NASA’s Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) reentered the Earth’s atmosphere on January 8th, ending its 39-year journey in space. Launched in 1984 as part of NASA’s Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) mission, the ERBS was used to investigate the Earth’s energy budget, which is an indicator of climate health. The satellite had 3 instruments that measured the Earth’s radiative energy budget, and stratospheric constituents like ozone.
The Department of Defense confirmed that the ERBS, came back to Earth over the Bering Sea. NASA believed that while the majority of the satellite would be destroyed during reentry, some parts may have remained intact.
The ERBS’s data helped researchers measure the effects of human activities on Earth’s radiation balance and helped shaped the international Montreal Protocol Agreement which reduces the use of ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons. According to the agency, he ERBS legacy will continue to be felt as future satellites and missions build on the data and knowledge it provided.
