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satellite and in situ data that could be accessed through a digital network. The mission components group proposed using the ISY to initiate an Encyclopedia of the Earth, consisting of remote sensing and applications data "collected systematically as part of the ISY" that would "provide a priceless baseline for future global change studies. " The mission components group also proposed that the Earth encyclopedia be assembled so that information could be extracted from it for specialized studies in social and economic development and other objectives. In sum, the Mission to Planet Earth Conference accomplished a great deal in the 2 1/2 days it met. Seventeen national space agencies or equivalent bodies endorsed the ISY and set up a mechanism for coordinating their participation. Terms of reference were drafted and adopted. Mission to Planet Earth was selected as a major ISY theme. A number of specific Mission to Planet Earth proposals were developed by specialized working groups. An ISY planning inquiry was telegraphed to all space agencies. A followup meeting was scheduled for within less than three months. SAFISY REQUEST TO ALL AGENCIES OPERATING OR PLANNING TO OPERATE SPACE SYSTEMS OBSERVING THE EARTH AND SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT • OBJECTIVE OF REQUEST: To characterize for the scientific community the observational resources available for the ten-year period 1988-1998. • SPACECRAFT AND GROUND STATION PARAMETERS NEEDED: • Spacecraft Name • Expected or Actual Launch Date • Expected Lifetime • Orbit • On-board Recording Capability • Status: In-orbit, funded, or planned • Ground Station Locations and coverage • Spacecraft Transmission Frequencies and • Data Rates per Frequency • INSTRUMENT LIST AND PARAMETERS NEEDED: • Name and Acronym • Spectral Coverage and Bands • IFOV in Each Band • Swath Width and Off-Nadir Coverage • Scanning Method: Mechanical or Electronic • Stereoscopic Coverage If Any • Data Rate (Average and Peak) per Instrument per Frequency • On-board Recording Capability per Instrument • Active or Passive • Primary and Secondary Scientific Measurement Objectives • Instrument Precision • DATA AVAILABILITY AND ACCESS • Real Time or Off Line • Any other Restrictions or Relevant Policies • IDENTIFICATION OF POINTS OF CONTACT FOR CLARIFICATION OF INPUTS 7