It should be able to make out currents and eddies less than 13 miles (21 kilometers) across, as well as areas of the ocean where water masses of varying temperatures merge. The satellite will shoot radar pulses at Earth, with the signals bouncing back to be received by a pair of antennas, one on each end of a 33-foot (10-meter) boom. WATCH:Artemis 1’s Orion spacecraft splashes down after moon flyby It will also survey millions of lakes as well as 1.3 million miles (2.1 million kilometers) of rivers, from headwater to mouth. “We’re going to see Earth’s water like we’ve never before.”Ībout the size of a SUV, the satellite will measure the height of water on more than 90% of Earth’s surface, allowing scientists to track the flow and identify potential high-risk areas. “It is a pivotal moment, and I’m very excited about it,” said NASA program manager Nadya Vinogradova-Shiffer. Cheers erupted at control centers in California and France as the spacecraft started its mission. Nicknamed SWOT - short for Surface Water and Ocean Topography - the satellite is needed more than ever as climate change worsens droughts, flooding and coastal erosion, according to scientists. The predawn launch aboard a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California capped a highly successful year for NASA.
A U.S.-French satellite that will map almost all of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers rocketed into orbit Friday.
0 kommentar(er)
