Articles tagged with Artificial Satellites
Researchers have developed a new approach to destroying hazardous space debris using laser impulses. By pushing the debris into the Earth's atmosphere, the debris can be destroyed, posing less of a threat to active communication and navigation satellites used by billions of people on Earth.
The CYGNSS mission will determine how a tropical cyclone forms and strengthen, improving hurricane forecasting and tracking. NASA has given a preliminary go-ahead to proceed with instrument development and launch of the hurricane-studying mission's eight microsatellites.
The Gold Pan Complex Fire in Idaho burned 17,103 acres of mixed conifer forest, fueled by dead trees and insects like the mountain pine beetle. High temperatures trapped smoke in valley bottoms.
The study compares in-orbit debris removal options, considering their potential risk of creating new debris or disabling working satellites. Inflatable drag enhancement devices are found to have the lowest risk, while electromagnetic tethers pose a high risk for disabling operational satellites.
Landsat 5 successfully operated for 28 years and 10 months, delivering high-quality global data of Earth's land surface. The satellite overcame numerous technical issues to achieve this record-breaking duration.
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a night-time image of extra-tropical cyclone Felleng, showing clouds and precipitation pushed east and southeast due to wind shear. The storm has completed its transition and is expected to dissipate in the next couple of days.
The NASA National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) climate/weather satellite is successfully completing flight environmental testing. The five-instrument suite will provide continuity of climate observations and enhance weather forecasting capabilities.
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 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) has been delivered and will be integrated onto the NPP spacecraft, providing highly detailed imagery of clouds, vegetation, and environmental phenomena. The NPOESS Preparatory Project aims to extend the time series environmental data records initiated with NASA's Earth Observing Sys...
The GPM mission will provide uniformly calibrated precipitation measurements globally every 2-4 hours for scientific research and societal applications. The mission builds on the success of TRMM and includes a Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) and a multi-channel GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) to improve precipitation estimates.
Researchers have developed a proof-of-principle adaptive antenna array that can successfully receive satellite telemetry frequency and downlink data. The system uses sophisticated software to gather data, eliminating the need for precise aiming and reducing costs.
Aura is providing unprecedented spatial resolution to monitor global pollution production and transport, offering new insights into climate changes and the recovery of the Earth's protective stratospheric ozone layer. The satellite's instruments study tropospheric chemistry and provide daily global monitoring of air pollution.
Aura will provide unprecedented information on the composition of the atmosphere and its impact on climate change and air quality. The satellite will help scientists understand how atmospheric composition affects and responds to changing climate conditions.
The Landsat 5 satellite has exceeded expectations with 100,000 orbits and over 29 million images collected. Its longevity has enabled scientists to develop a comprehensive understanding of the Earth's land surface features.
A comprehensive NASA study found that climatic changes have led to increased plant growth globally over the last two decades. The research, published in Science magazine, attributes the increases primarily to climate change, with lesser contributions from carbon dioxide fertilization and forest regrowth.
The EO-1 satellite has produced over four times the expected volume of imagery, demonstrating the effectiveness of its Hyperion and Advanced Land Imager (ALI) instruments in monitoring Earth's surfaces. These instruments have already proven invaluable in applications such as forestry and agricultural crop assessment.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed a system to measure magnetic and electrical fields over large areas of the ionosphere, providing the first continuous monitoring of electric currents between space and the upper atmosphere. The advanced system will enable improved understanding and foreca...
The Dartmouth Flood Observatory uses satellite images from NASA's Terra spacecraft to pinpoint flooded areas and provide precise mapping accuracy, aiding United Nations World Food Program staff. The new composite surface images have been used to identify the worst-hit areas of the current flooding in Southeast Asia.
Marshall engineers reported a peak of 1,700 Leonids meteors per hour, confirming the accuracy of computer models used to predict meteor showers. The joint operation center worked well, with representatives from NASA, U.S. Air Force and University of Western Ontario collaborating to ensure safe satellite operations.
The QuikScat satellite, launched on June 19, will provide daily snapshots of ocean winds to improve weather forecasting. The satellite is controlled by students and faculty at CU's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.
The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) will test the Big Bang theory and collect comprehensive observations of the Milky Way's star-forming regions. Launched on June 23 from Cape Canaveral Air Station, the three-year mission marks a first for an academic department in managing a satellite.
The Terra mission marks a new era in global change research, providing unprecedented data to study climate change. The workshop brings together leading scientists to discuss new findings and challenges in the field.
The Boston University TERRIERS team is gearing up to launch a satellite designed to produce unprecedented three-dimensional images of the ionosphere. The satellite will enable scientists to better predict space weather conditions that can disrupt communication systems on Earth.
17-year-old Sasha Jones won a contest to name the first Earth Observing System satellite, Terra, which will study global climatic changes. The satellite's launch is set for July 15, 1999, and will enable new research into the planet's climate system.
The CloudSat spacecraft will produce detailed three-dimensional images of vertical cloud structures, missing from current weather forecasting models. Colorado State technology also contributes to a second NASA mission studying aerosols and thin clouds, enhancing climate change understanding.
The Leonid meteor storm may pose a significant threat to satellites due to the high likelihood of invisible meteors. Astronomers predict that most meteors will burn up at low temperatures, making them undetectable.
NASA's Global Hydrology and Climate Center provides real-time geostationary satellite data, enabling users to view weather formations, temperature, winds, and precipitation in various regions. The center offers an interactive viewer with low-resolution animations and on-demand image sequences.
The University of Colorado's Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE) satellite is successfully returning science data, measuring nitric oxide in the upper atmosphere and X-rays from the sun. The NASA mission was controlled by students and faculty 24/7, marking the second university-led satellite to be operated.
The MAX-Planck-Gesellschaft launched the EQUATOR-S satellite in 1997, after years of development. The spacecraft aims to explore the Earth's magnetosphere and study the aurora borealis, providing valuable insights for the Inter-Agency Solar-Terrestrial Physics Program.
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created a method that purposefully unbalances reentry vehicles to steer them closer to targets, improving accuracy. The approach also enables the reorientation of satellites in space without changing their shape or requiring fuel.
Case Western Reserve University physicist Glenn Starkman has received a four-year, $200,000 NSF grant to study the shape of the universe by mapping temperature fluctuations throughout space. He aims to develop new techniques to detect dark matter, which is believed to comprise much of the mass in the universe.
Contrails can indeed influence regional climate due to their potential to increase cloud cover, which can disrupt the radiation balance and affect climate. The study suggests that contrails may be more significant than previously thought due to their ability to modify energy distribution and feed other cloud formation processes.
A team of NASA scientists disagrees with a recent study suggesting that satellite data shows no warming trend in the Earth's lower atmosphere, while surface temperature data shows a +0.12 deg C/decade increase. The disagreement is largely due to differences between satellite and surface measurements over oceans versus land areas.
A team of scientists from NCAR analyzed global temperature trends obtained via satellites and surface instruments. They found that satellite data can produce spurious drops due to changes in satellite records, which can mask actual rises in global temperatures.
UC Berkeley's Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Astrophysics will take over day-to-day operations of the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) observatory, fostering space science and technology innovation. The transfer aims to reduce costs and increase educational outreach through project-based learning experiences.