Narrow Search
 
 
Advanced Search

Browse All : Images of California and Japan

Printer Friendly
1 2 3
1-50 of 118
     
     
Our Chaotic Neighbor
Title Our Chaotic Neighbor
Description This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of more than 100,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the whole galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange: 4.5-micron light is green, and 3.6-micron light is blue.
Our Chaotic Neighbor
Title Our Chaotic Neighbor
Description This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of more than 100,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the whole galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange: 4.5-micron light is green, and 3.6-micron light is blue.
Our Chaotic Neighbor
Title Our Chaotic Neighbor
Description This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of more than 100,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the whole galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 8 and 5.8 microns is red and orange: 4.5-micron light is green, and 3.6-micron light is blue.
What's Old Is New in the Lar …
Title What's Old Is New in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Description This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of 300,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red color around these bright regions is from dust heated by stars, while the red dots scattered throughout the picture are either dusty, old stars or more distant galaxies. The greenish clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. Astronomers say this image allows them to quantify the process by which space dust ? the same stuff that makes up planets and even people ? is recycled in a galaxy. The picture shows dust at its three main cosmic hangouts: around the young stars, where it is being consumed (red-tinted, bright clouds), scattered about in the space between stars (greenish clouds), and in expelled shells of material from old stars (randomly-spaced red dots). The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the entire galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 (blue) and 8 (green) microns was captured by the telescope's infrared array camera, 24-micron light (red) was detected by the multiband imaging photometer.
What's Old Is New in the Lar …
Title What's Old Is New in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Description This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of 300,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red color around these bright regions is from dust heated by stars, while the red dots scattered throughout the picture are either dusty, old stars or more distant galaxies. The greenish clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. Astronomers say this image allows them to quantify the process by which space dust ? the same stuff that makes up planets and even people ? is recycled in a galaxy. The picture shows dust at its three main cosmic hangouts: around the young stars, where it is being consumed (red-tinted, bright clouds), scattered about in the space between stars (greenish clouds), and in expelled shells of material from old stars (randomly-spaced red dots). The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the entire galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 (blue) and 8 (green) microns was captured by the telescope's infrared array camera, 24-micron light (red) was detected by the multiband imaging photometer.
What's Old Is New in the Lar …
Title What's Old Is New in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Description This vibrant image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. The infrared image, a mosaic of 300,000 individual tiles, offers astronomers a unique chance to study the lifecycle of stars and dust in a single galaxy. Nearly one million objects are revealed for the first time in this Spitzer view, which represents about a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over previous space-based missions. Most of the new objects are dusty stars of various ages populating the Large Magellanic Cloud, the rest are thought to be background galaxies. The blue color in the picture, seen most prominently in the central bar, represents starlight from older stars. The chaotic, bright regions outside this bar are filled with hot, massive stars buried in thick blankets of dust. The red color around these bright regions is from dust heated by stars, while the red dots scattered throughout the picture are either dusty, old stars or more distant galaxies. The greenish clouds contain cooler interstellar gas and molecular-sized dust grains illuminated by ambient starlight. Astronomers say this image allows them to quantify the process by which space dust ? the same stuff that makes up planets and even people ? is recycled in a galaxy. The picture shows dust at its three main cosmic hangouts: around the young stars, where it is being consumed (red-tinted, bright clouds), scattered about in the space between stars (greenish clouds), and in expelled shells of material from old stars (randomly-spaced red dots). The Large Magellanic Cloud, located 160,000 light-years from Earth, is one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way. It is approximately one-third as wide as the Milky Way, and, if it could be seen in its entirety, would cover the same amount of sky as a grid of about 480 full moons. About one-third of the entire galaxy can be seen in the Spitzer image. This picture is a composite of infrared light captured by Spitzer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 (blue) and 8 (green) microns was captured by the telescope's infrared array camera, 24-micron light (red) was detected by the multiband imaging photometer.
Storms in Saturn's Atmospher …
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description This close-up of Saturn's southern hemisphere shows several dark spots huddled in the mid-latitude region. The largest of these spots is about 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) across, or about as wide as Japan is long. Also visible are light-colored, lacy cloud patterns indicative of atmospheric turbulence. The image was taken with the Cassini narrow angle camera through a near-infrared filter on May 7, 2004, from a distance of 28.2 million kilometers (17.5 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 168 kilometers (104 miles) per pixel. The image has been contrast-enhanced to aid visibility. 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 Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit, http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Olympic Game Communication S …
Title Olympic Game Communication Satellite "Birds
Full Description The replicas of the covey (flock) of synchronous communication satellites that were used to televise the 19th Olympic Games from Mexico City to audiences in Europe and Japan. The satellites are shown at Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, California where they were built for NASA and Comsat Corporation. In the center is a full- scale model of the Intelsat II satellite, which was used by Comsat to send color TV direct to Japan via a Hughes ground station installed near San Jose, California. Left of Intelsat is the NASA's ATS-3 (Application Technology Satellites), which transmitted the picture portion of the Olympics to Europe and the Early Bird (right) transmitted the voice commentary of the European telecast in a dozen languages. These communication satellites went into orbit over the Atlantic in April 1965.
Date 10/16/68
NASA Center Headquarters
Hubble's Advanced Camera for …
Title Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys Resumes Exploring the Universe
General Information What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. After a brief hiatus, the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, probing the far reaches of space in a quest to understand the true nature of the universe?s most dominant constituent: dark energy. This is one of the first images of the universe taken after the ACS camera resumed science operation on July 4th. The camera was offline for nearly two weeks as NASA engineers switched to a backup power supply after the camera?s primary power supply failed. Read more: * The Full Story [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2006/36/full/ ]
Hubble's Advanced Camera for …
Title Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys Resumes Exploring the Universe
General Information What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. After a brief hiatus, the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, probing the far reaches of space in a quest to understand the true nature of the universe?s most dominant constituent: dark energy. This is one of the first images of the universe taken after the ACS camera resumed science operation on July 4th. The camera was offline for nearly two weeks as NASA engineers switched to a backup power supply after the camera?s primary power supply failed. Read more: * The Full Story [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2006/36/full/ ]
Hubble's Advanced Camera for …
Title Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys Resumes Exploring the Universe
General Information What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. After a brief hiatus, the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, probing the far reaches of space in a quest to understand the true nature of the universe?s most dominant constituent: dark energy. This is one of the first images of the universe taken after the ACS camera resumed science operation on July 4th. The camera was offline for nearly two weeks as NASA engineers switched to a backup power supply after the camera?s primary power supply failed. Read more: * The Full Story [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2006/36/full/ ]
Hubble's Advanced Camera for …
Title Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys Resumes Exploring the Universe
General Information What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. After a brief hiatus, the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, probing the far reaches of space in a quest to understand the true nature of the universe?s most dominant constituent: dark energy. This is one of the first images of the universe taken after the ACS camera resumed science operation on July 4th. The camera was offline for nearly two weeks as NASA engineers switched to a backup power supply after the camera?s primary power supply failed. Read more: * The Full Story [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2006/36/full/ ]
Milton (Milt) O. Thompson
Photo Date 1960
Photo Description One of NASA?s Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft flies over the Dryden Flight Research Center main building at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, in May 1999.
Project Description NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range swept-wing "jumbo jets" that entered commercial service in 1969. The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights. Features which distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are: o Three struts, with associated interior structural strengthening, protruding from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached o Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability o Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors o Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations. The two SCAs are under the operational control of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex. NASA 905 NASA 905 was the first SCA. It was obtained from American Airlines in 1974. Shortly after it was accepted by NASA it was flown in a series of wake vortex research flights at the Dryden Flight Research Center in a study to seek ways of reducing turbulence produced by large aircraft. Pilots flying as much as several miles behind large aircraft have encountered wake turbulence that have caused control problems. The NASA study helped the Federal Aviation Administration modify flight procedures for commercial aircraft during airport approaches and departures. Following the wake vortex studies, NASA 905 was modified by Boeing to its present SCA configuration and the aircraft was returned to Dryden for its role in the 1977 Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). This series of eight captive and five free flights with the orbiter prototype Enterprise, in addition to ground taxi tests, validated the aircraft's performance as an SCA, in addition to verifying the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter configuration -- paving the way for orbital flights. A flight crew escape system, consisting of an exit tunnel extending from the flight deck to a hatch in the bottom of the fuselage, was installed during the modifications. The system also included a pyrotechnic system to activate the hatch release and cabin window release mechanisms. The, flight crew escape system was removed from the NASA 905 following the successful completion of the ALT program. NASA 905 was the only SCA used by the space shuttle program until November 1990, when NASA 911 was delivered as an SCA. Along with ferrying Enterprise and the flight-rated orbiters between the launch and landing sites and other locations, NASA 905 also ferried Enterprise to Europe for display in England and at the Paris Air Show. NASA 911 The second SCA is designated NASA 911. It was obtained by NASA from Japan Airlines (JAL) in 1989. It was also modified by Boeing Corporation. It was delivered to NASA 20 November 1990.
Photo Date May 1999
Pan Pacific Microgravity Con …
Name of Image Pan Pacific Microgravity Conference -- Outreach
Date of Image 2001-10-04
Full Description Dr. Chiaki Mukai of Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA) speaks to students at the California Science Center during the outreach session of the Pan Pacific Microgravity Conference on May 2, 2001. She flew as a payload specialist on two NASA Space Shuttle missions, STS-65 carrying the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2, 1994) and STS-95 (1998).
Angora Fire
Title Angora Fire
Description On the weekend of June 23, 2007, a wildfire broke out south of Lake Tahoe, which stretches across the California-Nevada border. By June 28, the Angora Fire [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14323 ] had burned more than 200 homes and forced some 2,000 residents to evacuate, according to The Seattle Times and the Central Valley Business Times. On June 27, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of the burn scar left by the Angora fire. The burn scar is dark gray, or charcoal. Water bodies, including the southern tip of Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake, are pale silvery blue, the silver color a result of sunlight reflecting off the surface of the water. Vegetation ranges in color from dark to bright green. Streets are light gray, and the customary pattern of meandering residential streets and cul-de-sacs appears throughout the image, including the area that burned. The burn scar shows where the fire obliterated some of the residential areas just east of Fallen Leaf Lake. According to news reports, the U.S. Forest Service had expressed optimism about containing the fire within a week of the outbreak, but a few days after the fire started, it jumped a defense, forcing the evacuation of hundreds more residents. Strong winds that had been forecast for June 27, however, did not materialize, allowing firefighters to regain ground in controlling the blaze. On June 27, authorities hoped that the fire would be completely contained by July 3. According to estimates provided in the daily report from the National Interagency Fire Center, [ http://www.nifc.gov/information.html ] the fire had burned 3,100 acres (about 12.5 square kilometers) and was about 55 percent contained as of June 28. Some mandatory evacuations remained in effect. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the Angora fire [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/tahoe_ast_2007178.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Deadly Earthquake, Xianjing …
Title Deadly Earthquake, Xianjing Province, China
Description A destructive earthquake of magnitude 6.4 rattled China?s Xinjiang province at 10:04 AM (local time) on February 24, 2003. Over 250 people were killed. This remote, flat, and mostly featureless area of western China (called the Tarim Basin by geologists) is different from most other regions with frequent earthquakes. Typical seismically active areas are mountainous, like Alaska and coastal California, and lie along the boundaries of tectonic plates. In contrast, the Tarim Basin (which lies on the Eurasian Plate) remains flat while it is being squeezed by the motion of the Indian Plate?which is 1000 km (620 miles) away. Instead of deforming into belts of mountain ranges, the Tarim Basin is transmitting force applied by the Indian Plate to the interior of Asia, where the Tian Shan mountains are rising. The Tian Shan can be seen at the top edge of the large image. The approximate epicenter of the earthquake is represented by a white dot in this image, acquired on August 29, 2001, (before the earthquake) by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). ASTER is an instrument aboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The false-color image combines near-infrared, red, and green wavelengths. Crops, almost certainly irrigated, appear red in this scene, while barren landscape appears brown. Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Dust Storm in Southern Calif …
Title Dust Storm in Southern California
Description Along historic Route 66, [ http://www.historic66.com/ ] just southeast of the little town of Amboy, California, lies a dried-up lake. Dry lakebeds are good sources of two things: salt and dust. In this image, the now-parched Bristol Lake offers up both. On April 12, 2007, dust storms menaced the area around Amboy. To the northwest, near Newberry Springs, California, dust hampered visibility and led to a multi-car collision on Interstate 40, killing two people and injuring several others. The same day, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of a dust storm in the dry remains of Bristol Lake. Many small dust clouds boil up from the ground surface, casting their shadows to the northwest. A bright white cloud floating over the dust also throws its shadow onto the ground below. East of the dust storm are salt works that stand out from the surrounding landscape thanks to their straight lines and sharp angles. Dark ground surfaces alternate with mined white salt in a network of stripes. When lakes evaporate, chemicals that had been dissolved in the water stay behind, making dry lake beds an ideal place to find heavy concentrations of minerals, including salt. Besides the salt works, something else appears in stark contrast to this arid place. Lush green fields of irrigated crops appear in the east. Besides their color, their orderly arrangement reveals their human-made origin. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Dust Storm in Southern Calif …
Title Dust Storm in Southern California
Description Along historic Route 66, [ http://www.historic66.com/ ] just southeast of the little town of Amboy, California, lies a dried-up lake. Dry lakebeds are good sources of two things: salt and dust. In this image, the now-parched Bristol Lake offers up both. On April 12, 2007, dust storms menaced the area around Amboy. To the northwest, near Newberry Springs, California, dust hampered visibility and led to a multi-car collision on Interstate 40, killing two people and injuring several others. The same day, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of a dust storm in the dry remains of Bristol Lake. Many small dust clouds boil up from the ground surface, casting their shadows to the northwest. A bright white cloud floating over the dust also throws its shadow onto the ground below. East of the dust storm are salt works that stand out from the surrounding landscape thanks to their straight lines and sharp angles. Dark ground surfaces alternate with mined white salt in a network of stripes. When lakes evaporate, chemicals that had been dissolved in the water stay behind, making dry lake beds an ideal place to find heavy concentrations of minerals, including salt. Besides the salt works, something else appears in stark contrast to this arid place. Lush green fields of irrigated crops appear in the east. Besides their color, their orderly arrangement reveals their human-made origin. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Ivan
Title Hurricane Ivan
Description Interstate 10 is a heavily traveled roadway connecting Florida?s panhandle to the west. The road stretches from the eastern shore of northern Florida to Los Angeles, California, skirting the Gulf shore to Houston, then following the Mexican border to California. Just before leaving Florida, a traveler on I-10 would cross Escambia Bay near Pensacola. That was before Hurricane Ivan blasted through the Florida panhandle. The storm?s fierce 130-mile-per-hour winds and possibly its storm surge cut through the bridge, leaving a wide gap in Interstate 10. The gap is visible in this image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 21, 2004, five days after Ivan made landfall. The road forms a thin white line across the dark waters of Escambia Bay in a comparison image, taken on September 28, 2003. In the 2004 image, the line is broken. Further evidence of Ivan's fury is visible in the top image. Large tracts of darker red regions along the Escambia River, left, and the Yellow River, right, are probably flooded. This pair of false-color composite images was made by combining the near infrared, red, and green wavelengths (ASTER bands 3, 2, & 1), making vegetation appear red and water look black. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory from data provided by Michael Abrams and the MITI, ERSDAC, JAROS, and the U.S./Japan ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] Science Team.
Hurricane Ivan
Title Hurricane Ivan
Description Interstate 10 is a heavily traveled roadway connecting Florida?s panhandle to the west. The road stretches from the eastern shore of northern Florida to Los Angeles, California, skirting the Gulf shore to Houston, then following the Mexican border to California. Just before leaving Florida, a traveler on I-10 would cross Escambia Bay near Pensacola. That was before Hurricane Ivan blasted through the Florida panhandle. The storm?s fierce 130-mile-per-hour winds and possibly its storm surge cut through the bridge, leaving a wide gap in Interstate 10. The gap is visible in this image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 21, 2004, five days after Ivan made landfall. The road forms a thin white line across the dark waters of Escambia Bay in a comparison image, taken on September 28, 2003. In the 2004 image, the line is broken. Further evidence of Ivan's fury is visible in the top image. Large tracts of darker red regions along the Escambia River, left, and the Yellow River, right, are probably flooded. This pair of false-color composite images was made by combining the near infrared, red, and green wavelengths (ASTER bands 3, 2, & 1), making vegetation appear red and water look black. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory from data provided by Michael Abrams and the MITI, ERSDAC, JAROS, and the U.S./Japan ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] Science Team.
Earthquake Raises Reefs in t …
Title Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands
Description When people talk about change happening on a geologic time scale, most of the time, they mean that the change happens over the course of millions of years: the Colorado River gradually cuts through the soft rock of the Colorado Plateau until it has made a 4,000-foot-deep chasm, the Grand Canyon, continents drift centimeters at a time, slowly changing the shape and position of landmasses on the Earth. Most of the time, change is slow, but sometimes, geologic change happens all at once. This was the case on Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, its epicenter southwest of Ranongga Island. The huge quake pushed much of the island up, raising the coral reefs that ringed the island above the water. In the course of a few minutes, Ranongga Island acquired several meters of new beach. The newly exposed reef forms a gray rim along the eastern shore of the island in the left image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on April 12, 2007. In the right image, taken on March 31, 2006, the shallowly submerged reefs color the water a lighter shade of blue. The uplift may be more dramatic than the images show. When ASTER took the 2007 image, the tide was 29.4 centimeters higher than it was when the 2006 image was taken, and yet the uplift is still visible. The lush vegetation that covers the tropical island is bright red in this image, which is made from both visible and infrared light. Out of its aquatic environment, the reef died, becoming the foundation of new land. Such evolution is common in earthquake zones in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the December 26, 2004, earthquake that generated the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Simeulue Island was lifted as much as 150 centimeters (4.9 feet), exposing the reef that surrounded it. A similar set of exposed fossilized reefs on the shores of Papua New Guinea, near the Solomon Islands, provided proof that wobbles in the Earth's orbit trigger ice ages. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]Thanks to Aron Meltzner, California Institute of Technology, for help with image interpretation.
Earthquake Raises Reefs in t …
Title Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands
Description When people talk about change happening on a geologic time scale, most of the time, they mean that the change happens over the course of millions of years: the Colorado River gradually cuts through the soft rock of the Colorado Plateau until it has made a 4,000-foot-deep chasm, the Grand Canyon, continents drift centimeters at a time, slowly changing the shape and position of landmasses on the Earth. Most of the time, change is slow, but sometimes, geologic change happens all at once. This was the case on Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, its epicenter southwest of Ranongga Island. The huge quake pushed much of the island up, raising the coral reefs that ringed the island above the water. In the course of a few minutes, Ranongga Island acquired several meters of new beach. The newly exposed reef forms a gray rim along the eastern shore of the island in the left image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on April 12, 2007. In the right image, taken on March 31, 2006, the shallowly submerged reefs color the water a lighter shade of blue. The uplift may be more dramatic than the images show. When ASTER took the 2007 image, the tide was 29.4 centimeters higher than it was when the 2006 image was taken, and yet the uplift is still visible. The lush vegetation that covers the tropical island is bright red in this image, which is made from both visible and infrared light. Out of its aquatic environment, the reef died, becoming the foundation of new land. Such evolution is common in earthquake zones in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the December 26, 2004, earthquake that generated the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Simeulue Island was lifted as much as 150 centimeters (4.9 feet), exposing the reef that surrounded it. A similar set of exposed fossilized reefs on the shores of Papua New Guinea, near the Solomon Islands, provided proof that wobbles in the Earth's orbit trigger ice ages. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]Thanks to Aron Meltzner, California Institute of Technology, for help with image interpretation.
Earthquake Raises Reefs in t …
Title Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands
Description When people talk about change happening on a geologic time scale, most of the time, they mean that the change happens over the course of millions of years: the Colorado River gradually cuts through the soft rock of the Colorado Plateau until it has made a 4,000-foot-deep chasm, the Grand Canyon, continents drift centimeters at a time, slowly changing the shape and position of landmasses on the Earth. Most of the time, change is slow, but sometimes, geologic change happens all at once. This was the case on Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, its epicenter southwest of Ranongga Island. The huge quake pushed much of the island up, raising the coral reefs that ringed the island above the water. In the course of a few minutes, Ranongga Island acquired several meters of new beach. The newly exposed reef forms a gray rim along the eastern shore of the island in the left image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on April 12, 2007. In the right image, taken on March 31, 2006, the shallowly submerged reefs color the water a lighter shade of blue. The uplift may be more dramatic than the images show. When ASTER took the 2007 image, the tide was 29.4 centimeters higher than it was when the 2006 image was taken, and yet the uplift is still visible. The lush vegetation that covers the tropical island is bright red in this image, which is made from both visible and infrared light. Out of its aquatic environment, the reef died, becoming the foundation of new land. Such evolution is common in earthquake zones in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the December 26, 2004, earthquake that generated the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Simeulue Island was lifted as much as 150 centimeters (4.9 feet), exposing the reef that surrounded it. A similar set of exposed fossilized reefs on the shores of Papua New Guinea, near the Solomon Islands, provided proof that wobbles in the Earth's orbit trigger ice ages. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]Thanks to Aron Meltzner, California Institute of Technology, for help with image interpretation.
San Miguel and Santa Rosa Is …
Title San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands
Description Off the California coast lies a series of small islands, all part of the Channel Islands National Park. [ http://www.nps.gov/chis ] On May 29, 2005, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of two of those islands: San Miguel and Santa Rosa. The westernmost island, San Miguel, is primarily a plateau, most of it with an elevation of approximately 150 meters (500 feet), although some hills on the island reach roughly 250 meters (800 feet). At just 9,500 acres (38 square kilometers), San Miguel faces a constant barrage of North Pacific winds. Strong stripes, resulting from linear sand dunes, cross this island from its northwestern beaches toward the southeast. In between the dunes, however, vegetation appears lush. According to the National Park Service, the island had been characterized as a "barren lump of sand" in the late nineteenth century, thanks to a century of overgrazing. Removal of the grazing animals eventually restored the island's flora. San Miguel's neighbor, Santa Rosa, sports no stripes, and seems slightly less lush. Santa Rosa is the second-largest island off the California coast, at 53,000 acres (214 square kilometers). Only its eastern neighbor, Santa Cruz, is larger. Santa Rosa has generally low elevation except for its central mountain range that reaches up to roughly 484 meters (1,589 feet). Like its elevation, Santa Rosa's coastline also varies, from wide sandy beaches to steep cliffs. In the water around the islands, kelp forests rise up from the ocean floor. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of San Miguel Island [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/sanmiguel_ast_2005149.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Sierra Nevada Range, Mokelum …
Title Sierra Nevada Range, Mokelumne Wilderness
Description South of Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, the boundaries of three national forests—Stanislaus, El Dorado, and Humboldt-Toiyabe—meet. At the intersection of these boundaries sits the Mokelumne Wilderness Area, [ http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/visitor/mokelumne.shtml ] which straddles the crest of the Sierra Nevada. On June 29, 2007, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the Mokelumne and surrounding forests. In this simulated true-color image, dark green indicates thick vegetation, pale green indicates sparse vegetation, dark blue indicates water, and beige and gray indicate bare ground. National Park boundaries appear in white. The terrain in the area is rugged, with steep mountain crags interspersed with occasional lakes with jagged contours. At high elevations, forests give way to alpine plants, and finally, to bare rock. A pale shoreline outlines Spicer Reservoir, near the bottom of the image, suggesting a dip in the lake's water level, consistent with warm, dry [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14393 ] conditions that predominated in the American West in the early summer of 2007. Not all national forests are wilderness area, many forests offer timber concessions. In Stanislaus National Forest, in the lower left corner of this image, tiny pale patches break the forest cover. In the high-resolution imagery, the precise geometric outlines of these patches are more obvious, such patterns are consistent with clear-cut logging. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the Mokelumne Wilderness [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/eldorado_ast_2007180.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Fires in Southern California
Title Fires in Southern California
Description On Sunday, October 26, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) captured this image of the Old Fire/Grand Prix fire burning on either side of Interstate 15 near the Cajon Pass in the San Bernardino Mountains, roughly 80 km (50 mi) east of Los Angeles, CA. When this image was acquired, the fire had burned more than 80,000 acres, consumed 450 structures, and caused 2 fatalities. Most of the local communities were evacuated as the fire continued to spread rapidly, fanned by the intense Santa Ana winds. The top image in simulated natural color shows the how the scene would look from above to a human eye, while the bottom image combines ASTER bands 4, 3, and 1 to produce a thermal infrared look at the scene. Notice how much more detail on the surface is apparent in the bottom image—the bright red-orange ribbon snaking along the northern side of the burn is the actively burning fire front, while the darker crimson patch shows the smoldering burn scar. ASTER is one of five instruments aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. (Note, the high-resolution copy of the thermal infrared image available here is 55 x 45 km, and the high-res version of the simulated natural color image covers an area of 83 x 54 km). Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ]
Fires in Southern California
Title Fires in Southern California
Description On Sunday, October 26, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) captured this image of the Old Fire/Grand Prix fire burning on either side of Interstate 15 near the Cajon Pass in the San Bernardino Mountains, roughly 80 km (50 mi) east of Los Angeles, CA. When this image was acquired, the fire had burned more than 80,000 acres, consumed 450 structures, and caused 2 fatalities. Most of the local communities were evacuated as the fire continued to spread rapidly, fanned by the intense Santa Ana winds. The top image in simulated natural color shows the how the scene would look from above to a human eye, while the bottom image combines ASTER bands 4, 3, and 1 to produce a thermal infrared look at the scene. Notice how much more detail on the surface is apparent in the bottom image—the bright red-orange ribbon snaking along the northern side of the burn is the actively burning fire front, while the darker crimson patch shows the smoldering burn scar. ASTER is one of five instruments aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. (Note, the high-resolution copy of the thermal infrared image available here is 55 x 45 km, and the high-res version of the simulated natural color image covers an area of 83 x 54 km). Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ]
Fires in Southern California
Title Fires in Southern California
Description This false-color image shows the devastating burn scars left behind by wildfires in southern California in late October 2003. In the image, unburned vegetation appears red, while burned areas appear charcoal-brown. The image, captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), on November 2, 2003, shows the Santa Monica Hills in the Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley regions of California northwest of the city of Los Angeles. Urban areas appear light gray, and some irrigated fields in the left part of the iamge appear brilliant red. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the U.S. /Japan ASTER Science Team.
Fires in Southern California
Title Fires in Southern California
Description *High-resolution Images:* November 2, 2003(3.9 Mb JPEG) September 22, 2003 (3.2 Mb JPEG) The image above (top) shows burn scars around Lake Piru in the Santa Susana Mountains near Santa Clara, California, northwest of Los Angeles. The earlier image shows the same area on September 22, 2003, prior to when the fires swept through. In the earlier image, healthy vegetation appears green, and naturally bare ground (or ground with sparse vegetation) appears pink. A few weeks later, fire has transformed the scene. The areas to the east and northeast of the lake appear unchanged, while the entire left and lower right portions of the scene exhibit the deep red color that burned areas take on in false-color images made from satellite observations of the near and shortwave infrared part of the electromagentic spectrum. In the November 2, 2003, image, the nothern end of the lake is quite turbid, which could have been caused by ash and fire debris. This pair of false-color ASTER image composites was created using shortwave infrared, near infrared, and green wavelengths (ASTER bands 5, 3, and 1). Please also see a high-resolution view of the Santa Monica hills using a different set of ASTER bands to emphasis different details, as well as a MODIS false-color image showing a wider area. Image by NASA?s Earth Observatory, based on data from the U.S./Japan Aster Science Team.
Fires in Southern California
Title Fires in Southern California
Description *High-resolution Images:* November 2, 2003(3.9 Mb JPEG) September 22, 2003 (3.2 Mb JPEG) The image above (top) shows burn scars around Lake Piru in the Santa Susana Mountains near Santa Clara, California, northwest of Los Angeles. The earlier image shows the same area on September 22, 2003, prior to when the fires swept through. In the earlier image, healthy vegetation appears green, and naturally bare ground (or ground with sparse vegetation) appears pink. A few weeks later, fire has transformed the scene. The areas to the east and northeast of the lake appear unchanged, while the entire left and lower right portions of the scene exhibit the deep red color that burned areas take on in false-color images made from satellite observations of the near and shortwave infrared part of the electromagentic spectrum. In the November 2, 2003, image, the nothern end of the lake is quite turbid, which could have been caused by ash and fire debris. This pair of false-color ASTER image composites was created using shortwave infrared, near infrared, and green wavelengths (ASTER bands 5, 3, and 1). Please also see a high-resolution view of the Santa Monica hills using a different set of ASTER bands to emphasis different details, as well as a MODIS false-color image showing a wider area. Image by NASA?s Earth Observatory, based on data from the U.S./Japan Aster Science Team.
Fires in Southern California
Title Fires in Southern California
Description *High-resolution Images:* November 2, 2003(3.9 Mb JPEG) September 22, 2003 (3.2 Mb JPEG) The image above (top) shows burn scars around Lake Piru in the Santa Susana Mountains near Santa Clara, California, northwest of Los Angeles. The earlier image shows the same area on September 22, 2003, prior to when the fires swept through. In the earlier image, healthy vegetation appears green, and naturally bare ground (or ground with sparse vegetation) appears pink. A few weeks later, fire has transformed the scene. The areas to the east and northeast of the lake appear unchanged, while the entire left and lower right portions of the scene exhibit the deep red color that burned areas take on in false-color images made from satellite observations of the near and shortwave infrared part of the electromagentic spectrum. In the November 2, 2003, image, the nothern end of the lake is quite turbid, which could have been caused by ash and fire debris. This pair of false-color ASTER image composites was created using shortwave infrared, near infrared, and green wavelengths (ASTER bands 5, 3, and 1). Please also see a high-resolution view of the Santa Monica hills using a different set of ASTER bands to emphasis different details, as well as a MODIS false-color image showing a wider area. Image by NASA?s Earth Observatory, based on data from the U.S./Japan Aster Science Team.
Fires in Southern California
Title Fires in Southern California
Description This Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) image reveals the scorching fire fronts of the Old and Grand Prix Fires that raged in the San Bernardino Mountains at the end of October 2003. The image combines infrared, near infrared, and green wavelengths (ASTER bands 4, 3, and 1). Vegetation is green, burned area is reddish, smoke is blue, and the blazing fire front is hot pink. Image courtesy U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Fires in Southern California
Title Fires in Southern California
Description Part of the firestorm that swept through Southern California in late October 2007, the Poomacha Fire east of Pauma Valley was still smoldering in a few interior locations as of November 8, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. 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 on November 6 shows the burned landscape of the Poomacha Fire using a combination of visible and infrared light. The burned area in the center of the image is bright pink. Naturally bare (or thinly vegetated) land surfaces are lighter pink. Vegetation is bright green. The fire took its name from a street in a community on the reservation, La Jolla Amago, where at least 8 homes were destroyed. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the Poomacha fire scar [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Nov2007/scal_ast_2007310.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Three Sisters Volcanoes
Title Three Sisters Volcanoes
Description The ground near one of the long-dormant Three Sisters volcanoes in the Cascade Mountains of west-central Oregon has risen approximately 10 centimeters in a 10-by-20-km parcel since 1996, meaning that magma or underground lava is slowly flowing into the area, according to a research team from the U.S. Geological Survey. The Three Sisters area?which contains five volcanoes?is only about 170 miles from Mount St. Helens, which erupted in 1980. Both are part of the Cascades Range, a line of 27 volcanoes stretching from British Columbia in Canada to northern California. This perspective view was created by draping a simulated natural color ASTER image over digital topography from the U.S. Geological Survey National Elevation Dataset. Image courtesy of NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Topanga Fire
Title Topanga Fire
Description A charcoal-colored burn scar sprawls across the mountainous terrain northwest of Los Angeles, California, in this infrared-enhanced satellite image collected by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite on October 4, 2005. The image makes it clear how close the fire came to cities and towns including Simi Valley near the northern edge and Thousand Oaks at the southwestern edge. The fire burned down a ridge that separates two more developed areas. Within the burned area, some pockets of vegetation (which appears red in this kind of image), have been spared. The large image shows the entire burned area, which, according to reports from the National Interagency Fire Center, exceeded 24,000 acres. NASA image created from data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Zaca Wildfire, Southern Cali …
Title Zaca Wildfire, Southern California
Description In early August 2007, the month-old Zaca Fire in Southern California was racing over the hilly terrain along the southwest margin of the Los Padres National Forest. Started accidentally on private ranch land near the forest in early July, the fire quickly got out of control in the hot, dry, windy conditions the area was experiencing in summer 2007. As of August 8, the fire had burned an estimated 72,050 acres and was about 68 percent contained. This image of the fire was captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA'Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 7. Unburned vegetation appears green, while the burned area appears charcoal-colored. Smoke hangs over the area. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the Zaca fire [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2007/zaca_ast_2007218.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Zaca Wildfire, Southern Cali …
Title Zaca Wildfire, Southern California
Description In early August 2007, the month-old Zaca Fire in Southern California was racing over the hilly terrain along the southwest margin of the Los Padres National Forest. Started accidentally on private ranch land near the forest in early July, the fire quickly got out of control in the hot, dry, windy conditions the area was experiencing in summer 2007. As of August 8, the fire had burned an estimated 72,050 acres and was about 68 percent contained. This image of the fire was captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA'Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 7. Unburned vegetation appears green, while the burned area appears charcoal-colored. Smoke hangs over the area. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the Zaca fire [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2007/zaca_ast_2007218.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Milton (Milt) O. Thompson
Title Milton (Milt) O. Thompson
Description Milton O. Thompson was hired as an aeronautical research scientist at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' High-Speed Flight Station, Edwards, California, on March 19, 1956, becoming a research pilot in January 1958. During his 37-year career at what became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dryden Flight Research Center in 1976, Milt managed several research programs and flew many research flights. One of Milt's first research projects, after he became a research pilot, was a program to investigate the feasibility of obtaining substantial amounts of laminar flow on an airfoil at supersonic speeds. The testbed aircraft was an F-104 with one wing covered with a fiberglass glove that served as the test section for the experiment. Next was the Air Launched Sounding Rocket (ALSOR) research program using an F-104 with a rocket launcher installed on it. The intent of the program was to release a balloon from an air launched rocket at over 1,000,000 feet altitude (approximately 190 miles) and then measure its rate of descent to determine air density. In 1959, Thompson was assigned to the Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar program as a pilot-consultant. The X-20 program was scheduled to launch a human into Earth orbit and recover with a horizontal ground landing. The program was canceled before construction of the vehicle began. Milt became interested in the Rogallo-wing concept, "Parawing", for spacecraft reentry. The best way to acquire experience, of course, was by building and flying a Paraglider Research Vehicle (Paresev). After ground tows to demonstrate controllability with Milt in the cockpit, he made the first flight aloft on March 12, 1962. On August 16, 1963 Thompson became the first person to fly a lifting body, the lightweight M2-F1. The plywood and steel-tubing prototype was flown as a glider after releasing from an R4D tow plane. He flew it a total of 47 times, and also made the first five flights of the all-metal M2-F2 lifting body, beginning July 12, 1966. Thompson was one of the 12 NASA, Air Force, and Navy pilots to fly the North American X-15 rocket-powered research aircraft between 1959 and 1968. Milt's first flight was on October 29, 1963. He made a total of 14 flights during the next two years. He reached a maximum speed of 3712 mph (Mach 5.48) in the X-15-3 and a peak altitude of 214,100 feet in the X-15-1 aircraft. In January 1967, he retired from active flying and moved into the research organization's Project Sub-Division Office, becoming chief of the newly formed Research Projects Office in 1969. In this position he was responsible for all of the flight projects at the Center, which included the X-15 and the lifting bodies as well as a number of other projects. In April 1975, he became chief engineer with responsibility for the overview of all technical research activities at the Center and reported directly to the Center Director, a position he held until his death. Thompson began flying with the U.S. Navy as, a pilot trainee at the age of 19. He subsequently served during World War II with duty in China and Japan. Following six years of active naval service, he entered the University of Washington, in Seattle, Wash. Milt graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. He remained in the Naval Reserves during college and continued flying--not only naval aircraft but crop dusters and forest-spraying aircraft. After college graduation, Milt became a flight test engineer for the Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle, where he was employed for two years before coming to the NACA High-Speed Flight Station. Thompson was a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and received the organization's Iven C. Kincheloe trophy as the Outstanding Experimental Test Pilot of 1996 for his research flights in the M2 Lifting Bodies. He also received the 1967 Octave Chanute award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his lifting-body research. Milt was a member of NASA's Space Transportation System Technology Steering Committee during the 1970s. In this role he was successful in leading the effort to design the Orbiters for power-off landings rather than increase weight with air-breathing engines for airliner-type landings. His committee work earned him NASA's highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal. In 1990, the National Aeronautics Association selected Thompson as one of the year's recipients of its Elder Statesman of Aviation awards. Thompson was author of several technical papers, was a member of NASA's Senior Executive Service, and received several NASA awards. Milton Orville Thompson was born May 4, 1926, in Crookston, Minnesota, he died on August 6, 1993, in Lancaster, California.
Date 01.01.1960
One of NASA's Two Modified B …
Title One of NASA's Two Modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier (SCA) Aircraft in Flight over NASA Dryden Flig
Description One of NASA's Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft flies over the Dryden Flight Research Center main building at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, in May 1999. NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range swept-wing "jumbo jets" that entered commercial service in 1969. The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights. Features which distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are: o Three struts, with associated interior structural strengthening, protruding from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached o Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability o Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors o Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations. The two SCAs are under the operational control of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex. NASA 905 NASA 905 was the first SCA. It was obtained from American Airlines in 1974. Shortly after it was accepted by NASA it was flown in a series of wake vortex research flights at the Dryden Flight Research Center in a study to seek ways of reducing turbulence produced by large aircraft. Pilots flying as much as several miles behind large aircraft have encountered wake turbulence that have caused control problems. The NASA study helped the Federal Aviation Administration modify flight procedures for commercial aircraft during airport approaches and departures. Following the wake vortex studies, NASA 905 was modified by Boeing to its present SCA configuration and the aircraft was returned to Dryden for its role in the 1977 Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). This series of eight captive and five free flights with the orbiter prototype Enterprise, in addition to ground taxi tests, validated the aircraft's performance as an SCA, in addition to verifying the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter configuration -- paving the way for orbital flights. A flight crew escape system, consisting of an exit tunnel extending from the flight deck to a hatch in the bottom of the fuselage, was installed, during the modifications. The system also included a pyrotechnic system to activate the hatch release and cabin window release mechanisms. The flight crew escape system was removed from the NASA 905 following the successful completion of the ALT program. NASA 905 was the only SCA used by the space shuttle program until November 1990, when NASA 911 was delivered as an SCA. Along with ferrying Enterprise and the flight-rated orbiters between the launch and landing sites and other locations, NASA 905 also ferried Enterprise to Europe for display in England and at the Paris Air Show. NASA 911 The second SCA is designated NASA 911. It was obtained by NASA from Japan Airlines (JAL) in 1989. It was also modified by Boeing Corporation. It was delivered to NASA 20 November 1990.
Date 05.01.1999
Heat Wave in Japan: Natural …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On Tuesday, July 20, 2004, t …
terra_lstjapan_11-18jul04
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2004-07-18
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier terra_lstjapan_11-18jul04
A Deadly Year for Earthquake …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Last year, more people died …
EarthquakeMap_2003
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2003
creator NASA -- Map by Alex McClung, NASA Earth Observatory, based upon data provided by the U.S. Geological Survey
identifier EarthquakeMap_2003
ASTER Andes
PIA02654
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
Title ASTER Andes
Original Caption Released with Image In this image of the Andes along the Chile-Bolivia border, the visible and infrared data have been computer enhanced to exaggerate the color differences of the different materials. The scene is dominated by the Pampa Luxsar lava complex, occupying the upper right two-thirds of the scene. Lava flows are distributed around remnants of large dissected cones, the largest of which is Cerro Luxsar. On the middle left edge of the image are the Olca and Parumastrato volcanoes, which appear in blue due to a lack of vegetation (colored red in this composite). This image covers an area 60 kilometers (37 miles) wide and 60 kilometers (37 miles) long in three bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region. It was acquired on April 7, 2000. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high-resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER will provide scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring dynamic conditions and temporal change. Examples of applications include monitoring glacial advances and retreats, potentially active volcanoes, thermal pollution, and coral reef degradation, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, evaluating wetlands, mapping surface temperature of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance.
ASTER Images San Francisco B …
PIA02606
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
Title ASTER Images San Francisco Bay Area
Original Caption Released with Image This image of the San Francisco Bay region was acquired on March 3, 2000 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters about 50 to 300 feet ), ASTER will image Earth for the next 6 years to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. Image: This image covers an area 60 kilometers (37 miles) wide and 75 kilometers (47 miles) long in three bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region. The combination of bands portrays vegetation in red, and urban areas in gray. Sediment in the Suisun Bay, San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean shows up as lighter shades of blue. Along the west coast of the San Francisco Peninsula, strong surf can be seen as a white fringe along the shoreline. A powerful rip tide is visible extending westward from Daly City into the Pacific Ocean. In the lower right corner, the wetlands of the South San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge appear as large dark blue and brown polygons. The high spatial resolution of ASTER allows fine detail to be observed in the scene. The main bridges of the area (San Mateo, San Francisco-Oakland Bay, Golden Gate, Richmond-San Rafael, Benicia-Martinez, and Carquinez) are easily picked out, connecting the different communities in the Bay area. Shadows of the towers along the Bay Bridge can be seen over the adjacent bay water. With enlargement the entire road network can be easily mapped, individual buildings are visible, including the shadows of the high-rises in downtown San Francisco. Inset: This enlargement of the San Francisco Airport highlights the high spatial resolution of ASTER. With further enlargement and careful examination, airplanes can be seen at the terminals. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. Science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER will provide scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping, and monitoring dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example, applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats, monitoring potentially active volcanoes, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, wetlands evaluation, thermal pollution monitoring, coral reef degradation, surface temperature mapping of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance.
ASTER Images Tokyo
PIA02607
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
Title ASTER Images Tokyo
Original Caption Released with Image This image of the city of Tokyo was acquired on March 22, 2000 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER will image the Earth for the next 6 years to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. This false color infrared image covers an area 60 km wide and 75 km long in three bands of the short wavelength infrared region, with a spatial resolution of 15 m. It shows part of the Tokyo metropolitan area extending south to Yokohama, included are the Ginza District, Haneda airport and the Imperial Palace. To the west, Tokyo is hemmed in by mountains, covered with forests (displayed in red), on the southeast, Tokyo Bay is one of the world's great harbors. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. Science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER will provide scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping, and monitoring dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats, monitoring potentially active volcanoes, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, wetlands evaluation, thermal pollution monitoring, coral reef degradation, surface temperature mapping of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance.
ASTER Images San Francisco B …
PIA02605
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
Title ASTER Images San Francisco Bay Area
Original Caption Released with Image These images of the San Francisco Bay region were acquired on March 3, 2000 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite. Each covers an area 60 kilometers (37 miles) wide and 75 kilometers (47 miles) long. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER will image the Earth for the next 6 years to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. Upper Left: The color infrared composite uses bands in the visible and reflected infrared. Vegetation is red, urban areas are gray, sediment in the bays shows up as lighter shades of blue. Thanks to the 15 meter (50-foot) spatial resolution, shadows of the towers along the Bay Bridge can be seen. Upper right: A composite of bands in the short wave infrared displays differences in soils and rocks in the mountainous areas. Even though these regions appear entirely vegetated in the visible, enough surface shows through openings in the vegetation to allow the ground to be imaged. Lower left: This composite of multispectral thermal bands shows differences in urban materials in varying colors. Separation of materials is due to differences in thermal emission properties, analogous to colors in the visible. Lower right: This is a color coded temperature image of water temperature, derived from the thermal bands. Warm waters are in white and yellow, colder waters are blue. Suisun Bay in the upper right is fed directly from the cold Sacramento River. As the water flows through San Pablo and San Francisco Bays on the way to the Pacific, the waters warm up. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. Science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER will provide scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping, and monitoring dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats, monitoring potentially active volcanoes, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, wetlands, evaluation, thermal pollution monitoring, coral reef degradation, surface temperature mapping of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance.
ASTER Suez Canal
PIA02661
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
Title ASTER Suez Canal
Original Caption Released with Image One of the most important waterways in the world, the Suez Canal runs north to south across the Isthmus of Suez in northeastern Egypt. This image of the canal covers an area 36 kilometers (22 miles) wide and 60 kilometers (47 miles) long in three bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region. It shows the northern part of the canal, with the Mediterranean Sea just visible in the upper right corner. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez, an arm of the Red Sea. The artificial canal provides an important shortcut for ships operating between both European and American ports and ports located in southern Asia, eastern Africa, and Oceania. With a length of about 195 kilometers (121 miles) and a minimum channel width of 60 meters (197 feet), the Suez Canal is able to accommodate ships as large as 150,000 tons fully loaded. Because no locks interrupt traffic on this sea level waterway, the transit time only averages about 15 hours. ASTER acquired this scene on May 19, 2000. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high-resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high-resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER will provide scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring dynamic conditions and temporal, change. Examples of applications include monitoring glacial advances and retreats, potentially active volcanoes, thermal pollution, and coral reef degradation, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, evaluating wetlands, mapping surface temperature of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance.
ASTER Washington, D.C.
PIA02655
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
Title ASTER Washington, D.C.
Original Caption Released with Image The White House, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Washington Monument with its shadow are all visible in this image of Washington, D.C. With its 15-meter spatial resolution, ASTER can see individual buildings. Taken on June 1, 2000, this image covers an area 14 kilometers (8.5 miles) wide and 13.7 kilometers (8.2 miles) long in three bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region. The combination of visible and near infrared bands displays vegetation in red and water in dark grays. The Potomac River flows from the middle left to the bottom center. The large red area west of the river is Arlington National Cemetery. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high-resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER will provide scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring dynamic conditions and temporal change. Examples of applications include monitoring glacial advances and retreats, potentially active volcanoes, thermal pollution, and coral reef degradation, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, evaluating wetlands, mapping surface temperature of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance.
ASTER Waves
PIA02662
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
Title ASTER Waves
Original Caption Released with Image The pattern on the right half of this image of the Bay of Bengal is the result of two opposing wave trains colliding. This ASTER sub-scene, acquired on March 29, 2000, covers an area 18 kilometers (13 miles) wide and 15 kilometers (9 miles) long in three bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region. The visible and near-infrared bands highlight surface waves due to specular reflection of sunlight off of the wave faces. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high-resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high-resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER will provide scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring dynamic conditions and temporal change. Examples of applications include monitoring glacial advances and retreats, potentially active volcanoes, thermal pollution, and coral reef degradation, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, evaluating wetlands, mapping surface temperature of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance.
ASTER Images Mt. Usu Volcano
PIA02608
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
Title ASTER Images Mt. Usu Volcano
Original Caption Released with Image On April 3, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra Satellite captured this image of the erupting Mt. Usu volcano in Hokkaido, Japan. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER will image the Earth for the next 6 years to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. This false color infrared image of Mt Usu volcano is dominated by Lake Toya, an ancient volcanic caldera. On the south shore is the active Usu volcano. On Friday, March 31, more than 11,000 people were evacuated by helicopter, truck and boat from the foot of Usu, that began erupting from the northwest flank, shooting debris and plumes of smoke streaked with blue lightning thousands of feet in the air. Although no lava gushed from the mountain, rocks and ash continued to fall after the eruption. The region was shaken by thousands of tremors before the eruption. People said they could taste grit from the ash that was spewed as high as 2,700 meters (8,850 ft) into the sky and fell to coat surrounding towns with ash. "Mount Usu has had seven significant eruptions that we know of, and at no time has it ended quickly with only a small scale eruption," said Yoshio Katsui, a professor at Hokkaido University. This was the seventh major eruption of Mount Usu in the past 300 years. Fifty people died when the volcano erupted in 1822, its worst known eruption. In the image, most of the land is covered by snow. Vegetation, appearing red in the false color composite, can be seen in the agricultural fields, and forests in the mountains. Mt. Usu is crossed by three dark streaks. These are the paths of ash deposits that rained out from eruption plumes two days earlier. The prevailing wind was from the northwest, carrying the ash away from the main city of Date. Ash deposited can be traced on the image as far away as 10 kilometers (16 miles) from the volcano. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the U.S. Science team leader, Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER will provide scientists in, numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping, and monitoring dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats, monitoring potentially active volcanoes, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, wetlands evaluation, thermal pollution monitoring, coral reef degradation, surface temperature mapping of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance.
1 2 3
1-50 of 118