The afternoon constellation: a formation of Earth observing systems for the atmosphere and hydrosphere

Two of the large EOS observatories, Aqua (formerly EOS-PM) and Aura (formerly EOS-CHEM) will orbit in nearly the same inclination with 1:30 PM /spl plusmn/15 min ascending node equatorial crossing times. Between Aura and Aqua a series of smaller satellites will be stationed: Cloudsat, CALIPSO (formerly PICASSO/CENA), and PARASOL. This constellation of low Earth orbit satellites will provide an unprecedented opportunity to make atmospheric cloud observations. This paper provides details of the science opportunity and describes the sensor types for the afternoon constellation.