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Drought in Africa
| Title |
Drought in Africa |
| Description |
February is a key month for developing crops in southern Africa. Corn, the major crop, is in its critical tassel/silking stage where the plants require more water to successfully develop ears of corn. A lack of moisture at this point results in fewer, smaller ears, greatly reducing the yield of the crop. Just as the plants reached this critical stage, a dry spell settled over southern Africa. The reduced harvest may lead to food insecurity in parts of Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Swaziland, reports a recent brief released by the Famine Early Warming Systems Network [ http://www.fews.net/centers/innerSections.aspx?f=r3&m=1001535&pageID=monthliesDoc ]. The drought has not been limited to southern Africa. Further up the coast, many countries are dealing with a multi-year drought that has caused food shortages from Tanzania in the south to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the north. Both drought-affected regions are draped in shades of red in the above image. The image shows outgoing longwave radiation, the heat emitted from the Earth?s surface. Because clouds are much cooler than land, outgoing longwave radiation can tell scientists where clouds are or, more importantly for drought monitoring, where clouds are not. Without clouds, there is no rain. The above image shows a comparison between February 2005 and a long-term average of outgoing longwave radiation measurements made between 1979 and 1995. Regions that were cooler than normal, probably because of cloud cover are blue, while areas that were normal than normal because of a lack of clouds are red. The image, derived from measurements made by the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) onboard the NOAA-POES satellite series, clearly shows a lack of cloud-cover in the drought-affected regions. OLR anomaly image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data analyzed by Assaf Anyamba and provided by NOAA National Center for Environmental Prediction [ http://www.ncep.noaa.gov/ ]. |
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Fires Across Tanzania
| Title |
Fires Across Tanzania |
| Description |
Numerous fires (marked with red dots) were burning across eastern Africa on June 10, 2003. The fires appear most heavily concentrated east of Lake Tanganyika (left edge), but are also scattered across Zambia (bottom left) and Mozambique (bottom right). The fires are part of the typical agricultural burning that occurs in the region, where people set fires to clear land and prepare it for planting and ranching. This Aqua MODIS image was acquired on June 10, 2003. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
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Numerous Fires in Southeast
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| Title |
Numerous Fires in Southeast Tanzania |
| Description |
Through a patchwork of clouds, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite detected numerous fires (red dots) burning in Tanzania, Africa, on November 25, 2002. Fires appear to be most heavily concentrated on the Makonde Plateau, north of the Tanzania-Mozambique border. At image right is the Indian Ocean. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Fires in Central and Souther
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| Title |
Fires in Central and Southern Africa |
| Description |
Even for a region that sees a lot fires during the agricultural season, this scene seems to reveal an exceptional number of fires for countries from east-central to southern Africa. This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on September 25, 2002. Hundreds of fire detections are indicated by red dots. In the top center of the image is Lake Malawi, which is bounded on the west by Malawi, on the northeast by Tanzania, and on the southeast by Mozambique. Other countries visible in the image are (north-south along left edge) Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Republic of South Africa, and Swaziland (bottom center). Agricultural fires have been part of the ecological cycles in Africa for perhaps thousands of years, used to clear land and regenerate pasture. Scientists are studying these cycles to assess their impact on air quality, global warming, and ecosystem change. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Fires in Mozambique and Tanz
…
| Title |
Fires in Mozambique and Tanzania |
| Description |
East of where Lake Malawi fills one of the many cracks in the earth that mark Africa's Great Rift Valley, scores of fires were burning on October 1, 2006. The winds at the time of this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite were pushing smoke southwest, creating a grayish haze over the western part of the image. The fires are scattered across southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique, places where the peak seasonal burning typically occurs in September or October. African savanna fires are mostly caused by humans for agricultural activities such as clearing pasture or cropland or driving game. Although the fires are not necessarily immediately hazardous, the frequency and wide extent of the burning can have strong influence on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. NASA imagery created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Fires in Southeastern Africa
| Title |
Fires in Southeastern Africa |
| Description |
The southern Africa biomass burning season is in full swing across (clockwise from top left) Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi (center). Fires, marked with red dots, are an integral part of the farming and grazing practices in the region. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on August 18, 2003. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Fires in Southeastern Africa
| Title |
Fires in Southeastern Africa |
| Description |
Represented by red dots, active fires cover much of Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Malawi in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image captured by the Aqua satellite on August 25, 2003. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Fires in Southeastern Africa
| Title |
Fires in Southeastern Africa |
| Description |
Represented by red dots, active fires cover much of Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Malawi in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image captured by the Aqua satellite on August 25, 2003. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Flooding in southeastern Afr
…
| Title |
Flooding in southeastern Africa |
| Description |
Over the past three weeks, torrential wet season rains have fallen throughout parts of south-central Africa, including Zaire, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar and adjacent waters. This image shows a rainfall accumulation map obtained using NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite, combined with data from other rain measuring satellites. Three weeks of rain accumulation are shown, beginning on January 1, 2003. Rainfall accumulations approach two feet in some locations, leading to serious flooding and the displacement of many people from their homes. Many areas of the tropics endure a perpetual "drought-flood seesaw" over the years and this region of Africa is no exception. These rains, while helping to break a multiple year drought, have also seriously damaged this season's crops. The heavy rains are an extreme manifestation of the annual pattern of summer rainfall across the southern hemisphere, known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Over south central Africa, warm and humid air flowing off the Arabian Sea clashes with the hot, dry Harmattan (desert wind) blowing southward off northern Africa. Violent thunderstorm rains erupt within this atmospheric battle zone. The heavy rains shown in the image over Tanzania and neighboring countries were enhanced by mountainous terrain. The mountains force moisture-laden air from the ocean to ascend, producing more rain within clouds, then concentrate rain runoff into narrow valleys. Other extreme rainfall events from the past year can be seen on the TRMM website (trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov). *animations* ÿÿsmall (2.3 MB MPEG) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jan2003/mozambique.qt ] (9 MB MPEG) Image courtesy of Hal Pierce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Flooding in southeastern Afr
…
| Title |
Flooding in southeastern Africa |
| Description |
Over the past three weeks, torrential wet season rains have fallen throughout parts of south-central Africa, including Zaire, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar and adjacent waters. This image shows a rainfall accumulation map obtained using NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite, combined with data from other rain measuring satellites. Three weeks of rain accumulation are shown, beginning on January 1, 2003. Rainfall accumulations approach two feet in some locations, leading to serious flooding and the displacement of many people from their homes. Many areas of the tropics endure a perpetual "drought-flood seesaw" over the years and this region of Africa is no exception. These rains, while helping to break a multiple year drought, have also seriously damaged this season's crops. The heavy rains are an extreme manifestation of the annual pattern of summer rainfall across the southern hemisphere, known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Over south central Africa, warm and humid air flowing off the Arabian Sea clashes with the hot, dry Harmattan (desert wind) blowing southward off northern Africa. Violent thunderstorm rains erupt within this atmospheric battle zone. The heavy rains shown in the image over Tanzania and neighboring countries were enhanced by mountainous terrain. The mountains force moisture-laden air from the ocean to ascend, producing more rain within clouds, then concentrate rain runoff into narrow valleys. Other extreme rainfall events from the past year can be seen on the TRMM website (trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov). *animations* ÿÿsmall (2.3 MB MPEG) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jan2003/mozambique.qt ] (9 MB MPEG) Image courtesy of Hal Pierce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Fires in Southeast Africa: N
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
As the dry season matures in
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Mozam_AMO_2007266
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-09-23 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Mozam_AMO_2007266 |
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Fires in Mozambique and Tanz
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
East of where Lake Malawi fi
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tanzania_amo_2006274
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-10-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
tanzania_amo_2006274 |
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Flooding in southeastern Afr
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Over the past three weeks, t
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mozambique_trm2003018
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-01-18 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
mozambique_trm2003018 |
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Fires in Central and Souther
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Even for a region that sees
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Mozambique.AMO2002268
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-09-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Mozambique.AMO2002268 |
|
Fires in Tanzania and Mozamb
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Like many countries, the sou
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Mozambique_fire_2001312
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2001-11-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
| identifier |
Mozambique_fire_2001312 |
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Fires Across Tanzania: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Numerous fires (marked with
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EastAfrica.AMOA2003161
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-06-10 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
EastAfrica.AMOA2003161 |
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Topography of Olduvai Gorge,
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Three striking and important
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PIA04959
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2000-02-11 |
| creator |
NASA -- Elevation data used in this image were acquired by the www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/ Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on Feb. 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect 3-D measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter (approximately 200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. |
| identifier |
PIA04959 |
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Fires in Southeastern Africa
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The southern Africa biomass
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Mozambique.AMOA2003230
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-18 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Mozambique.AMOA2003230 |
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Drought Brings Food Shortage
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
As many as ten drought-stric
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safrica_ndvi_200401
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image based on data provided by Matthew C. Hansen, University of Maryland |
| identifier |
safrica_ndvi_200401 |
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Fires in Southeastern Africa
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Represented by red dots, act
…
EastAfrica_A2003237_image
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
EastAfrica_A2003237_image |
|
Fires in Southeastern Africa
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Represented by red dots, act
…
EastAfrica_A2003237_image
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
EastAfrica_A2003237_image |
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Drought in Africa: Natural H
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
February is a key month for
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africa_olra_tcer_feb2005
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-03-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
africa_olra_tcer_feb2005 |
|
Drought in Africa: Natural H
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
February is a key month for
…
africa_olra_tcer_feb2005
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-03-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
africa_olra_tcer_feb2005 |
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Africa in SRTM 3-D, Anaglyph
…
PIA04964
Sol (our sun)
C-Band Interferometric Radar
…
| Title |
Africa in SRTM 3-D, Anaglyph of Shaded Relief |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This stereoscopic shaded relief image shows Africa's topography as measured by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) in February 2000. Also shown are Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula, and other adjacent regions. Previously, much of the topography here was not mapped in detail. Digital elevation data, such as provided by SRTM, are in high demand by scientists studying earthquakes, volcanism, and erosion patterns and for use in mapping and modeling hazards to human habitation. But the shape of Earth's surface affects nearly every natural process and human endeavor that occurs there, so elevation data are used in a wide range of applications. The image shown here is greatly reduced from the original data resolution, but still provides a good overview of the continent's landforms. It is best viewed while panning at full resolution while using image display software. The northern part of the continent consists of a system of basins and plateaus, with several volcanic uplands whose uplift has been matched by subsidence in the large surrounding basins. Many of these basins have been infilled with sand and gravel, creating the vast Saharan lands. The Atlas Mountains in the northwest were created by convergence of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. The geography of the central latitudes of Africa is dominated by the Great Rift Valley, extending from Lake Nyasa to the Red Sea, and splitting into two arms to enclose an interior plateau and the nearly circular Lake Victoria, visible in the right center of the image. To the west lies the Congo Basin, a vast, shallow depression that rises to form an almost circular rim of highlands. Most of the southern part of the continent rests on a concave plateau comprising the Kalahari Basin and a mountainous fringe, skirted by a coastal plain that widens out in Mozambique in the southeast. Specific noteworthy features one may wish to explore in this scene include (1) the Richat Structure in Mauritania, a "bull's eye" geologic structure, (2) the Velingara Ring in Senegal, a possible meteorite impact crater, (3) the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, (4) the Cameroon Line of volcanoes, crossing Cameroon and extending offshore, (5) long linear mountain ridges crossing the southern end of Africa, (6) Mount Kilimanjaro and neighboring volcanoes in Kenya and Tanzania, (7) the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and vicinity, where Earth's crust is being pulled in three directions by tectonic forces, (8) the Dead Sea fault line, between Israel and Jordan, (9) ancient shorelines, inland from the coast of Libya, and (10) vast seas of sand dunes, particularly across the Sahara Desert and much of the Arabian Peninsula. This anaglyph was created by deriving a shaded relief image from the SRTM data, draping it back over the SRTM elevation model, and then generating two differing perspectives, one for each eye. Illumination is from the north (top). When viewed through special glasses, the anaglyph is a, vertically exaggerated view of the Earth's surface in its full three dimensions. Anaglyph glasses cover the left eye with a red filter and cover the right eye with a blue filter. Elevation data used in this image were acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, D.C. Orientation: North toward the top, Mercator projection Image Data: Shaded SRTM elevation model Date Acquired: February 2000 |
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Olduvai Gorge, Shaded Relief
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PIA04959
Sol (our sun)
C-Band Interferometric Radar
…
| Title |
Olduvai Gorge, Shaded Relief and Colored Height |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) of the U.S. Department of Defense and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, D.C. Location: 3 degrees south latitude, 35 degrees east longitude Orientation: North toward the top, Mercator projection Size: 223 by 223 kilometers (138 by 138 miles) Image Data: shaded and colored SRTM elevation model Date Acquired: February 2000, Three striking and important areas of Tanzania in eastern Africa are shown in this color-coded shaded relief image from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The largest circular feature in the center right is the caldera, or central crater, of the extinct volcano Ngorongoro. It is surrounded by a number of smaller volcanoes, all associated with the Great Rift Valley, a geologic fault system that extends for about 4,830 kilometers (2,995 miles) from Syria to central Mozambique. Ngorongoro's caldera is 22.5 kilometers (14 miles) across at its widest point and is 610 meters (2,000 feet) deep. Its floor is very level, holding a lake fed by streams running down the caldera wall. It is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and is home to over 75,000 animals. The lakes south of the crater are Lake Eyasi and Lake Manyara, also part of the conservation area. The relatively smooth region in the upper left of the image is the Serengeti National Park, the largest in Tanzania. The park encompasses the main part of the Serengeti ecosystem, supporting the greatest remaining concentration of plains game in Africa including more than 3,000,000 large mammals. The animals roam the park freely and in the spectacular migrations, huge herds of wild animals move to other areas of the park in search of greener grazing grounds (requiring over 4,000 tons of grass each day) and water. The faint, nearly horizontal line near the center of the image is Olduvai Gorge, made famous by the discovery of remains of the earliest humans to exist. Between 1.9 and 1.2 million years ago a salt lake occupied this area, followed by the appearance of fresh water streams and small ponds. Exposed deposits show rich fossil fauna, many hominid remains and items belonging to one of the oldest stone tool technologies, called Olduwan. The time span of the objects recovered dates from 2,100,000 to 15,000 years ago. Two visualization methods were combined to produce the image: shading and color coding of topographic height. The shade image was derived by computing topographic slope in the northwest-southeast direction, so that northwest slopes appear bright and southeast slopes appear dark. Color coding is directly related to topographic height, with green at the lower elevations, rising through yellow and tan, to white at the highest elevations. Elevation data used in this image were acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on Feb. 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect 3-D measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter (approximately 200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between NASA, the National |
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