|
|
SMART-1 Looks Back
| title |
SMART-1 Looks Back |
| description |
The first picture of Earth taken by the SMART-1 spacecraft on 21 May 2004 from a distance of 70,000 kilometres. The image shows from top left, Scandinavia, Denmark, United Kingdom and clear west and northern France. Southern France and Spain are at the centre under cloud cover. North Africa is bottom right (in the full-resoltion image). The image was taken by the Advanced Moon Micro-Imager Experiment (AMIE) camera. This imaging system has been developed by the Space-X company in Neuchatel, Switzerland. The AMIE camera is a remarkably compact design, a package of dedicated optics, electronics and mechanical interfaces that weighs only 450 grams. Once in orbit around the Moon, AMIE will survey the lunar terrain using visible and near-infrared light, providing clues about its chemical composition and geological history."The image shows clearly that the AMIE camera works well, and that we are really in space," says Principal Investigator Jean Luc Josset, Space-X."This picture is a great view of Earth seen as a planet," says ESA Project Scientist Bernard Foing. "Further synoptic images of Earth obtained during the cruise phase will be used to compare the signature of geophysical processes with what we shall measure on the Moon." *Image Credit*: European Space Agency |
|
Hubble Sees 'Comet Galaxy' B
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees 'Comet Galaxy' Being Ripped Apart By Galaxy Cluster |
|
Double Exposure Image of Spa
…
| Name of Image |
Double Exposure Image of Spacelab-1 in Cargo Bay of Orbiter Columbia |
| Date of Image |
1983-01-01 |
| Full Description |
This double exposure image shows Spacelab-1 in the cargo bay of orbiter Columbia. From top to bottom inside the cargo bay are the Spacelab Access Turnel, which is connected to the mid-deck of the orbiter, the Spacelab module, a pressurized module in which scientists conduct experiments not possible on Earth, and Spacelab pallets, which can hold instruments for the experiments requiring direct exposure to space. The first Spacelab mission, Spacelab-1, sponsored jointly and shared equally by NASA and the European Space Agency, was a multidisciplinary mission, that is, investigations were performed in several different fields of scientific research. The overall goal of the mission was to verify Spacelab performance through a variety of scientific experiments. The disciplines represented by these experiments were astronomy and solar physics, earth observations, space plasma physics, materials sciences, atmospheric physics, and life sciences. International in nature, Spacelab-1 conducted experiments from the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Beluga, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Spacelab-1 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on November 28, 1983 aboard the orbiter Columbia (STS-9). The Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for managing the Spacelab missions. |
|
Spacelab-1 Module
| Name of Image |
Spacelab-1 Module |
| Date of Image |
1983-01-01 |
| Full Description |
This photograph shows the Spacelab-1 module and Spacelab access turnel being installed in the cargo bay of orbiter Columbia for the STS-9 mission. The oribiting laboratory, built by the European Space Agency, is capable of supporting many types of scientific research that can best be performed in space. The Spacelab access tunnel, the only major piece of Spacelab hardware made in the U.S., connects the module with the mid-deck level of the orbiter cabin. The first Spacelab mission, Spacelab-1, sponsored jointly and shared equally by NASA and the European Space Agency, was a multidisciplinary mission, that is, investigations were performed in several different fields of scientific research. The overall goal of the mission was to verify Spacelab performance through a variety of scientific experiments. The disciplines represented by these experiments were: astronomy and solar physics, earth observations, space plasma physics, materials sciences, atmospheric physics, and life sciences. International in nature, Spacelab-1 conducted experiments from the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Beluga, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Spacelab-1, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on November 28, 1983 aboard the orbiter Columbia (STS-9). The Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for managing the Spacelab missions. |
|
ATLAS-1 Logo
| Name of Image |
ATLAS-1 Logo |
| Date of Image |
1990-11-26 |
| Full Description |
The primary payload for the Space Shuttle mission STS-45, launched March 24, 1992, was the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-1 (ATLAS-1)which was mounted on nondeployable Spacelab pallets in the orbiter cargo bay. Eight countries, th U.S., France, Germany, Belgium, United Kingdom, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Japan, provided 12 instruments designed to perform 14 investigations in four fields. Atmospheric science instruments/investigations: Atmospheric Lyman-Alpha Emissions (ALAE), Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS), Grille Spectrometer (GRILLE), Imaging Spectrometric Observatory (ISO), Millimeter-Wave Atmospheric Sounder (MAS). Solar Science: Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM), Measurement of the Solar Constant (SOLCON), Solar Spectrum from 180 to 3,200 Nanometers (SOLSPEC), Solar Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM). Space Plasma Physics: Atmospheric Emissions Photometric Imaging (AEPI), Space Experiments with Particle Accelerators (SEPAC). Ultraviolet astronomy: Far Ultraviolet Space Telescope (FAUST). This is the logo or emblem that was designed to represent the ATLAS-1 payload. |
|
International Space Station
| Name of Image |
International Space Station |
| Date of Image |
1998-01-01 |
| Full Description |
This artist's digital concept depicts the completely assembled International Space Station (ISS) passing over Florida. As a gateway to permanent human presence in space, the Space Station Program is to expand knowledge benefiting all people and nations. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation. Experiments to be conducted in the ISS include: microgravity research, Earth science, space science, life sciences, space product development, and engineering research and technology. The sixteen countries participating the ISS are: United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Brazil. |
|
International Space Station
| Name of Image |
International Space Station |
| Date of Image |
1998-01-01 |
| Full Description |
This artist's concept depicts the completely assembled International Space Station (ISS) passing over Florida and the Bahamas. As a gateway to permanent human presence in space, the Space Station Program is to expand knowledge benefiting all people and nations. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation. Experiments to be conducted in the ISS include: microgravity research, Earth science, space science, life sciences, space product development, and engineering research and technology. The sixteen countries participating in the ISS are: United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Brazil. |
|
International Space Station
| Name of Image |
International Space Station |
| Date of Image |
1998-01-01 |
| Full Description |
This artist's concept depicts the completely assembled International Space Station (ISS) passing over the Straits of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. As a gateway to permanent human presence in space, the Space Station Program is to expand knowledge benefiting all people and nations. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation. Experiments to be conducted in the ISS include: microgravity research, Earth science, space science, life sciences, space product development, and engineering research and technology. The sixteen countries participating the ISS are: United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Brazil. |
|
International Space Station
…
| Name of Image |
International Space Station Assembly |
| Date of Image |
1999-01-01 |
| Full Description |
The International Space Station (ISS) is an unparalleled international scientific and technological cooperative venture that will usher in a new era of human space exploration and research and provide benefits to people on Earth. On-Orbit assembly began on November 20, 1998, with the launch of the first ISS component, Zarya, on a Russian Proton rocket. The Space Shuttle followed on December 4, 1998, carrying the U.S.-built Unity cornecting Module. Sixteen nations are participating in the ISS program: the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The ISS will include six laboratories and be four times larger and more capable than any previous space station. The United States provides two laboratories (United States Laboratory and Centrifuge Accommodation Module) and a habitation module. There will be two Russian research modules, one Japanese laboratory, referred to as the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), and one European Space Agency (ESA) laboratory called the Columbus Orbital Facility (COF). The station's internal volume will be roughly equivalent to the passenger cabin volume of two 747 jets. Over five years, a total of more than 40 space flights by at least three different vehicles - the Space Shuttle, the Russian Proton Rocket, and the Russian Soyuz rocket - will bring together more than 100 different station components and the ISS crew. Astronauts will perform many spacewalks and use new robotics and other technologies to assemble ISS components in space. |
|
Payload Operations Center (P
…
| Name of Image |
Payload Operations Center (POC) for the International Space Station (ISS) |
| Date of Image |
2001-02-01 |
| Full Description |
The International Space Station (ISS) Payload Operations Center (POC) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, is the world's primary science command post for the International Space Station (ISS), the most ambitious space research facility in human history. The Payload Operations team is responsible for managing all science research experiments aboard the Station. The center is also home for coordination of the mission-plarning work of variety of international sources, all science payload deliveries and retrieval, and payload training and safety programs for the Station crew and all ground personnel. Within the POC, critical payload information from the ISS is displayed on a dedicated workstation, reading both S-band (low data rate) and Ku-band (high data rate) signals from a variety of experiments and procedures operated by the ISS crew and their colleagues on Earth. The POC is the focal point for incorporating research and experiment requirements from all international partners into an integrated ISS payload mission plan. This photograph is an overall view of the MSFC Payload Operations Center displaying the flags of the countries participating the ISS. The flags at the left portray The United States, Canada, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and Sweden. The flags at the right portray The Russian Federation, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway. |
|
Payload Operations Center (P
…
| Name of Image |
Payload Operations Center (POC) for the International Space Station (ISS) |
| Date of Image |
2000-02-01 |
| Full Description |
The International Space Station (ISS) Payload Operations Center (POC) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, is the world's primary science command post for the (ISS), the most ambitious space research facility in human history. The Payload Operations team is responsible for managing all science research experiments aboard the Station. The center is also home for coordination of the mission-plarning work of variety of international sources, all science payload deliveries and retrieval, and payload training and safety programs for the Station crew and all ground personnel. Within the POC, critical payload information from the ISS is displayed on a dedicated workstation, reading both S-band (low data rate) and Ku-band (high data rate) signals from a variety of experiments and procedures operated by the ISS crew and their colleagues on Earth. The POC is the focal point for incorporating research and experiment requirements from all international partners into an integrated ISS payload mission plan. This photograph is an overall view of the MSFC Payload Operations Center displaying the flags of the countries participating in the ISS. The flags at the left portray The United States, Canada, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and Sweden. The flags at the right portray The Russian Federation, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway. |
|
Haze over the United Kingdom
| Title |
Haze over the United Kingdom |
| Description |
A large low-pressure system off the southweast coast of the United Kingdom was entraining a lot of haze (gray pixels) from over northwestern Europe on March 23, 2003. This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. 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, NASA GSFC |
|
Heat Wave in Western Europe
| Title |
Heat Wave in Western Europe |
| Description |
Western Europe continued to bake in late July 2006. Following an unusually warm spell between July 12 and 19, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13743 ] temperatures across most of the region remained much warmer than normal. This image shows land surface (as opposed to air) temperatures collected from July 20-27, 2006, compared to the average temperatures for that period over the past six years (2000-2005). Places that were up to ten degrees Celsius warmer than average are deep red, while places that were up to ten degrees cooler than average are deep blue. Places where the temperatures were average are white. The temperatures were measured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. In the center of the image, deep red areas of very warm temperatures spread across Germany, as well as France (to the west), and Poland (to the east). To the north (top center), both Norway (west) and Sweden (east) were much warmer than average. Only small pockets of the region were cooler than average: northeastern Spain, the "toe" of Italy's boot and the western half of the island of Sicily, and parts of Greece (lower right). July 2006 was a record-breaking month for heat in many Western European countries, coming in as the hottest July on record in several countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of Zhengming Wan, MODIS Land Surface Temperature Group, Institute for Computational Earth System Science [ http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/ ], University of California, Santa Barbara. |
|
European Heat Wave
| Title |
European Heat Wave |
| Description |
Europe is experiencing an historic heat wave that has been responsible for at 3,000 deaths in France alone. Compared to July 2001, temperatures in July 2003 were sizzling. This image shows the differences in day time land surface temperatures collected in the two years by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite. A blanket of deep red across southern and eastern France (left of image center) shows where temperatures were 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter this summer. White areas show where temperatures were similar, and blue shows where temperatures were cooler in 2003 than 2001. Even the Alps, which arc across southeastern France, Switzerland, Austria, and northern Italy (just below image center), are very warm this year. Glaciers are melting rapidly and swelling rivers and lakes to dangerously high levels. Climbers had to be evacuated from Switzerland's famous Matterhorn after melting triggered the collapse of a rock face. The popular climbing destination has been closed while geologists assess the possibility of further collapses. The heat wave stretches northward all the way to the United Kingdom, particularly southern England (bottom of island) and Scotland (top of island). In London, trains were shut down over fears that tracks would buckle in the heat, while in Scotland the high temperatures combined with falling water levels in rivers and streams are threatening the spawning and survival of salmon. Throughout France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, the intense heat and dry conditions sparked devastating forest fires that killed at least 15 people. Image by Reto Stockli and Robert Simmon, NASA?s Earth Observatory Team. |
|
Phytoplankton Bloom off Fran
…
| Title |
Phytoplankton Bloom off France and UK |
| Description |
Off the coast of France (bottom right) and the United Kingdom (top right), microscopic marine plants known as phytoplankton are blooming in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, coloring the ocean blue and green. The Bristol Channel, which separates England from Wales, appears filled with murky water. The tan color could be a mixture of sediment and organic matter flowing into the Channel from rivers and streams as well as material churned up by waves and tidal actions. This image is from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on June 12, 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 Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Snow Hammers Europe
| Title |
Snow Hammers Europe |
| Description |
Clouds still lingered over much of Europe after winter snow blanketed much of the continent during the last week of February 2005. The snow closed roads and delayed flights in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany. This image, taken on February 24, 2005, hints at the extent of the snowfall under the clouds. To differentiate between white clouds and white snow, this image was created with both shortwave infrared and visible light. The resulting combination makes the snow appear dark red, while clouds are white and lighter peach. A band of snow stretches down the spine of Italy, and patches of snow are spread across France, left. Germany and all countries to its east and southeast appear to be entirely covered with snow. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying aboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired the image. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
|
European Heat Wave: Image of
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Europe was experiencing a hi
…
ge_03714
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Reto Stockli and Robert Simmon, based upon data provided by the MODIS Land Science Team. |
| identifier |
ge_03714 |
|
European Heat Wave: Image of
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Europe was experiencing a hi
…
ge_03714
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Reto Stockli and Robert Simmon, based upon data provided by the MODIS Land Science Team. |
| identifier |
ge_03714 |
|
European Heat Wave: Natural
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Europe is experiencing an hi
…
modis_lst_europe_2001-2003
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
July 31, 2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
modis_lst_europe_2001-2003 |
|
Ship Traffic on the Suez Can
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
This astronaut photograph ca
…
ISS013-E-44847
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-06-30 |
| creator |
NASA -- Astronaut photograph eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=44847 ISS013-E-44847 was acquired June 30, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. The spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html International Space Station Program supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. |
| identifier |
ISS013-E-44847 |
|
Snow Hammers Europe: Natural
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Clouds still lingered over m
…
weurope_tmo_24feb05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-02-24 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
weurope_tmo_24feb05 |
|
Heat Wave in Western Europe:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Western Europe continued to
…
weuropelsta_tmo_2006201
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-07-28 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
weuropelsta_tmo_2006201 |
|
Phytoplankton Bloom off Fran
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Off the coast of France (bot
…
AtlanticOcean.TMOA2003163
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-06-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
AtlanticOcean.TMOA2003163 |
|
AIRS First Light Data: North
…
PIA00345
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
AIRS First Light Data: Northern Europe, July 20, 2002 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These images, taken over northern Europe on July 20, 2002, depict a few of the different views of Earth and its atmosphere that are produced by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system operating on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The image in Figure 1 is from an infrared channel from the AIRS instrument that measures the surface temperature in clear areas and cloud top temperatures in cloudy areas. The image reveals very warm conditions in France and a storm off the east coast of the United Kingdom. The image in Figure 2 represents a microwave channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument that sees through most clouds and observes surface conditions everywhere. The image in Figure 3 is a microwave channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument that is very sensitive to humidity and does not see the surface at all, but instead reveals the structure of moisture streams in the troposphere. The infrared and microwave data from the AIRS experiment are integrated to retrieve a single set of temperature, moisture, and cloud values. These three channels represent only a small portion of the 2,400-channel multispectral experiment, whose primary objectives are to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and to study climate change. The AIRS experiment system also takes pictures of the Earth at four visible and near-infrared wavelengths that can be combined into a color picture. This image shows a swirling low-pressure system over England, clear skies over much of France, and frontal systems in the North Atlantic. Because AIRS is sensitive to different wavelengths than your eye, the colors shown are different from what you would see. For example, plants appear very red to AIRS. There are also subtle color differences in the clouds that relate to their altitude and thickness (compare the white clouds over England with the slightly grey-green ones near Iceland). These images are used in conjunction with other AIRS, AMSU-A, and HSB measurements to get a full 3-D view of the atmosphere. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. |
|
AIRS First Light Data: North
…
PIA00345
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
AIRS First Light Data: Northern Europe, July 20, 2002 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These images, taken over northern Europe on July 20, 2002, depict a few of the different views of Earth and its atmosphere that are produced by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system operating on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The image in Figure 1 is from an infrared channel from the AIRS instrument that measures the surface temperature in clear areas and cloud top temperatures in cloudy areas. The image reveals very warm conditions in France and a storm off the east coast of the United Kingdom. The image in Figure 2 represents a microwave channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument that sees through most clouds and observes surface conditions everywhere. The image in Figure 3 is a microwave channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument that is very sensitive to humidity and does not see the surface at all, but instead reveals the structure of moisture streams in the troposphere. The infrared and microwave data from the AIRS experiment are integrated to retrieve a single set of temperature, moisture, and cloud values. These three channels represent only a small portion of the 2,400-channel multispectral experiment, whose primary objectives are to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and to study climate change. The AIRS experiment system also takes pictures of the Earth at four visible and near-infrared wavelengths that can be combined into a color picture. This image shows a swirling low-pressure system over England, clear skies over much of France, and frontal systems in the North Atlantic. Because AIRS is sensitive to different wavelengths than your eye, the colors shown are different from what you would see. For example, plants appear very red to AIRS. There are also subtle color differences in the clouds that relate to their altitude and thickness (compare the white clouds over England with the slightly grey-green ones near Iceland). These images are used in conjunction with other AIRS, AMSU-A, and HSB measurements to get a full 3-D view of the atmosphere. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. |
|
AIRS First Light Data: North
…
PIA00345
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
AIRS First Light Data: Northern Europe, July 20, 2002 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These images, taken over northern Europe on July 20, 2002, depict a few of the different views of Earth and its atmosphere that are produced by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system operating on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The image in Figure 1 is from an infrared channel from the AIRS instrument that measures the surface temperature in clear areas and cloud top temperatures in cloudy areas. The image reveals very warm conditions in France and a storm off the east coast of the United Kingdom. The image in Figure 2 represents a microwave channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument that sees through most clouds and observes surface conditions everywhere. The image in Figure 3 is a microwave channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument that is very sensitive to humidity and does not see the surface at all, but instead reveals the structure of moisture streams in the troposphere. The infrared and microwave data from the AIRS experiment are integrated to retrieve a single set of temperature, moisture, and cloud values. These three channels represent only a small portion of the 2,400-channel multispectral experiment, whose primary objectives are to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and to study climate change. The AIRS experiment system also takes pictures of the Earth at four visible and near-infrared wavelengths that can be combined into a color picture. This image shows a swirling low-pressure system over England, clear skies over much of France, and frontal systems in the North Atlantic. Because AIRS is sensitive to different wavelengths than your eye, the colors shown are different from what you would see. For example, plants appear very red to AIRS. There are also subtle color differences in the clouds that relate to their altitude and thickness (compare the white clouds over England with the slightly grey-green ones near Iceland). These images are used in conjunction with other AIRS, AMSU-A, and HSB measurements to get a full 3-D view of the atmosphere. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. |
|
AIRS First Light Data: North
…
PIA00345
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
AIRS First Light Data: Northern Europe, July 20, 2002 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These images, taken over northern Europe on July 20, 2002, depict a few of the different views of Earth and its atmosphere that are produced by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system operating on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The image in Figure 1 is from an infrared channel from the AIRS instrument that measures the surface temperature in clear areas and cloud top temperatures in cloudy areas. The image reveals very warm conditions in France and a storm off the east coast of the United Kingdom. The image in Figure 2 represents a microwave channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument that sees through most clouds and observes surface conditions everywhere. The image in Figure 3 is a microwave channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument that is very sensitive to humidity and does not see the surface at all, but instead reveals the structure of moisture streams in the troposphere. The infrared and microwave data from the AIRS experiment are integrated to retrieve a single set of temperature, moisture, and cloud values. These three channels represent only a small portion of the 2,400-channel multispectral experiment, whose primary objectives are to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and to study climate change. The AIRS experiment system also takes pictures of the Earth at four visible and near-infrared wavelengths that can be combined into a color picture. This image shows a swirling low-pressure system over England, clear skies over much of France, and frontal systems in the North Atlantic. Because AIRS is sensitive to different wavelengths than your eye, the colors shown are different from what you would see. For example, plants appear very red to AIRS. There are also subtle color differences in the clouds that relate to their altitude and thickness (compare the white clouds over England with the slightly grey-green ones near Iceland). These images are used in conjunction with other AIRS, AMSU-A, and HSB measurements to get a full 3-D view of the atmosphere. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. |
|
| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
|
|
