Climate change is a major problem that threatens life on Earth. The NASA SMAP mission sets out to collect critical data to help inform policy makers to decide what the best actions to take when confronting issues around weather and climate. Whether it’s an immediate disaster relief after a storm in the golf or planning for legislature policy to manage carbon emissions in the future, SMAP data can help. In this paper we look at the physics concepts that allow SMAP data to be collected and also why the data is important in the first place. We discuss not only the scientific benefits of the SMAP mission but also the support it gives to humanitarian efforts as the data collected in the mission provides regions with accurate forecasts to prepare for future droughts and improve global water security.