intending
(202) 551–0825 (Division of Investment
to rely on the requested order has been named as
an applicant.
Management, Chief Counsel’s Office).
Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’).
ACTION: Notice of an application under
Section 6(c) of the Investment Company
Act of 1940 (‘‘Act’’) for an exemption
from certain requirements of Rule 3a–
7(a)(4)(i) under the Act.
AGENCY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 230 (Monday, December 1, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71141-71143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28178]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Microsatellite Technologies for Civil Earth Observations
ACTION: Notice of Request for Information (RFI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to
solicit input from interested parties on: (1) The current and near-term
state of microsatellite technologies, and (2) whether microsatellite
systems will be capable of meeting current and future civil Earth-
observing needs.
Public input provided in response to this RFI will inform the
Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as to the state of
technologies associated with microsatellites to meet the Nation's civil
Earth observational requirements.
DATES: Responses must be received by 30 days from publication date to
be considered.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Downloadable form/email: To aid in information collection
and analysis, OSTP encourages responders to fill out the downloadable
form located at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/microsat_rfi_final.pdf and email that form, as an
attachment, to EarthObsStudy@OSTP.gov. Please include ``Microsatellite
Technologies for Civil Earth Observations'' in the subject line of the
message.
Fax: (202) 456-6071.
Mail: Office of Science and Technology Policy, 1650
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20504. Information submitted by
postal mail should allow ample time for processing.
Response to this RFI is voluntary. Respondents need not respond to
each section of the RFI; however, they should clearly identify those
sections to which they are responding by listing the corresponding
number for each point listed below. Respondents must mark their
responses as ``Business Confidential'' if responses contain information
that is business proprietary, or commercial confidential information.
OSTP will protect such information consistent with applicable law.
Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for response
preparation, or for the use of any information contained in the
response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Timothy Stryker, 202-419-3471,
tstryker@ostp.eop.gov, OSTP.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In recent decades, the United States' Earth-observing capacity has
grown in scale and complexity, with multiple Federal agencies
collecting information about the state of the Earth system. Earth
observation systems consist of sensing elements that directly or
indirectly collect observations of the Earth, measure environmental
parameters, or survey biological or other Earth resources (such as land
surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans). The platforms
carrying these sensing elements may be mobile or fixed, and are space-
based, airborne, terrestrial, freshwater, or marine-based.
Space-based observation systems have been used for decades to
collect critical information used by the civil Earth observation
community. The high vantage point afforded by Earth orbit provides the
opportunity to conduct
[[Page 71142]]
observations covering broad areas, over long periods with frequent
revisit rates. Satellite platforms can be costly, and technology
improvements are implemented on lengthy timeframes. As microsatellite
technology improves, the cost of collecting sustained and scientific
observations from space may decrease, not only reducing costs for
current observations, but potentially enabling additional missions.
In 2013, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
released a National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations (https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/nstc_2013_earthobsstrategy.pdf) outlining a policy framework organized
by Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs) to enable stable, continuous, and
coordinated global Earth-observation capabilities for the benefit of
society. Societal benefits accrue from Earth observations that inform
scientific research, policy, and decision-making. SBAs are
interconnected at local, regional, national, and international scales,
and include scientific research, economic activities, and environmental
and social domains.
Many SBAs involve critical government functions, such as the
continuity of national government and the protection of life and
property. The NSTC framework enabled the development of a National Plan
for Civil Earth Observations informed by a government-wide assessment
of the impact of more than 350 Earth observation systems.
The National Plan for Civil Earth Observations (https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/NSTC/2014_national_plan_for_civil_earth_observations.pdf) published in July
2014, lists the highest priority measurement groups for observations
as:
Weather and seasonal climate monitoring and prediction,
which characterize phenomena such as precipitation, storms, wind,
floods, sea state, drought, wildfires, ice, air quality (including
ozone), and weather risks to human health and transportation.
Dynamic land-surface monitoring and characterization to
support food and water security, water availability and quality, fire
detection and suppression, human health, forestry, soil
characterization (including soil moisture), hazards mapping and
response, and natural-resource management.
Elevation and geo-location to support food and water
security, hazard and risk mapping, and natural-resource management.
Water level and flow to support coastal inundation and
inland flooding, water availability, hydropower management,
transportation, human health, water equivalent of snow, and tsunami
hazard preparedness.
In addition to these highest priority measurement areas, the
National Plan (https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/NSTC/2014_national_plan_for_civil_earth_observations.pdf) specifies
additional categories of measurement areas that are also important for
sustained observations for public services. These categories include:
Ecosystem and biodiversity resource surveys for
terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, including fisheries and
wildlife management;
Environmental-quality monitoring, specifically disease-
vector surveillance, water quality, and air quality associated with
changes in atmospheric composition, including particulate matter and
short-lived climate pollutants;
Geo-hazard monitoring for Earthquakes, volcanoes,
landslides, regional and local subsidence (e.g., sinkholes),
inundation, and tsunamis; and
Space-weather monitoring of geomagnetic storms, sunspots,
solar flares, associated x-ray and ultraviolet emissions, solar wind
(including coronal mass ejection), solar energetic particles, traveling
ionosphere disturbances, and associated changes of the Earth's
geomagnetic field and ionosphere for their impact on human activities.
The National Plan also describes the following measurement
categories as essential to the Federal government's research
objectives:
Atmospheric state, including measurements of temperature,
pressure, humidity, wind, and ozone at the accuracy required for long-
term climate research, and, as appropriate, to improve short and
medium-range weather forecasting;
Cryosphere, including measurements of ice sheets,
glaciers, permafrost, snow, and sea ice extent and thickness;
Earth's energy budget, including total solar irradiance
and Earth's radiation budget, and the reflectance and scattering
properties of clouds, aerosols, and greenhouse gases, specifically for
understanding Earth's sensitivity to climate change;
Extremes, including specific and routine observations for
the study of extreme temperatures, drought, precipitation, and wind;
Geo-hazard research, including monitoring land-surface
deformation to better understand regional and local disaster potential
and effects, and the monitoring of phenomena that precede natural
disasters (such as seismic, stress, strain, geochemical, and
temperature changes);
Greenhouse gas emissions and concentrations, including
understanding sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, as well as changes
in long-lived greenhouse gas and short-lived climate pollutant
concentrations over time;
Integrated geophysical and biosphere characterization
(terrestrial, freshwater, and marine), including long-term dynamics to
understand ecosystem change and biogeochemical processes (particularly
the carbon cycle);
Ocean state, including observations of sea levels,
temperature, salinity, pH, alkalinity, currents and characteristics of
marine ecosystems;
Space weather, including long-term understanding of the
Earth-Sun relationship, solar dynamics, and the drivers of space-
weather impacts at the Earth's surface (such as coupling between space
weather and geomagnetic storms); and
Water cycle, including the analysis of droughts, floods,
and water availability (precipitation, soil moisture, snow-water
equivalent, evapotranspiration, groundwater, surface water, and
runoff).
Societal Benefit Areas
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/nstc_2013_earthobsstrategy.pdf)
Agriculture and Forestry: Supporting sustainable
agriculture and forestry.
Biodiversity: Understanding and conserving biodiversity.
Climate: Understanding, assessing, predicting, mitigating,
and adapting to climate variability and related global change.
Disasters: Reducing loss of life, property, and ecosystem
damage from natural and human-induced disasters.
Ecosystems (Terrestrial and Freshwater): Improving the
management and protection of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
Energy and Mineral Resources: Improving the identification
and management of energy and mineral resources.
Human Health: Understanding environmental factors
affecting human health and well-being.
Ocean and Coastal Resources and Ecosystems: Understanding
and protecting ocean, coastal, and Great
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Lakes populations and resources (including fisheries, aquaculture, and
marine ecosystems).
Space Weather: Understanding, assessing, predicting, and
mitigating the effects of space weather on technological systems
(including satellites, power grids, communications, and navigation).
Transportation: Improving the safety and efficiency of all
modes of transportation (including air, highway, railway, and marine).
Water Resources: Improving water resource management
through better understanding and monitoring of the water cycle.
Weather: Improving weather information, forecasting, and
warning.
Reference Measurements: Improving reference measurements--
the underpinnings of all the SBAs--and the fundamental measurement
systems and standards supporting them (such as geodesy, bathymetry,
topography, and geolocation).
OSTP invites you to submit public comments (limit 5 pages) on the
technical feasibility of developing microsatellites that can be
deployed at equal or lower cost compared to current satellites to meet
the sustained missions of the civil Earth observation community. For
the purposes of this study, OSTP considers microsatellites as having a
mass of less than 100 kg. In your written response, please identify the
number of each topic as you address it.
OSTP welcomes public input on the following topics:
1. Identify the measurement categories highlighted in the National
Plan for Civil Earth Observations relevant to your mission;
2. Technical near-term (1-5 years) capabilities of microsatellite
system(s) related to Earth observations capabilities as defined above;
3. Reliability, system lifetime, and maintainability;
4. Launch requirements including planned launch options (rideshare,
microsatellite launch companies, etc.), if they exist;
5. Current technical limitations on microsatellites for operational
Earth observing missions; and
6. Broad estimates of development, launch and operational costs of
specific systems.
Ted Wackler,
Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-28178 Filed 11-28-14; 8:45 am]
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