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Mimas in View
Description Mimas in View
Full Description The Cassini spacecraft zooms in on Mimas, pitted by craters and slightly out-of-round. Cassini images taken during a flyby of Mimas in August 2005 were compiled into a movie showing the moon's battered surface up close (see Flying Over Mimas). This view shows the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across). North is up and rotated 24 degrees to the left. The moon's night side is dimly lit by Saturnshine, which is sunlight reflected by the planet. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 25, 2006 at a distance of approximately 552,000 kilometers (343,000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 106 degrees. Image scale is 3 kilometers (2 miles) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date October 17, 2006
Prime Time for Rhea
Description Prime Time for Rhea
Full Description This map of the surface of Saturn's moon, Rhea, illustrates the regions that will be imaged by Cassini during the spacecraft's close flyby of the moon on Nov. 26, 2005. At closest approach, the spacecraft is expected to pass approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the moon's surface. The colored lines delineate the regions that will be imaged at differing resolutions, listed in the legend at bottom. Rhea is 1,528 kilometers (949 miles) across. The new high-resolution coverage will examine details on the anti-Saturn hemisphere of Rhea, including two large impact basins there. Cassini previously imaged terrain farther to the south of this at approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) per pixel in August 2005 (see Rhea: Polar View). Imaging scientists also hope to get a high-resolution view of a relatively young 50-kilometer-wide (30-mile) crater on the moon's leading hemisphere (see Great White Splat). Planetary scientists are interested in learning about the compositional makeup of Rhea, other than water ice, as well as the nature of the wispy streaks on the moon's trailing hemisphere. In December, 2004, Cassini revealed that similar bright, wispy markings on Dione are actually a system of braided tectonic fractures (see Dione's Surprise). The map was made from images obtained by both the Cassini and NASA Voyager spacecraft. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Date November 17, 2005
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter …
title Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at Nilosyrtis
date 12.10.2003
description The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter passes above Nilosyrtis Mensae in this illustration. NASA plans to launch this multipurpose spacecraft in August 2005 to advance our understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for those missions. *Image Credit*: NASA/JPL
Mars Reconaissance Orbiter A …
title Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Aerobraking
date 12.10.2003
description NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter dips into the thin Martian atmosphere to adjust its orbit in this illustration. NASA plans to launch this multipurpose spacecraft in August 2005 for arrival at Mars in March 2006. The plans call for controlled use of atmospheric friction in a process called aerobraking for about six months after arrival to change the initial, very elongated orbit into a rounder shape optimal for science operations. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is designed to advance our understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for those missions. *Image Credit*: NASA/JPL
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter …
title Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at Martian South Pole
date 12.10.2003
description NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter passes over the planet's south polar region in this artist's concept illustration. NASA plans to launch this multipurpose spacecraft in August 2005 to advance our understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for those missions. The orbiter's shallow radar experiment, one of six science instruments on board, is designed to probe the internal structure of Mars' polar ice caps, as well as to gather information planet-wide about underground layers of ice, rock and, perhaps, liquid water that might be accessible from the surface. Phobos, one of Mars' two moons, appears in the upper left corner of the illustration *Image Credit*: NASA/JPL
NASA's Hubble Discovers New …
Title NASA's Hubble Discovers New Rings and Moons Around Uranus
NASA's Hubble Discovers New …
Title NASA's Hubble Discovers New Rings and Moons Around Uranus
NASA's Hubble Discovers New …
Title NASA's Hubble Discovers New Rings and Moons Around Uranus
NASA's Hubble Discovers New …
Title NASA's Hubble Discovers New Rings and Moons Around Uranus
NASA's Hubble Discovers New …
Title NASA's Hubble Discovers New Rings and Moons Around Uranus
National Map Showing Habitat …
Title National Map Showing Habitat Suitability for Tamarisk Invasion
Abstract The spread of invasive species is one of the most daunting environmental, economic, and human-health problems facing the United States and the World today. It is one of several grand challenge environmental problems being addressed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate through a national application partnership with the US Geological Survey. NASA and USGS are working together to develop a National Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) for the management and control of invasive species on Department of Interior and adjacent lands. The system provides a framework for using USGS's early detection and monitoring protocols and predictive models to process MODIS, ETM+, ASTER and commercial remote sensing data, to create on-demand, regional-scale assessments of invasive species likely habitats. Recent work on the Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) project has shown the importance of remotely-sensed time-series data in geostatistical models for mapping the distribution of Tamarisk and other invasive plant species. This video shows the habitat suitability for a Tamarisk invasion in the continental United States. Red indicates areas that are highly suitable and yellow indicates areas which are less suitable. Texas, New Mexico, and Nevada are the most highly suitable states. Utah and Arizona have the next greatest risk. California, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Ohio, Wyoming, and Florida also have a significant risk.
Completed 2005-10-18
National Map Showing Habitat …
Title National Map Showing Habitat Suitability for Tamarisk Invasion
Abstract The spread of invasive species is one of the most daunting environmental, economic, and human-health problems facing the United States and the World today. It is one of several grand challenge environmental problems being addressed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate through a national application partnership with the US Geological Survey. NASA and USGS are working together to develop a National Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) for the management and control of invasive species on Department of Interior and adjacent lands. The system provides a framework for using USGS's early detection and monitoring protocols and predictive models to process MODIS, ETM+, ASTER and commercial remote sensing data, to create on-demand, regional-scale assessments of invasive species likely habitats. Recent work on the Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) project has shown the importance of remotely-sensed time-series data in geostatistical models for mapping the distribution of Tamarisk and other invasive plant species. This video shows the habitat suitability for a Tamarisk invasion in the continental United States. Red indicates areas that are highly suitable and yellow indicates areas which are less suitable. Texas, New Mexico, and Nevada are the most highly suitable states. Utah and Arizona have the next greatest risk. California, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Ohio, Wyoming, and Florida also have a significant risk.
Completed 2005-10-18
The Habitat Suitability for …
Title The Habitat Suitability for Tamarisk Invasion in the State of New Mexico
Abstract The Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) is a partnership between NASA and The US Geological Survey (USGS). The ISFS combines NASA Earth observations and statistical models to enhance USGS capabilities to map, monitor and predict the spread of significant invasive plant species. This video shows the habitat suitability for a Tamarisk invasion in the state of New Mexico. Red indicates areas that are highly suitable. Yellow indicates areas which are less suitable, and grey are areas which are not suitable. New Mexico is vulnerable to a Tamarisk invasion with 13.55% of the states area classified as 95% suitable for tamarisk habitat.
Completed 2005-10-18
Habitat Suitability for Tama …
Title Habitat Suitability for Tamarisk Invasion in the State of Utah
Abstract The Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) is a partnership between NASA and The US Geological Survey (USGS). The ISFS combines NASA Earth observations and statistical models to enhance USGS capabilities to map, monitor and predict the spread of significant invasive plant species. This video shows habitat suitability for a Tamarisk invasion in the state of Utah. Red indicates areas that are highly suitable. Yellow indicates areas which are less suitable, and grey are areas which are not suitable.
Completed 2005-10-18
Dryden Prepares Discovery fo …
Dryden Prepares Discovery fo …
Dryden Prepares Discovery fo …
Dryden Prepares Discovery fo …
Dryden Prepares Discovery fo …
Air Quality Emergency in Mal …
Title Air Quality Emergency in Malaysia
Description Out-of-control fires burning on the eastern shore of Sumatra (image center) created an air quality emergency for neighboring Malaysia in early August 2005 as smoke shrouded parts of the country. The smoke hung thickly over Malaysia's busy capital, Kuala Lumpur, where it forced businesses, schools, and transportation to close. This image, created using data collected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura [ http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, shows the density of the smoke on August 10, 2005. Red-colored areas show where smoke was thickest. The densest smoke hangs over the Strait of Malacca, between Sumatra and mainland Malaysia to the northeast. Winds in this region often blow from the west, spreading smoke from burning peat swamp forest in coastal Sumatra toward the east. The thickness of the smoke tapers off to mostly green and blue values between mainland Malaysia and the island of Borneo, farther east. A less intense smoke plume is located on the west coast of Borneo, coming from a much smaller collection of fires. Perhaps it is the combination of these two sources of smoke—Sumatra and western Borneo—that gives rise to the yellow (higher values) area between the Borneo and the mainland. Smoke contains many substances, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and particulate matter. OMI measures smoke by tracking black carbon particles, or soot, that absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the wavelengths of sunlight that cause sunburns. By measuring how much UV radiation the soot absorbs, OMI provides estimates of the amount of black carbon aerosol in the smoke layer. This method of detecting aerosols based on their interaction with UV rather than visible (rainbow) light allows OMI to measure absorption by black carbon in smoke even if the smoke is mixed with or floating above clouds. Measurements of how much radiation aerosols absorb are important for scientists trying to calculate the net effect of aerosols on Earth's energy budget and climate. OMI was added to NASA's Aura satellite as part of a collaboration between the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programs and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The sensor tracks global ozone change and monitors aerosols in the atmosphere. NASA image and caption information courtesy the OMI Science Team.
Ash Plume from Anatahan
Title Ash Plume from Anatahan
Description The Anatahan Volcano emitted a plume of volcanic ash on March 19, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image the same day. In this image, the tiny volcanic island sends a plume of volcanic ash or dust toward the southwest, over the Pacific Ocean. The right edge of the image shows a phenomenon called sunglint caused when sunlight bounces off the ocean's surface and into the satellite sensor. Anatahan sits near the center of the Northern Mariana Islands. The islands result from a collision between the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Plate. As the Pacific Plate slides under the Philippine Plate, rocks heat up and break up. They eventually force their way to the surface through weak spots in the Philippine Plate and emerge as volcanoes like Anatahan. This volcano began erupting in January 2005 and remained active for much of the year. In August 2005, the volcano quieted, but in early March 2006, the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands extended the state of emergency for the island of Anatahan, citing continued volcanic activity. Except for those conducting scientific research, the island remained off limits for human habitation and travel. Volcanic ash can pose hazards for local air travel as well, as dustings from volcanoes can damage airplane engines. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Anatahan ] of Anatahan.
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Timbalier Island and its northeastern companions are visible in this pair of infrared-enhanced images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Timbalier Island, the largest island pictured here, sits at the interface between the Gulf of Mexico (south) and Terrebonne Bay (north) along the Louisiana coast southwest of New Orleans. Compared to the image from 2000 (bottom), a large swath of bright sand dominates the eastern side of Timbalier Island in the September 13 image, having either been piled there or exposed by waves and storm surge. To the east-northeast, two small, curving islands have disappeared completely, while farther north, the fierce seas turned two small slots in a barrier island into a single large gap. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Timbalier Island and its northeastern companions are visible in this pair of infrared-enhanced images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Timbalier Island, the largest island pictured here, sits at the interface between the Gulf of Mexico (south) and Terrebonne Bay (north) along the Louisiana coast southwest of New Orleans. Compared to the image from 2000 (bottom), a large swath of bright sand dominates the eastern side of Timbalier Island in the September 13 image, having either been piled there or exposed by waves and storm surge. To the east-northeast, two small, curving islands have disappeared completely, while farther north, the fierce seas turned two small slots in a barrier island into a single large gap. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Horn and Petit Bois Islands south of Pascagoula, Mississippi, are visible in these infrared-enhanced images captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. The eastern and western tips of Horn island have been eroded so greatly that they are now below sea level, their white sandy beaches (August 7 image) now covered by blue water (September 17 image). The sound (northern) side of the island is layered with sand, which stands out in grayish-white against the red of vegetation. On Petit Bois Island, the changes appear more subtle, but there, too, the red of the island's vegetation appears softened by bright sand. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Horn and Petit Bois Islands south of Pascagoula, Mississippi, are visible in these infrared-enhanced images captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. The eastern and western tips of Horn island have been eroded so greatly that they are now below sea level, their white sandy beaches (August 7 image) now covered by blue water (September 17 image). The sound (northern) side of the island is layered with sand, which stands out in grayish-white against the red of vegetation. On Petit Bois Island, the changes appear more subtle, but there, too, the red of the island's vegetation appears softened by bright sand. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Monsoon Flooding in India
Title Monsoon Flooding in India
Description A month of intense monsoon rains has left many of India's rivers flowing over their banks. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of flooded rivers in eastern India through a small break in the clouds on August 7, 2005. The image shows flooding near the confluence of the Tungabhadra and Krishna Rivers in India's Andhra Pradesh state. At least 10,000 people had been evacuated from the banks of the Krishna River a few days before this image was acquired. The lower image shows the rivers on June 15, 2005, just before the rains started. Both images are shown in false color so that water is dark blue, clouds are white and light blue, vegetation is bright green, and bare ground is tan. Monsoon-triggered floods killed more than 1,000 people in western India during the last week of July and the first week of August 2005. The most serious flooding occurred in Mumbai (Bombay), northeast of the area shown in this image, after a record 942 millimeters (37 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours on July 26. See "Record Rainfall over Bombay" [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16985 ] on the Earth Observatory for more information. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_India4 ] of India are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Monsoon Flooding in India
Title Monsoon Flooding in India
Description Heavy monsoon rains brought floods to northeastern India in late August 2005. The floods marooned hundreds of villages, affecting 800,000 people in the Uttar Pradesh State. The rivers were still swollen on August 29, 2005, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. Shown in false color, the image depicts water as dark blue, clouds as pale blue and white, vegetation as bright green, and bare ground as pink and tan. The snow that caps the Himalayas is bright blue. The effect of the summer monsoon is clear when the top image is contrasted with the lower image, taken on June 19, 2005, before the rains started. The rivers in Uttar Pradesh in the upper left corner of the image are wider than normal, brimming with monsoon rains. In addition to filling the rivers, the rainfall has turned the landscape green as plants flourish. In the lower right corner of the image is the Ganges River at its wet-season levels. Though the river is much larger than it was in June, there are no reports of flooding in the region. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the Goddard Land Processes DAAC and the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Monsoon Flooding in India
Title Monsoon Flooding in India
Description Heavy monsoon rains brought floods to northeastern India in late August 2005. The floods marooned hundreds of villages, affecting 800,000 people in the Uttar Pradesh State. The rivers were still swollen on August 29, 2005, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. Shown in false color, the image depicts water as dark blue, clouds as pale blue and white, vegetation as bright green, and bare ground as pink and tan. The snow that caps the Himalayas is bright blue. The effect of the summer monsoon is clear when the top image is contrasted with the lower image, taken on June 19, 2005, before the rains started. The rivers in Uttar Pradesh in the upper left corner of the image are wider than normal, brimming with monsoon rains. In addition to filling the rivers, the rainfall has turned the landscape green as plants flourish. In the lower right corner of the image is the Ganges River at its wet-season levels. Though the river is much larger than it was in June, there are no reports of flooding in the region. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the Goddard Land Processes DAAC and the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Fires Across Alaska
Title Fires Across Alaska
Description In the third week of August 2005, an area of high atmospheric pressure built up over Alaska. Large areas of high pressure often lead to calm weather, with light (or absent) surface winds. Unfortunately for Alaska residents, the high pressure system that parked over the state coincided with a period of significant fire activity, with more than a hundred forest fires churning out thick smoke. For several days the smoke piled up over the Interior leading to hazardous-air-quality warnings for many areas. This pair of images from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite shows smoke measurements over Alaska and western Canada on August 15 (top) and August 21 (bottom). (The background for the image is NASA's Blue Marble. [ http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=2429 ]) Increasing amounts of smoke are shown as an aerosol index with shades of blue (little or no smoke) to dull red (thick smoke). On August 15, a large mass of smoke had drifted westward over the Interior and spread out over the Bering Sea toward Russia. Less than a week later, the weather patterns shifted and the smoke blew to the east and north, over Yukon Territory in western Canada and over Victoria Island toward the Arctic Ocean. Smoke contains many substances, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and particulate matter. OMI measures smoke by tracking black carbon particles, or soot, that absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the wavelengths of sunlight that cause sunburns. By measuring how much UV radiation the soot absorbs, OMI provides estimates of the amount of black carbon aerosol in the smoke layer. This method of detecting aerosols based on their interaction with UV rather than visible (rainbow) light allows OMI to measure absorption by black carbon in smoke even if the smoke is mixed with or floating above clouds. Measurements of how much radiation aerosols absorb are important for scientists trying to calculate the net effect of aerosols on Earth's energy budget and climate. OMI was added to NASA's Aura satellite as part of a collaboration between the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programs and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The sensor tracks global ozone change and monitors aerosols and pollution in the atmosphere. NASA image and caption information courtesy the OMI Science Team.
Fires Across Alaska
Title Fires Across Alaska
Description In the third week of August 2005, an area of high atmospheric pressure built up over Alaska. Large areas of high pressure often lead to calm weather, with light (or absent) surface winds. Unfortunately for Alaska residents, the high pressure system that parked over the state coincided with a period of significant fire activity, with more than a hundred forest fires churning out thick smoke. For several days the smoke piled up over the Interior leading to hazardous-air-quality warnings for many areas. This pair of images from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite shows smoke measurements over Alaska and western Canada on August 15 (top) and August 21 (bottom). (The background for the image is NASA's Blue Marble. [ http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=2429 ]) Increasing amounts of smoke are shown as an aerosol index with shades of blue (little or no smoke) to dull red (thick smoke). On August 15, a large mass of smoke had drifted westward over the Interior and spread out over the Bering Sea toward Russia. Less than a week later, the weather patterns shifted and the smoke blew to the east and north, over Yukon Territory in western Canada and over Victoria Island toward the Arctic Ocean. Smoke contains many substances, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and particulate matter. OMI measures smoke by tracking black carbon particles, or soot, that absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the wavelengths of sunlight that cause sunburns. By measuring how much UV radiation the soot absorbs, OMI provides estimates of the amount of black carbon aerosol in the smoke layer. This method of detecting aerosols based on their interaction with UV rather than visible (rainbow) light allows OMI to measure absorption by black carbon in smoke even if the smoke is mixed with or floating above clouds. Measurements of how much radiation aerosols absorb are important for scientists trying to calculate the net effect of aerosols on Earth's energy budget and climate. OMI was added to NASA's Aura satellite as part of a collaboration between the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programs and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The sensor tracks global ozone change and monitors aerosols and pollution in the atmosphere. NASA image and caption information courtesy the OMI Science Team.
Rainy Season Floods in the S …
Title Rainy Season Floods in the Sahel
Description After a year of poor rainfall, the summer rainy season of 2005 is bringing plenty of moisture to Africa's Sahel. This tropical grassland grows beyond the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and is an important crop region in Africa. Summertime rains have been heavy in 2005, triggering floods across the continent, such as these in eastern Chad. The top image shows wadis (seasonal riverbeds) that have filled with water during the first half of August. The rainfall has also brought a fresh brush of green to the landscape as plants begin to grow and spread. The rainfall has not been entirely beneficial. Several countries have experienced damaging floods. Though no problems were reported in Chad, floods in neighboring Sudan and the Central African Republic have forced widespread evacuations. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured both of the above images in August 2005: the top image on August 17 and the lower image on August 1. The images are shown in false color, and water is dark blue, clouds are light blue, bare land is a pinkish tan, and vegetation is bright green. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Rainy Season Floods in the S …
Title Rainy Season Floods in the Sahel
Description After a year of poor rainfall, the summer rainy season of 2005 is bringing plenty of moisture to Africa's Sahel. This tropical grassland grows beyond the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and is an important crop region in Africa. Summertime rains have been heavy in 2005, triggering floods across the continent, such as these in eastern Chad. The top image shows wadis (seasonal riverbeds) that have filled with water during the first half of August. The rainfall has also brought a fresh brush of green to the landscape as plants begin to grow and spread. The rainfall has not been entirely beneficial. Several countries have experienced damaging floods. Though no problems were reported in Chad, floods in neighboring Sudan and the Central African Republic have forced widespread evacuations. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured both of the above images in August 2005: the top image on August 17 and the lower image on August 1. The images are shown in false color, and water is dark blue, clouds are light blue, bare land is a pinkish tan, and vegetation is bright green. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team.
School Fire, Washington
Title School Fire, Washington
Description In southeastern Washington in early August 2005, the School Fire was raging through the Umatilla National Forest about 16 miles south of the town of Pomery. By August 11, 2005, the fire had consumed 42,000 acres, and was 40% contained. In addition, the fire destroyed 87 buildings, including 49 residences. Other buildings in the area are under evacuation orders, and several roads are closed. On August 10, 2005, the School Fire was still billowing thick smoke. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image, the sensor detected several areas of active fire (outlined in red). Additional fires were burning in Oregon and Idaho, though none were as large as the School Fire. Information on the status of fires across the United States, visit the Current Wildland Fire Information [ http://www.nifc.gov/information.html ] Website of the National Interagency Fire Center. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA1/2005222 ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
School Fire, Washington
Title School Fire, Washington
Description In southeastern Washington in early August 2005, the School Fire was raging through the Umatilla National Forest about 16 miles south of the town of Pomery. By August 11, 2005, the fire had consumed 42,000 acres, and was 40% contained. In addition, the fire destroyed 87 buildings, including 49 residences. Other buildings in the area are under evacuation orders, and several roads are closed. On August 10, 2005, the School Fire was still billowing thick smoke. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image, the sensor detected several areas of active fire (outlined in red). Additional fires were burning in Oregon and Idaho, though none were as large as the School Fire. Information on the status of fires across the United States, visit the Current Wildland Fire Information [ http://www.nifc.gov/information.html ] Website of the National Interagency Fire Center. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA1/2005222 ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires in Portugal
Title Fires in Portugal
Description Drought-ravaged forests in Portugal continued to burn in the fourth week of August 2005. Wildfires were burning out of control in several locations, and the government had declared a state of emergency in the central part of the country. This image of the fires (outlined in red) was captured on August 22, 2005, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Smoke from dozens of fires detected by MODIS is spreading across the Atlantic Ocean, at image left. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Europe_3_01/2005234 ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires in Portugal
Title Fires in Portugal
Description Throughout August 2005, wildfires have been burning off and on across several regions of Portugal, which has been suffering through a severe drought. As the fires billowed thick smoke into the air, carbon monoxide accumulated and was measured by the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) sensor on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. The color-coded map above shows levels of carbon monoxide that accumulated over the Iberian Peninsula from August 15-21. Carbon monoxide is measured in parts per billion by volume (ppbv) on a scale from 0 (blue) to 240 (red). A carbon monoxide concentration of 240 parts per billion by volume means that for every billion molecules in the column of air MOPITT observed, 240 were carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a good indicator of combustion-related air pollution, and observations like these from MOPITT give scientists a good idea of how that type of pollution spreads regionally or even globally. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Toronto MOPITT Teams
Fires in Portugal
Title Fires in Portugal
Description Fires continued to burn across dry woodlands in Portugal in mid-August 2005. High temperatures (40 degrees Celsius, 104 degrees Fahrenheit) are adding to firefighters' difficulties in controlling the blazes, which have burned off and on in central and northern Portugal since July. This image of the region was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 16, 2005. Active fire locations have been marked with red dots. A large fire is burning in the Estrela Mountains in the center of the scene, creating a sheet of grayish smoke that fans out to the east. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Europe_3_01/2005228/ ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires in Portugal
Title Fires in Portugal
Description The devastating fires that raged across Portugal in July and August 2005 did not spare the country's largest park their fury. In central Portugal, almost the entire range of the country's highest mountains, the Serra da Estrela, are part of a national park, in which a rural economy of agriculture, including herding of goats and sheep, co-exists with scenic views, significant cultural and historical sites, and good examples of glacier-carved topography. Although small fires had started and been extinguished quickly in other parts of the Serra da Estrela in June and early July, around July 19, more fires broke out in the park. These fires exploded, spreading rapidly. Residents of towns and villas in the park had to evacuate as the flames raced through drought-stressed vegetation. The results of the blazes are captured in this image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite from August 25, 2005. Vegetation appears in shades of red, developed areas appear white, water is blue, and burned areas are deep charcoal. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Smoke from Alaskan Fires in …
Title Smoke from Alaskan Fires in Northwestern Canada
Description Northwestern Canada felt the effects as Alaska continued to burn [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13053 ] in late August 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on August 23, 2005. In this image, a pale gray cloud of smoke several hundred kilometers long sweeps through the Northwest Territories toward the southeast, barely obscuring the view of Great Bear Lake. The smoke dips into the province of Alberta (bottom center) before turning northeast. It changes direction again to head southward over Saskatchewan and Manitoba (bottom right). Clouds—distinct from the smoke because they are pure white—surround the snaking cloud of smoke and block out the view of eastern Canada. NASA image created by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response team.
Fires in the Northern Rockie …
Title Fires in the Northern Rockies
Description In the Northern Rockies in mid-August 2005, more than a dozen fires were burning across Washington, Idaho, and Montana. This image of the tinder-dry, flammable region was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 15. Locations where MODIS detected active fires are marked in red. Among the large fires are the School Fire [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13040 ] in Washington, the Blackberry and China Ten Fires in Idaho, and the I-80 and Rockin Fires in Montana. For information on the threats these fires pose to residences, infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources, read the daily situation report [ http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/sitreprt.pdf ] for August 16, published by the National Interagency Fire Center. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA1/2005227/ ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Three Years of Saturn
Title Three Years of Saturn
Explanation Using an image recorded just last month as a base, this composite illustration tracks the motion of bright Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070406.html ] as it wanders through planet Earth's night sky [ http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/viewing.cfm ]. Starting at the upper right, Saturn's position is shown about every two weeks beginning in August 2005 and projected through September 2008. Over the three year period, Saturn actually appears to reverse its general eastward (leftward) drift, tracing out three flattened curves. The periodic backwards or retrograde motion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060422.html ] with respect to the background stars is a reflection of the motion of the Earth itself. Retrograde motion [ http://www.lasalle.edu/~smithsc/Astronomy/ retrograd.html ] can be seen each time Earth overtakes and laps planets orbiting farther from the Sun, the Earth moving more rapidly through its own closer-in [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/retrograde/ copernican.html ] orbit. The Beehive [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060128.html ] star cluster in Cancer lies near the track at the upper right. Stars along the "backward question mark" at the head of Leo [ http://stardate.org/nightsky/constellations/leo.html ] are in the left half of the frame. Saturn's position this month [ http://skytonight.com/observing/home/April_podcast.html ] is near the right hand limit of the middle curve. Click on the picture to download and view the gif animation.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter …
Title Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Aerobraking
Description December 10, 2003 NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter dips into the thin martian atmosphere to adjust its orbit in this artist's concept illustration. NASA plans to launch this multipurpose spacecraft in August 2005 for arrival at Mars in March 2006. The plans call for controlled use of atmospheric friction in a process called aerobraking for about six months after arrival to change the initial, very elongated orbit into a rounder shape optimal for science operations. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is designed to advance our understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for those missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Office of Space Science, Washington. JPL's main industrial partner in the project, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo., is building the spacecraft.
Date 12.10.2003
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter …
Title Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter over Nilosyrtis
Description December 10, 2003 NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter passes above a portion of the planet called Nilosyrtis Mensae in this artist's concept illustration. NASA plans to launch this multipurpose spacecraft in August 2005 to advance our understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for those missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Office of Space Science, Washington. JPL's main industrial partner in the project, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo., is building the spacecraft.
Date 12.10.2003
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter …
Title Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter over Pole
Description December 10, 2003 NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter passes over the planet's south polar region in this artist's concept illustration. NASA plans to launch this multipurpose spacecraft in August 2005 to advance our understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for those missions. The orbiter's shallow radar experiment, one of six science instruments on board, is designed to probe the internal structure of Mars' polar ice caps, as well as to gather information planet-wide about underground layers of ice, rock and, perhaps, liquid water that might be accessible from the surface. Phobos, one of Mars' two moons, appears in the upper left corner of the illustration NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Office of Space Science, Washington. JPL's main industrial partner in the project, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo., is building the spacecraft. The Italian Space Agency is providing the radar instrument.
Date 12.10.2003
An Atlas 5 Rocket
title An Atlas 5 Rocket
Description An Atlas 5 rocket will launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in August 2005.  Lockheed Martin is building the orbiter at its facility near Denver, Colorado.  Lockheed Martin is also building the Atlas 5, designated AV-007, that will launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from launch complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: Lockheed Martin
An Atlas 5 Rocket
title An Atlas 5 Rocket
Description An Atlas 5 rocket will launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in August 2005.  Lockheed Martin is building the orbiter at its facility near Denver, Colorado.  Lockheed Martin is also building the Atlas 5, designated AV-007, that will launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from launch complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: Lockheed Martin
An Atlas 5 Rocket
title An Atlas 5 Rocket
Description An Atlas 5 rocket will launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in August 2005.  Lockheed Martin is building the orbiter at its facility near Denver, Colorado.  Lockheed Martin is also building the Atlas 5, designated AV-007, that will launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from launch complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: Lockheed Martin
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter …
title Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Taking Shape
Description Lockheed Martin Space Systems engineer Terry Kampmann (left) and lead technician Jack Farmerie work on assembly and test of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft bus in a cleanroom at the company's Denver facility. In coming months, the orbiter's science instruments will be integrated and tested, followed by environmental testing of the completed spacecraft. Launch of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is scheduled for August 2005. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter project is managed for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is prime contractor for the project. Credit: NASA/JPL/Lockheed Martin/Pat Corkery
Mimas in View
PIA08289
Saturn
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Mimas in View
Original Caption Released with Image The Cassini spacecraft zooms in on Mimas, pitted by craters and slightly out-of-round. Cassini images taken during a flyby of Mimas in August 2005 were compiled into a movie showing the moon's battered surface up close (see PIA07710 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07710 ]). This view shows the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across). North is up and rotated 24 degrees to the left. The moon's night side is dimly lit by saturnshine, which is sunlight reflected by the planet. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 25, 2006 at a distance of approximately 552,000 kilometers (343,000 miles) from Mimas and at a Sun-Mimas-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 106 degrees. Image scale is 3 kilometers (2 miles) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ]. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ].
AIRS-Retrieved Global Tropos …
PIA09941
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder …
Title AIRS-Retrieved Global Tropospheric Methane for August 2005
Original Caption Released with Image This image is the AIRS-retrieved global tropospheric methane for August 2005. This AIRS research product will aid in the identification of natural and anthropogenic sources of this greenhouse gas, its seasonal and multi-year variation and its transport around the globe at several altitudes in the troposphere.
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