The new chief scientist at NASA wants to add a mission to the space agency, looking at both the Earth and the heavens.
Katherine Calvin was appointed as NASA’s chief scientist this week.
“When people hear NASA, I want them to think of climate science alongside planetary science,” Calvin told CNBC.
She said her specialty is climate, explaining that all of the NASA chief scientists have a distinct field of expertise.
But the mission is not new in Calvin’s eyes.
“NASA is already a world leader in climate,” she told CNBC. “And so I’m just communicating that science and connecting it to other agencies, to the public.”
NASA tracks the climate with dozens of satellites that orbit the Earth, observing changes in the oceans, clouds and carbon dioxide levels.
It also uses the information and creates technology to help reverse the effects of what we are doing to the climate, like using less fuel and reducing greenhouse gas emissions during flights, Calvin told CNBC.
She also wants to take all of the information that NASA gathers and centralize it in one place instead of it being spread across the internet.
NASA is still working out how to do that, “but the idea is to get all the information that’s relevant in a place where people can find it,” Calvin told CNBC.
Calvin has worked at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Joint Global Change Research Institute and has co-authored more than 100 publications, many focusing on growing populations and the effects on agriculture and water scarcity in light of climate change, according to NASA.
NASA history In this image released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), astronaut Richard M. Linnehan works to replace the starboard solar array on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during an extravehicular activity (EVA) to try and upgrade some components of the telescope March 4, 2002 in space. NASA plans to replace the Hubble telescope with the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and plans to deorbit the Hubble telescope sometime in 2010. According to Anne Kinney, division director of astronomy and physics at NASA headquarters, NASA states August 1, 2003 that it is firmly committed to the new JWST, a deep-space observatory due for launch in 2011 on a European Ariane 5 rocket. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history A gold record ready to be attached to a Voyager space probe, USA, circa 1977. Voyager 1 and its identical sister craft Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space. The record, entitled 'The Sounds Of Earth' contains a selection of recordings of life and culture on Earth. The cover contains instructions for any extraterrestrial being wishing to play the record. (Photo by NASA/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history In this handout photo provided by NASA, Astronaut Rick Mastracchio, STS-118 mission specialist, participates in the mission's third planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station August 15, 2007 in Space. During the 5-hour, 28-minute spacewalk, Mastracchio and astronaut Clay Anderson (out of frame), Expedition 15 flight engineer, relocated the S-Band Antenna Sub-Assembly from Port 6 (P6) to Port 1 (P1) truss, installed a new transponder on P1 and retrieved the P6 transponder. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history 1962: Nasa's Mission Control room, Houston, Texas in operation during the second day of the Gemini V spaceflight. (Photo by Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images) (Evans/Getty Images)
NASA history (FILE PHOTO) The flag of the United States stands alone on the surface of the moon. The 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission is celebrated July 20, 1999. (Photo by NASA/Newsmakers) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history HOUSTON, TX - Sen. John H. Glenn (D.-OH), checks the communications system on his head gear prior to bailout training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX April 12, 1998 as Jean Alexander, a NASA suit expert, waits to help him with his helmet. Sen. Glenn is scheduled to fly on the space shuttle Discovery later in the year. (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history IN SPACE - MAY 29: In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), backdropped by planet Earth the International Space Station (ISS) is seen from NASA space shuttle Endeavour after the station and shuttle began their post-undocking relative separation May 29, 2011 in space. After 20 years, 25 missions and more than 115 million miles in space, NASA space shuttle Endeavour is on the last leg of its final flight to the International Space Station before being retired and donated to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Capt. Mark E. Kelly, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' (D-AZ) husband, has led mission STS-134 as it delivered the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-2) to the International Space Station. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history Space Shuttle Challenger crew members gather for an official portrait November 11, 1985 in an unspecified location. (Back, L-R) Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Teacher-in-Space participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis and mission specialist Judy Resnick. (Front, L-R) Pilot Mike Smith, commander Dick Scobee and mission specialist Ron McNair. The Challenger and its seven member crew were lost seventy three seconds after launch when a booster rocket failed. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Getty Images)
NASA history In this handout digital illustration released on September 15, 2011 by NASA, the newly-discovered gaseous planet Kepler-16b orbits it's two stars. NASA's Kepler Mission discoverd the world orbiting two Stars, the larger a K dwarf and the smaller a red dwarf. (Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle via Getty Images) (NASA/NASA via Getty Images)
NASA history circa 1981: NASA space shuttle Enterprise on the back of a Jumbo jet, at Stansted Airport, England, during a tour of Europe. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (Keystone/Getty Images)
NASA history A NASA image of one of the Voyager space probes. Voyager 1 and its identical sister craft Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space. (Photo by NASA/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history circa 1967: A Saturn V rocket on its take off through the earth's atmosphere. USIS (Photo by NASA/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history 376713 11: (FILE PHOTO) A view of the Earth appears over the Lunar horizon as the Apollo 11 Command Module comes into view of the Moon before Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin Jr. leave in the Lunar Module, Eagle, to become the first men to walk on the Moon's surface. The 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon mission is celebrated July 20, 1999. (Photo by NASA/Newsmakers) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - JANUARY 16: In this image from video an object is visible falling from the Space Shuttle Columbia during liftoff on January 16, 2003 from the Kennedy Space Center, at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The area on the Shuttle from which the object fell is highlighted in the red circle near the shuttle's main engines. (Photo by NASA-TV/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Getty Images)
NASA history In this handout provided by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by the seasonal flow of water on the surface of present-day Mars. These dark features on the slopes are called "recurring slope lineae" or RSL. Scientists reported on September 28, 2015 using observations with the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer on the same orbiter detected hydrated salts on these slopes at Hale Crater, corroborating the hypothesis that the streaks are formed by briny liquid water. (Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona via Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history In this NASA/JPL-Caltech handout image, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took this shot while hovering over the Martian surface on April 19, 2021, during the first instance of powered, controlled flight on another planet. It used its navigation camera, which autonomously tracks the ground during flight. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock. (Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech via Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Clouds are seen behind NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center on February 7, 2008 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Bad weather is threatened the scheduled 2:34 pm EST launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
NASA history circa 1967: A Saturn V rocket on its mobile launch pad. (Photo by NASA/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history The Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off January 28, 1986 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The Challenger and its seven-member crew were lost seventy-three seconds after launch when a booster rocket failed. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Getty Images)
NASA history Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., the lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, stands next to a United States flag July 20, 1969 during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) on the surface of the Moon. The 30th anniversary of Apollo's moon landing is celebrated July 20, 1999. (Photo by NASA/Newsmakers) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history The crew of Space Shuttle Columbia's mission STS-107 take a break from their training regime to pose for the traditional crew portrait. Seated in front are astronauts Rick D. Husband (L), mission commander; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; and William C. McCool, pilot. Standing are (L to R) astronauts David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, and Michael P. Anderson, all mission specialists; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist representing the Israeli Space Agency. The Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas during re-entry on February 1, 2003. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Getty Images)
NASA history In this handout image provided by NASA, still image is part of a video taken by several cameras aboard the descent stage as NASA’s Perseverance rover as it touched down in the area known as Jezero crater on February 18, 2021 on the planet Mars. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history In this handout from NASA, a solar eruption rises above the surface of the sun December 31, 2012 in space. According to NASA the relatively minor eruption extended 160,000 miles out from the Sun and was about 20 times the diameter of Earth. (Photo by NASA/SDO via Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history In this handout from National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA, NASA Astronaut Ed White floats out of the hatch of his Gemini 4 capsule June 3, 1965 in space. It was the first American space walk and lasted 23 minutes. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history (F 334517 007)The seven astronauts of NASA's Mercury program: Walter M Schirra, Deke Slayton, John Glenn Jnr, M Scott Carpenter, Alan B Shepard Jnr, Virgil I Grissom and Leroy Gordon Cooper Jnr.(Photo By Nasa/Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history The Sharpest View Of Mars Ever Taken From Earth Was Obtained By The Recently Refurbished Nasa Hubble Space Telescope (Hst). This Stunning Portrait Was Taken With The Hst Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 (Wfpc2) On March 10, 1997, Just Before Mars Opposition, When The Red Planet Made One Of Its Closest Passes To The Earth (About 60 Million Miles Or 100 Million Km) (Photo By Nasa/Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history In this handout image provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NASA astronaut Mike Fossum, Expedition 28 flight engineer, waits at an International Space Station's pressurized mating adapter (PMA-2) docked to the space shuttle Atlantis, as the station's robotic system moves the failed pump module (out of frame) over to the spacewalking astronaut and the shuttle's cargo bay during a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk July 12, 2011 in space. This is the 160th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998. Space shuttle Atlantis has embarked on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station where it will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts. This was the final mission of the space shuttle program, which began on April 12, 1981 with the launch of Colombia. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history In this handout provided by NASA, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA rest in a chair outside of the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft just minutes after he and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed in a remote area on March 2, 2016 near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images) (Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history The sun's coronal loops are shown in this photo, released September 26, 2000, taken by special instruments on board NASA's Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft. Fountains of multimillion-degree, electrified gas in the atmosphere of the sun have revealed the location where the solar atmosphere is heated to temperatures 1000-times greater than the sun's visible surface. (Photo by NASA/Newsmakers) (NASA/Getty Images)
NASA history 30Th Anniversary Of Apollo 11 Landing On The Moon: Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module Pilot, Is Photographed Walking Near The Lunar Module During The Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity. Man's First Landing On The Moon Occurred Today At 4:17 P.M. July 20, 1969 As Lunar Module "Eagle" Touched Down Gently On The Sea Of Tranquility On The East Side Of The Moon. The Lm (Lunar Module) Landed On The Moon On July 20, 1969 And Returned To The Command Module On July 21. The Command Module Left Lunar Orbit On July 22 And Returned To Earth On July 24, 1969. Apollo 11 Splashed Down In The Pacific Ocean On 24 July 1969 At 12:50:35 P.M. Edt After A Mission Elapsed Time Of 195 Hrs, 18 Mins, 35 Secs. (Photo By Nasa/Getty Images) (NASA/Getty Images)