Earth Science

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)

Orbiter · Directed · Agency-led · Launched on September 12, 1991 · Completed · LCC: $740M/$2.1B (2025 $)Life-cycle cost: NASA’s reported cost to build, launch, and operate a mission through its prime mission, plus documented partner contributions, in 2025 dollars. Extended missions are not included. Methods · Wikipedia

Scope Active Mission WindowActivePapers published from the first full month after science operations begin through two years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. For UARS, papers published November 1, 1991 to January 1, 2008. Methods LifetimeLifetimeEvery tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. For UARS, papers published from 1991 to November 3, 2026. Methods
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed papers we found that name the mission or its instruments in their titles, abstracts, or keywords. Papers that used the data without naming it are missed. Methods1,346
CitationsCitations: every citation these publications have drawn to date. Older missions have had longer to collect them. Methods47,371
Citation indices
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods96
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods144
m-indexm-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes; the figure shown is as of November 3, 2026. It also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods2.7
toritori (total research impact, from SciX): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Always over every tracked publication to date, whichever scope is chosen. Methods339
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Like tori, always over every tracked publication to date. Methods511

Publications and citations by year (lifetime)

Publications per yearCumulative citations

Institutional contributions (lifetime)The institutions SciX lists for each paper’s authors, as printed on the paper, located through the Research Organization Registry. A square counts a paper once, however many of its authors worked there. Methods

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Tracked publications over the lifetime (1,346)

All publications CSV · JSON

  1. The Halogen Occultation Experiment

    Russell, James M., III, 1993, JGR

    679 lifetime citations

  2. Simulation of secular trends in the middle atmosphere, 1950-2003

    Garcia, R. R., 2007, JGRD

    575 lifetime citations

  3. The Solar Spectral Irradiance from 200 to 2400 nm as Measured by the SOLSPEC Spectrometer from the Atlas and Eureca Missions

    Thuillier, G., 2003, SoPh

    562 lifetime citations

  4. Analysis and validation of GPS/MET data in the neutral atmosphere

    Rocken, C., 1997, JGR

    397 lifetime citations

  5. GPS Sounding of the Atmosphere from Low Earth Orbit: Preliminary Results.

    Ware, R., 1996, BAMS

    390 lifetime citations

  6. Seasonal cycle of the residual mean meridional circulation in the stratosphere

    Rosenlof, Karen H., 1995, JGR

    347 lifetime citations

  7. Validation of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder temperature and geopotential height measurements

    Schwartz, M. J., 2008, JGRD

    347 lifetime citations

  8. WINDII, the WIND imaging interferometer on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

    Shepherd, G. G., 1993, JGR

    346 lifetime citations

  9. New version of the TOMCAT/SLIMCAT off-line chemical transport model: Intercomparison of stratospheric tracer experiments

    Chipperfield, M. P., 2006, QJRMS

    325 lifetime citations

  10. GSWM-98: Results for migrating solar tides

    Hagan, M. E., 1999, JGR

    303 lifetime citations

  11. Radiative forcing from the 1991 Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption

    Stenchikov, Georgiy L., 1998, JGR

    297 lifetime citations

  12. Improved solar Lyman α irradiance modeling from 1947 through 1999 based on UARS observations

    Woods, Thomas N., 2000, JGR

    293 lifetime citations

  13. Validation of the UARS solar ultraviolet irradiances: Comparison with the ATLAS 1 and 2 measurements

    Woods, T. N., 1996, JGR

    270 lifetime citations

  14. Seasonal Cycles and QBO Variations in Stratospheric CH₄ and H₂O Observed in UARS HALOE Data.

    Randel, William J., 1998, JAtS

    263 lifetime citations

  15. Solar-Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment 1. I - Instrument design and operation

    Rottman, Gary J., 1993, JGR

    248 lifetime citations

  16. On the Motion of Air through the Stratospheric Polar Vortex.

    Manney, G. L., 1994, JAtS

    238 lifetime citations

  17. Chemistry of the 1991-1992 stratospheric winter: Three-dimensional model simulations

    LefèVre, F., 1994, JGR

    227 lifetime citations

  18. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite microwave limb sounder instrument

    Barath, F. T., 1993, JGR

    223 lifetime citations

  19. The High-Resolution Doppler Imager on the Uppoer Atmosphere Research Sattelite

    Hays, Paul B., 1993, JGR

    218 lifetime citations

  20. Climatology of the semiannual oscillation of the tropical middle atmosphere

    Garcia, Rolando R., 1997, JGR

    208 lifetime citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Science Explorer (SciX) for peer-reviewed articles naming UARS in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces.

((=abs:("Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite" OR "Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite" OR "Halogen Occultation Experiment" OR "Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer" OR "Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder" OR "High Resolution Doppler Imager" OR "Particle Environment Monitor") OR (abs:UARS AND abs:(atmosphere OR atmospheric OR stratospher* OR mesospher* OR thermospher* OR mesopause OR ozone OR irradiance OR limb OR wind OR winds OR aerosol OR aerosols OR airglow OR dayglow OR tide OR tides OR radar OR radars OR auroral OR aurora OR ionospher* OR solar OR spacecraft OR satellite OR MLS OR SOLSTICE OR ACRIM OR PEM)) OR (abs:(HALOE OR CLAES OR ISAMS) AND abs:(atmosphere OR atmospheric OR stratospher* OR mesospher* OR thermospher* OR ozone OR aerosol OR aerosols OR limb OR tropopause OR vortex OR ="water vapor" OR methane OR tracer OR tracers OR transport)) OR (abs:(HRDI OR WINDII) AND abs:(atmosphere OR atmospheric OR stratospher* OR mesospher* OR thermospher* OR mesopause OR wind OR winds OR tide OR tides OR airglow OR dayglow OR nightglow OR ozone)) OR (=abs:"Wind Imaging Interferometer" AND abs:(atmosphere OR atmospheric OR stratospher* OR mesospher* OR thermospher* OR mesopause OR wind OR winds OR tide OR tides OR airglow OR dayglow OR nightglow OR ozone) NOT abs:(static OR polarization OR polarizing OR birefringent OR "four-quadrant")) OR (abs:SUSIM AND abs:(irradiance OR ultraviolet OR UV) NOT abs:(ATLAS OR Spacelab)))) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[1991-11 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "ACPD" OR "AIASJ" OR "AMTD" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "BGD" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "CliPD" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "ESDD" OR "ESSDD" OR "ESuDD" OR "GID" OR "GMDD" OR "GeCAS" OR "HESSD" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NHESD" OR "NPGD" OR "NewSc" OR "OcScD" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SOILD" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "TCD" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Removed after review (3)

  1. Solar-Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment II (Solstice II): Instrument Concept and Design Describes SORCE's SOLSTICE II instrument; mentions UARS only as design heritage. Decision 🤖
  2. Performance evaluation of a thermal Doppler Michelson interferometer system Test-bed study for a proposed wind interferometer; mentions UARS only as technique heritage. Decision 🤖
  3. Error analysis of the moving mirror tilting in Michelson wind imaging interferometer Error analysis of a generic wind imaging interferometer; does not name UARS or its instruments. Decision 🤖