WASHINGTON, DECEMBER 14, 2004
IANS

Indian scientist Saji Abraham has been awarded the NASA Peer Award for developing emission models that would "play a critical role" in two future space missions.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the US gave the award to Abraham for his "research on developing galactic and ionosphere emission models that would play a critical role in the Aquarius and Hydros space missions scheduled for 2008. The main purpose of the missions is to observe ocean salinity and soil moisture".

The Aquarius and Hydros satellites will help make more accurate weather predictions and study changes in ocean circulation.

The research by Abraham will play a critical role in the calibration of the Aquarius radiometer.

Abraham, who hails from Adoor in Kerala, has been working with NASA's microwave remote sensing department as a scientist for over seven years. He graduated in physics from Kerala University and did his doctorate in space physics from Delhi University.