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Weather: Earth and beyond Small is the number of them that see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts. Weather and Climate on Earth and Beyond Our group uses comparative planetary sciences to further our understanding of the fundamental processes governing the atmosphere of our planet and its neighbors, while educating new generations of scientists and engineers. Our approach is to use fundamental theoretical ideas, innovative techniques, and when necessary develop robust and low cost instruments to study planetary environments. Here we summarize our science goals and accomplishments. Our engineering objectives and accomplishments are described elsewhere (ENG 450). The exploration of the Earth, the solar system, and beyond leads to significant societal benefits through the development of engineering and science, and innovation not only in technology but also in our view of the world. In addition, it inspires and energizes new generations of scientists and engineers. One of the main motivations for space exploration is to understand the Earth and its atmosphere in the broader context of other planets. This allows investigations of the relative importance of different physical processes on weather and climate. Indeed, it gives us the opportunity to test ideas and models developed to understand important problems such as global climate change on a variety of planets. Thus, space exploration helps us to determine the validity and the limits-of-applicability of our Earth-centered ideas. |