{"id":270002,"date":"2025-08-20T23:15:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T13:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/science-research\/earth-science\/steve-platnick-steps-down-from-nasa-after-34-years-of-service\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T23:15:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T13:15:19","slug":"steve-platnick-steps-down-from-nasa-after-34-years-of-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=270002","title":{"rendered":"Steve Platnick Steps Down from NASA After 34 Years of Service"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Steven \u201cSteve\u201d Platnick took the NASA agency Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). His last work day was August 8, 2025. Steve spent more than three decades at, or associated with, NASA. While he began his civil servant career at the NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 2002, his Goddard association went back to 1993, first as a contractor and then as one of the earliest employees of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology<\/a> (JCET), a cooperative agreement between the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and GSFC\u2019s Earth Science Division. At JCET Steve helped lead the development of the Atmosphere Physics Track curricula. Previously, he had held an NRC post-doctoral fellow at the NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center. Along with his research work on cloud remote sensing from satellite and airborne sensors, Steve served as the Deputy Director for Atmospheres in GSFC\u2019s Earth Sciences Division from January 2015\u2013July 2024.<\/p>\n

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Dr. Steve Platnick<\/div>\n
Image credit:<\/strong> NASA <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

During his time at NASA, Steve played an integral role in the sustainability and advancement of NASA\u2019s Earth Observing System platforms and data. In 2008, he took over as the Earth Observing System (EOS) Senior Project Scientist from Michael King. In this role, he led the EOS Project Science Office, which included support for related EOS facility airborne sensors, ground networks, and calibration labs. The office also supported The<\/em> Earth Observer<\/em> <\/a>newsletter, the NASA Earth Observatory<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>and other outreach and exhibit activities on behalf of NASA Headquarter\u2019s Earth Science Division and Science Mission Directorate (further details below). From January 2003 \u2013 February 2010, Steve served as the Aqua Deputy Project Scientist.<\/p>\n

Improving Imager Cloud Algorithms<\/strong><\/p>\n

Steve was actively involved in the\u00a0Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer<\/a>\u00a0(MODIS) Science Team serving as the\u00a0Lead for the MODIS Atmosphere Discipline Team<\/a>\u00a0(cloud, aerosol and clear sky products) since 2008 and as the NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership<\/a>\u00a0(Suomi NPP)\/JPSS Atmosphere Discipline Lead\/co-Lead from 2012\u20132020. His research team enhanced, maintained, and evaluated MODIS and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite<\/a>\u00a0(VIIRS) cloud algorithms that included Level-2 (L2) Cloud Optical\/Microphysical Properties components (MOD06 and MYD06 for MODIS on Terra and Aqua, respectively) and the Atmosphere Discipline Team Level-3 (L3) spatial\/temporal products (MOD08, MYD08). The L2 cloud algorithms were developed to retrieve thermodynamic phase, optical thickness, effective particle radius, and derived water path for liquid and ice clouds, among other associated datasets. Working closely with longtime University of Wisconsin-Madison colleagues, the team also developed the CLDPROP continuity products designed to bridge the MODIS and VIIRS cloud data records by addressing differences in the spectral coverage between the two sensors; this product is currently in production for VIIRS on Suomi NPP and NOAA-20, as well as MODIS Aqua. The team also ported their CLDPROP code to Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites\u00a0(GOES) R-series<\/a>\u00a0Advanced Baseline Imager<\/a>\u00a0(ABI) and sister sensors as a research demonstration effort.<\/p>\n

Steve\u2019s working group participation included the\u00a0Global\u00a0Energy and\u00a0Water\u00a0Exchanges<\/a>\u00a0(GEWEX)\u00a0Cloud Assessment Working Group<\/a>\u00a0(2008\u2013present); the International Cloud Working Group (ICWG), which is part of the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites<\/a> (CGMS), and its original incarnation, the Cloud Retrieval Evaluation Working (CREW) since 2009; and the NASA Observations for Modeling Intercomparison Studies<\/a>\u00a0(obs4MIPs) Working Group (2011\u20132013). Other notable roles included\u00a0Deputy Chair of the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem<\/a>\u00a0(PACE) Science Definition Team (2011\u20132012) and membership in the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Science Definition Team (2009\u20132011), the ABI Cloud Team (2005\u20132009), and the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory<\/a>\u00a0(CLARREO) Mission Concept Team (2010-2011).<\/p>\n

Steve has participated in numerous major airborne field campaigns over his career. His key ER-2 flight scientist and\/or science team management roles included the Monterey Area Ship Track experiment<\/a> (MAST,1994), First (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment \u2013 Arctic Cloud Experiment<\/a> [FIRE-ACE, 1998], Southern Africa Fire-Atmosphere Research Initiative (<\/a>SAFARI-2000), Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers \u2013 Florida Area Cirrus Experiment<\/a>\u00a0(CRYSTAL-FACE, 2002), and Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling<\/a>\u00a0(TC4, 2007).<\/p>\n

Supporting Earth Science Communications<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through his EOS Project Science Office role, Steve has been supportive of the activities of NASA\u2019s Science Support Office (SSO) and personally participated in many NASA Science exhibits at both national and international scientific conferences, including serving as a Hyperwall presenter numerous times.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0The Earth Observer<\/em> newsletter publication team in particular, Steve replaced Michael King as\u00a0Acting<\/em>\u00a0EOS Senior Project Scientist in June 2008, taking over the authorship of \u201cThe Editor\u2019s Corner\u201d beginning with the\u00a0May\u2013June 2008 issue<\/a>\u00a0[Volume 20<\/strong>,\u00a0Issue 3<\/strong>]. The\u00a0Acting<\/em>\u00a0label was removed beginning with the\u00a0January\u2013February 2010 issue<\/a>\u00a0[Volume 22<\/strong>,\u00a0Issue 1<\/strong>]. Steve has been a champion of continuing to retain a historical record of NASA science team meetings to maintain a chronology of advances made by different groups within the NASA Earth Science community. He was supportive of the Executive Editor\u2019s efforts to create a series called \u201cPerspectives on EOS<\/a>,\u201d which ran from 2008\u20132011 and told the stories of the early years of the EOS Program from the point of view of those who lived them. He also supported the development of articles to commemorate the\u00a0<\/a>25th<\/sup>\u00a0and\u00a030th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary of\u00a0The Earth Observer<\/em>. Later, Steve helped guide the transition of the newsletter from a print publication \u2013 the\u00a0November\u2013December 2022 issue<\/a> was the last printed issue \u2013 to fully online by July 2024, a few months after the publication\u2019s 35th <\/sup>anniversary.\u00a0The Earth Observer<\/em>\u00a0team will miss Steve\u2019s keen insight, historical perspective, and encouragement that he has shown through his leadership for the past 85 issues of print and online publications.<\/p>\n

A Career Recognized through Awards and Honors<\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout his career, Steve has amassed numerous honors, including the Goddard William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science in 2023 and the Verner E. Suomi Award from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in 2016. He was named an AMS Fellow that same year. He received two NASA Agency Honor Awards \u2013 the Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2008 and the Exceptional Service Medal in 2015.<\/p>\n

Steve received his bachelor\u2019s degree and master\u2019s degree in electrical engineering from Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley, respectively. He earned a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Arizona.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Steven \u201cSteve\u201d Platnick took the NASA agency Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). His last work day was August 8, 2025. Steve spent more than three decades at, or associated with, NASA. While he began his civil servant career at the NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 2002, his Goddard association went back to 1993, [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-270002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-earth-science"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=270002"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270103,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270002\/revisions\/270103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=270002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=270002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=270002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}