The Lidar in Space Technology Experiment (LITE) is a three-wavelength backscatter lidar developed by NASA Langley Research Center to demonstrate and explore the capabilities of space lidar. LITE was flown on space shuttle Discovery in September 1994. Among the primary experimental objectives of LITE was the measurement of stratospheric aerosols. High-quality stratospheric aerosol measurements at 532 nm and 355 nm were obtained during nighttime, high-gain operation. These LITE data provide a detailed global view of the vertical structure and optical properties of the stratospheric aerosols. The data are also used to study the transport processes influencing the aerosol spatial distribution. LITE data compare well with measurements made by the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II. Individual profile comparisons and comparisons of more global features reinforce and extend the validation of the LITE stratospheric data. LITE demonstrates that a spaceborne lidar, with its high vertical resolution and global coverage, is a powerful tool for tracing atmospheric transport. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union