MAIA: Opportunities and Challenges Associated with a Small, Cost-Capped Satellite Mission

In 2007 an Earth science decadal survey outlined a vision for “a decadalprogram of Earth science research and applications in support of society”and called for “a renewal of the national commitment to a program of Earthobservations from space in which attention to securing practical benefitsfor humankind plays an equal role with the quest to acquire new knowledgeabout Earth” (NRC 2007, p. 1). The report considered that “the societalbenefits accruing through improved human health should be fundamentalto defining the research and applications goals of the Earth science agenda,including the need for an intellectual framework that directs bridgingresearch between the Earth system framework and the public-health responseand decision-maker community” (NRC 2007, p. 155).