 The first SAGE III flight is scheduled for the end of 2001, on a Russian spacecraft. This flight will extend the potential lifetime of the SAGE measurements, and provide important complementary data to that currently being obtained by SAGE II, which has been operational since October 1984. NASA plans to fly an additional SAGE III instrument on the International Space Station, depicted in this picture, when it becomes operational. NASA is also preparing for an opportunity to fly a third SAGE III instrument. Multiple SAGE instruments on orbits of different inclinations will increase the measurement opportunities as well as the geographical coverage. Since the flight of the first SAGE instrument in 1979, the SAGE program has made significant contributions towards advancing our understanding of Earth's atmosphere. NASA's plans for future flights of SAGE III instruments are evidence that the program will continue to help shape our views on the atmosphere well into the next century. New knowledge gained from SAGE III missions may influence the way we think about the Earth's atmosphere.
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