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Mission to Planet Earth Enterprise Name Changed to Earth Science

Douglas Isbell 
Headquarters, Washington, DC                        January 21, 1998 
(Phone: 202/358-1753)

RELEASE:  98-12

MISSION TO PLANET EARTH ENTERPRISE NAME CHANGED TO EARTH SCIENCE 

     NASA has renamed the Mission to Planet Earth enterprise the 
Earth Science enterprise. The Earth Science enterprise is one of 
the four strategic enterprises of the Agency, responsible for a 
long-term, coordinated research effort to study the total Earth 
system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the 
global environment. 

     In announcing the change of name, Acting Associate 
Administrator for Earth Science William Townsend said, "We feel 
that 'Earth Science' more clearly conveys to the American people 
the goals of our program, and more directly focuses on the 
research that we're conducting.  1998 will include several major 
launches in the enterprise, including the first Earth Observing 
System missions, and we are pleased to enter this era with the new name." 

     The Earth Science enterprise is pioneering the emerging 
discipline of Earth system science, with a near-term emphasis on 
global climate change.  Earth science research capabilities under 
development will yield a variety of new scientific understandings 
and practical benefits to humankind. 

     The goals of the Earth Science enterprise are to expand 
scientific knowledge of the Earth system using NASA's unique 
vantage points of space, aircraft, and in situ platforms, creating 
an international capability to forecast and assess the health of 
the Earth system; to widely disseminate information about the 
Earth system; and to enable the productive use of Earth science 
results and related technology in the public and private sectors. 

     The title "Mission to Planet Earth" originated ten years ago 
in a report on future directions for the U.S. civil space program 
by a commission led by former astronaut Dr. Sally Ride.  The term
and the concept of looking at Earth as NASA looks at other planets
were furthered by the 1990 Report of the Advisory Committee on the
Future of the U.S. Space Program, prepared by a team of experts chaired
by Dr. Norman Augustine.  Since that time, NASA has organized its
activities into four 
strategic enterprises, including Human Exploration and Development 
of Space, Aeronautics and Space Transportation, and Space Science. 

     In a manner similar to the way that the Space Science 
enterprise has been broadened to include questions about the 
origins and destiny of the Universe, the Mission to Planet Earth 
enterprise has been reshaped to answer key questions in five major 
Earth system science disciplines: land surface cover, near-term 
and long-term climate change, natural hazards research and 
atmospheric ozone. 

     The renaming of the enterprise to "Earth Science" is 
effective immediately.  NASA will continue to use all supplies, 
such as stationery, that bear the former name of "Mission to 
Planet Earth" until such supplies are depleted, so as to avoid any 
unnecessary cost to the Agency. 

                         -end-