NASA LaRC Flight Projects Directorate
SAGE III on ISS - Stratospheric Aerosol Gas Experiment III
The SAGE III instrument is used to study ozone, a gas found in the upper atmosphere that acts as Earth’s sunscreen. More than 25 years ago, scientists realized there was a problem with Earth’s thin, protective coat of ozone...it was thinning. The SAGE family of instruments was pivotal in making accurate measurements of the amount of ozone loss in Earth's atmosphere. SAGE has also played a key role in measuring the onset of ozone recovery resulting from the internationally mandated policy changes that regulated chlorine-containing chemicals, the Montreal Protocol, which was passed in 1987.
Today, the SAGE technique is still the best for the job, and NASA scientists are preparing to send the third generation of the instrument into space. However, not just any spacecraft will do for SAGE III. Scientists have been keeping it safe, waiting for the day that it could go where no continuous Earth-observing instrument has gone before – the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA Lauchpad Feature:
SAGE III Goes to the ISS - Video
April 10, 2015
The Interface Adapter Module, which is like the "brains" of SAGE was delivered for integration with the instrument.
March 10, 2015
The Mission Operations team successfully completed the Mission Operations Long Duration Test at the new Flight Mission Support Center
March 11, 2015
The Hexapod Pointing System, which will help keep SAGE pointed in the right direction, was installed with the instrument. The team is working hard to get SAGE ready for environmental testing and then launch!
Feature: May 19, 2015
SAGE III on ISS Surges Past Integration and Pre-environmental Reviews
NVP Prepared to ship to KSC in January 2015
Mike Thomblom helps calibrate SAGE III in March 2011
Interface Adapter Module
Installation and integration of flight components in May 2015
Interface adapter module delivered for integration in April 2015
Nadir viewing platform cleaning in January 2015
Mission operations team in May 2015
Robert Lightfoot gets SAGE III update in April 2014
Jamie Nehir, Lead Instrument Operator, in September 2014
Earth Space Agency Delivers Hexapod in February 2015
NASA engineer during clean room "sun look" test on March 2013
SAGE III team at Space-X Hawthorne facility
NASA Langley Science Directorate observes Earth Day 2015
Project engineer Joe Gasbarre speaking at May 2015 review
IAM thermal vacuum test setup at NASA Langley in March 2015
Hexapod electronics unit in bakeout in Turin, Italy in January 2015
Installation & integration of flight components in May 2015
SAGE III on iSS Overview - Video
NASA-X Feature
SAGE III on iSS Overview - Video
SPACE-X 10 Mission Patch
Days Until Launch
from Kennedy Space Center
NEWS: Apr 7, 2014
Robert Lightfoot gets SAGE III update, holds town hall
From left: NASA Langley's Center Director Steve Jurczyk, NASA Chief Technologist David Miller and NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot listen as SAGE III chief engineer Joe Gasbarre describes a model of the SAGE III instrument, which is scheduled to go to the ISS in 2015. Image Credit:
NASA/David C. Bowman
January 14, 2015
NVP Completes Final Pre-ship Inspection & Cleaning
September 8, 2014
Preparing SAGE III for ISS
Jamie Nehrir, lead instrument operator, smiles next to SAGE III/ISS at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA.
September 15, 2014
Pre-Integration Dry-runs Begin
SAGE III team successfully completed a series of integration dry-runs, practicing for when it's time to integrate the flight hardware
Last Update: October 17, 2016
NASA Official: Mary DiJoseph
Site Curator: Jonathan Behun
NASA Privacy Statement, Disclaimer, and Accessibility Certification