NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine visited the University of New Hampshire on Thursday after the school won a multimillion-dollar contract to build a device that should give scientists a greater understanding of what's happening in the world's oceans.Researchers said most devices that monitor the oceans are located on satellites in a polar orbit. The new device will be placed on a satellite located above the equator, allowing for more continuous monitoring."This is a critically important mission for our country," Bridenstine said.Touring the UNH space program, Bridenstine and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., got a firsthand look at some of the projects under development. NASA just awarded the university a $107.9 million grant that will be used to develop the Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer, or GLIMR."In this particular case, we're using hyperspectral (imaging), which is going to give us very precise coloration of the ocean, so we can actually look at harmful algal blooms, which have been damaging to humans," Bridenstine said.The instrument will allow researchers to get a better understanding of the interactions between land and sea, researchers said. Bridenstine said one of the reasons UNH was awarded the grant was its history of past successes in the space program. and he anticipated the university will continue to play a leading role as NASA looks toward longer missions in space."We can't do these things without the great work that is being done here at the University of New Hampshire, and that work is going to have to increase as we move forward," he said.Shaheen said NASA enjoys bipartisan support, and she is working to see that support continue."The important thing that I can do as a member of the appropriations committee that oversees NASA is to work with my Republican chairman and make sure that programs that provide these grants are funded in the way we need to to get the research," she said.GLIMR is set to launch in 2026 or 2027.