Quick Facts
- Date:
- March 17, 2002 - present
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
Artist's rendering of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment.
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
Earth-mapping mission
Also known as: GRACE
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), U.S.-German Earth-mapping mission consisting of twin spacecraft GRACE 1 and 2 (nicknamed Tom and Jerry after the cartoon characters). GRACE 1 and 2 were launched on March 17, 2002. By tracking the precise distance between the two spacecraft and their exact altitude and path over Earth, scientists could measure subtle variations in Earth’s gravitational field and detect mass movements due to such natural activity as sea level changes, glacial motions, and ice melting. GRACE observed an accelerating loss of ice in Greenland and Antarctica and the change in the gravitational field caused by the Sumatran earthquake responsible for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.