The latest weather satellite, GOES-15, reached its proper orbit after a flawless launch and will undergo checkout in mid-August 2010. The satellite is expected to capture the first visible image on April 5 and provide weather observations covering over 50% of the Earth's surface.
The TRMM satellite has observed a significant decrease in the diameter of Tropical Cyclone Gelane's eye, now measuring approximately 10 nautical miles. Heaviest rainfall is located in the southwest quadrant of the eye, with rain rates reaching up to 2 inches per hour.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Tropical Depression Fami on Feb. 3, showing the storm elongating and losing its circulation after crossing Madagascar. The system has dissipated significantly due to friction from mountainous terrain, with only a slight chance it could briefly regain life.
Tropical Storm Oli is a large storm with high thunderstorm cloud tops and strong winds near 52 mph, affecting the islands of Bora Bora and Raratonga. The storm is expected to move southeast and pass between the islands in the next couple of days.
NASA satellite imagery shows Tropical Storm Olga regaining strength in the Gulf of Carpentaria, with estimated sea level pressure near 989 millibars. Residents in Northern Territory and Queensland are under tropical cyclone warnings and watches due to expected landfall on January 30.
A University of Colorado at Boulder undergraduate-designed communications satellite, Hermes, has been chosen to launch into orbit in November as part of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite initiative. The satellite will test a high data-rate communication system, improving capabilities for tiny satellites.
Tropical Storm Edzani is undergoing significant changes, with its rainfall confined to the southeast and a fully exposed low-level circulation center. The storm is elongating due to strong westerly winds, eventually transitioning into an extra-tropical storm and moving safely away from land areas.
The TRMM satellite captured a clear picture of Tropical Storm Edzani's current state, revealing heavy rainfall on the eastern side and minimal convection on the western side. The storm is weakening and transitioning into an extra-tropical storm, but forecasters are monitoring its movement back over warmer waters for possible regeneration.
The PARASOL satellite has been maneuvered to leave its position within the A-Train constellation, a group of five NASA satellites orbiting the Earth in close proximity. The move will enable data sharing with other satellites while leaving a temporary data gap that will be filled by Glory's launch in 2010.
A new software package called CLASlite is revolutionizing forest monitoring by automatically identifying deforestation and forest degradation from satellite imagery. The technology has been adopted by 70 organizations in five countries and is being rapidly disseminated to support international policy discussions.
Nida's center of circulation is exposed and the storm is losing its circular shape due to wind shear. System 97W is showing signs of potential tropical cyclone formation, with forecasters upgrading its likelihood to 'fair'.
NASA's CloudSat satellite noticed a drop in Typhoon Nida's cloud tops from over 9 miles high to around 8 miles high, indicating less powerful thunderstorms and weakening winds. The storm has zigzagged between 18 and 20 degrees North Latitude, moving west, then east, and now back in a westward direction.
Tropical Storm Anja has weakened, with its maximum sustained winds dropping to 63 mph thanks to NASA's QuikScat satellite. The storm is moving south-southeast at 23 mph and is expected to dissipate by the weekend, posing no threat to landmasses.
Satellite imagery and weather data indicate that Ida's coastal low pressure area has moved away from the US east coast, with its western edge passing over the easternmost part of the country. The system is expected to continue moving southeastward, leaving behind significant flooding in eastern Virginia and northeast North Carolina.
Ida has reformed as a powerful coastal low pressure system bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds, coastal erosion and tidal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic region. The system will continue to affect areas from North Carolina to New Jersey with significant flooding and high water expected
NASA's GOES satellite captures images of Tropical Storm Ida's landfall on Dauphin Island, Alabama. The storm is expected to produce heavy rainfall and flash flooding across the southeastern US.
The TRMM satellite revealed most of Ida's heaviest rainfall was located just off the coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Belize. The satellite data also showed that the heavy rainfall tapered off except for a few intense thunderstorms near the northeastern coast of Honduras.
The NASA GOES Project provides real-time satellite animations of the eastern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, offering a panoramic view of hurricanes in HDTV wide-screen format. The animations display several weather regimes simultaneously, including easterly winds, daily thunderstorms, and prevailing westerly winds.
Two juvenile loggerhead turtles have been tracked with satellite-linked data loggers since August, providing insights into their behavior and habitat. The researchers are now working to develop new ways to avoid catching turtles in fishing gear, using the data to improve conservation efforts.
Tropical Storm Mirinae is strengthening and developing an eye in the Pacific Ocean. The storm's winds near 52 mph indicate intensification, with cold cloud temperatures suggesting heavy precipitation.
Tropical Storm Lupit is transitioning to an extra-tropical storm, while Tropical Storm 23W is approaching Saipan with sustained winds near 40 mph. The storms are being tracked by the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Tropical Storm Henri has weakened to a depression due to battering winds and strong southwesterly shear. The National Hurricane Center confirmed the wind speed using NASA's QuikScat satellite imagery, with minimum central pressure near 1010 millibars.
The NASA Aqua satellite captured two distinct views of Super Typhoon Choi-Wan, including a visible image with a clear eye and an infrared image showing cold high thunderstorm cloud temperatures. The typhoon has maximum sustained winds near 149 mph, generating extremely high waves.
Hurricane Linda is expected to weaken due to cooler waters and wind shear, with a 10% opening in her eyewall revealed by NASA's Aqua satellite. The storm's maximum sustained winds near 85 mph are weakening, and tropical storm force winds extend out 140 miles from the center.
Researchers found that galaxy collisions 'puff up' a galactic disk, producing stellar rings and flared edges. The Milky Way's puffy appearance is likely due to interactions with satellite galaxies and dark matter.
Hilda's winds have slowed from tropical storm to tropical depression-force, with sustained winds near 34 mph, according to NASA satellite data. The storm is expected to continue tracking south of the Hawaiian Islands before dissipating on August 31.
Tropical Storm Danny's center has reformed a little farther north than initially thought, according to NASA satellite imagery and aircraft data. The storm's circulation is broad and elongated, making it challenging to pinpoint its center.
NASA's GOES-11 satellite indicates two areas of showers and thunderstorms that may develop in the Eastern Pacific, potentially replacing Tropical Storm Ignacio. The storm is expected to weaken due to adverse conditions, including cooler waters.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured two views of Hurricane Bill's cloud cover, revealing strong thunderstorms and a powerful hurricane. The storm is expected to strengthen as it nears Bermuda, posing a threat to the East Coast.
Hurricane Bill is intensifying due to increased rainfall, with its eye widening and wind speeds reaching 105 mph. The storm is expected to strengthen into a Category Three hurricane, making it a major threat to the Leeward Islands.
Typhoon Morakot's massive size and powerful winds have brought catastrophic effects to Taiwan, with reports of up to 20 inches of rain in mountainous areas. The storm's landfall is expected to occur on Saturday in mainland China, where it will then move north towards Shanghai.
Researchers from USC and Geosemble Technologies improved Air Force situational awareness by creating software that integrates vast amounts of map data with satellite imagery. The technology uses road vector data to automatically extract information from maps and match it with satellite images.
The GOES-14 satellite has provided its first visible full disk image of Earth, showcasing little activity in the Atlantic Ocean and two tropical waves in the East Pacific. The satellite's Imager instrument is taking high-resolution images at a 1 km resolution from an altitude of 36,000 km above Earth's surface.
The TDRS project has received approval to proceed with the implementation phase of its mission, enabling NASA to build more spacecraft needed to support missions. The next milestone is a critical design review scheduled for January 2010, which will examine detailed aspects of the TDRS spacecraft and system.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured a unique image of both tropical storm Carlos and Dolores on July 15, 2009. The image shows the horizontal pattern of rain intensity within storms, with false-colored areas indicating rainfall between 20-40 millimeters per hour.
The NASA-operated GOES-O satellite reached its geosynchronous orbit at 89.5 degrees west longitude on July 8, 2009, after a series of maneuvers to raise its perigee to approximately 22,300 miles above the Earth. The solar array was successfully deployed on July 9, and all spacecraft subsystems reported nominal performance.
The NASA and NOAA GOES-O satellite has successfully launched into space, enhancing weather forecasting and monitoring environmental events globally. The satellite will be renamed GOES-14 after a 24-day orbit adjustment and will provide vital data to the United States.
The GOES-O satellite will contribute to accurate NOAA forecasts for severe weather, including hurricanes that threaten at least 35 million Americans. The new satellite joins a system of weather satellites providing timely environmental information to meteorologists and the public.
Scientists have successfully mapped emperor penguin breeding colonies in Antarctica using satellite images, providing a reliable indication of their location through visible guano stains. The study identified 38 colonies, with 10 new discoveries, and will enable researchers to monitor population changes over time.
Researchers have analyzed ocean plant health using a NASA satellite, detecting red light emitted by phytoplankton and assessing their productivity. The findings provide insights into the impact of climate change on ocean ecosystems and can help track long-term trends.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite captured rainfall totals of over 900 mm in southern Luzon due to Tropical Storm Kujira and around 150 mm in northern Luzon from Typhoon Chan-hom. The TRMM-based Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis system provides near-real-time data for monitoring global Tropics.
The NASA TRMM satellite shows Cyclone Bijli's intense rainfall, peaking at 129 millimeters (5.07 inches) in Bangladesh, causing heavy flooding and tropical storm-force winds. The animation tracks the storm's development from birth to landfall on April 17, 2009.
Dr. Roland Romeiser, a UM Rosenstiel School researcher, has been awarded a $500,000 ONR grant to develop 'along-track InSAR,' a new satellite technique that maps surface currents in rivers and oceans. This technology will aid in monitoring global river runoff and bathymetric changes.
After completing the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), GOCE's control systems have been confirmed to be operating normally. The Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking Instrument (SSTI) has also been successfully switched on, enabling autonomous orbit determinations.
The GOCE satellite will study global ocean currents, ocean topography, and the structure of the Earth's crust with unprecedented precision. The satellite's high-resolution gravity mapping will enhance our understanding of climate change.
A CU-Boulder research team has identified a type of skeletal muscle stem cell that contributes to the repair of damaged muscles in mice. The newly identified stem cells, dubbed satellite-SP cells, renew the satellite cell population after injection into injured muscle cells, contributing to recovery of muscle tissue.
The GOES-O satellite has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center for final pre-launch testing, targeting a launch on April 28. The satellite will provide enhanced weather monitoring and forecast operations with improved image resolution and navigation accuracy.
Claire Parkinson, Marc Kuchner, and Neil Gehrels received recognition for their leadership in understanding sea-ice changes through satellite measurements and detecting extra-solar planets. The scientists' research has greatly advanced astronomers' understanding of climate change, exoplanet formation, and gamma-ray bursts.
The NOAA CDR Project aims to address climate change data challenges by stitching together heritage satellite data and incorporating future sources like NPOESS. This project will deliver regular climate information following rigorous scientific standards, enabling understanding of climate variability and change.
The University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science has received a $3.75 million grant from the Office of Naval Research to support satellite-based research in the Western Pacific Ocean. The project aims to better understand typhoons, internal waves, and coastal processes using satellite data.
The NOAA-N Prime spacecraft has been launched into space, improving weather forecasting and monitoring environmental events around the world. The satellite will collect vital data on the Earth's surface and atmosphere, supporting NOAA's weather forecasts and providing critical inputs for search and rescue operations.
The NOAA-N Prime satellite will provide vital data inputs for NOAA's weather forecasts and support the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System. The satellite has instruments that can detect solar winds, impair communications, and affect astronaut safety.
Satellites like TOPEX/Poseidon can supplement USGS ground measurements with little to no cost, offering detailed flood data. The Ohio State software uses an algorithm to differentiate between water and snow cover, enabling precise measurements of flooded regions.
Researchers have found that snowy owls spend most of winter on Arctic sea ice, where they may prey on seabirds and face potential climate change implications. The birds' long-distance migrations, tracked by satellite technology, suggest they are vulnerable to climate change.
The NOAA-N Prime satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, will provide a polar-orbiting platform for environmental monitoring instruments. The satellite will assist in measuring Earth's atmosphere, surface, and cloud cover, as well as supporting the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking system.
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine confirmed that satellite cells harbor an elusive muscle stem cell, which can self-renew and give rise to specialized progeny. This discovery has profound therapeutic implications for disorders like muscular dystrophy and muscle wasting due to aging.
Virginia Tech's satellite communications research led to the development of wireless technologies used by companies like Direct TV and Globalstar. The university's work also contributed to advancements in cellular communications, smart antenna technologies, and cognitive radios.
The University of Colorado at Boulder returned nearly $3 million in cost savings to NASA for the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) satellite mission. The SORCE mission, launched in 2003, was controlled from CU-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and provided critical measurements of solar variation.
The Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST) satellite is nearing its May 16th launch date as it prepares to provide electrical power with its newly attached solar panels. GLAST's twin solar panels will ensure continuous operation and enable the telescope to explore extreme environments in the universe.
A new NASA study uses satellite data to estimate the amount of pollution from East Asian forest fires, urban exhaust, and industrial production that reaches western North America. The study estimates that 15% of local US & Canada emissions are offset by pollution aerosols coming from East Asia.