The Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE), now officially called the Earth Science Enterprise (ESE), is a program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the U.S. government. The mission is to use spacecraft and space technology to provide a comprehensive scientific study of the earth's living systems as viewed from space. Using satellites with precise measuring equipment, the mission will provide information about weather patterns, climate, oceans, coastlines, surface activity, atmospheric conditions, natural disasters, pollution, and hundreds of other measurements. The goals of the program, according to NASA, are to find out how the living system of the earth is changing, and to determine the causes and consequences of this change. NASA also has the goal of using the program's results to develop a "predictive capability" for climate, weather, and natural hazards. Finally, the program has an...