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Earth Science Gallery 2000 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: | Synopsis |
| THIS PLANET EARTH: NASAS REMOTE SENSING LEGACY | G01-A027 | 04/24/01 | 00:50:43 | Sight yields insight. New observations afford new ideas, and new ideas allow for new levels of understanding. With its strong commitment to developing powerful remote sensing technologies, NASA has led the way in opening stunning vistas for exploration about our home. Take the Landsat program, now late into its third decade. The ability to see the Earth's surface in terms that can be visually classified--"thematically mapped", to use the jargon--have profoundly changed millions of peoples lives and helped shape the future of scientific research about our home planet. Landsat 7 is the latest in a string of highly successful spacecraft. Based on the programs impressive and consistent successes, researchers have developed daring new ideas for continuing its work into the twenty-first century. The powerful Earth observing flagship called Terra is beginning to pay remarkable dividends to researchers around the world. With five advanced instruments designed to study the Earth as a collection of interrelated systems, the future of remote sensing is already into its dawn. Last year an experimental satellite called EO-1 also arrived on orbit. It's designed to test next generation Landsat-type technologies, as well as try out several entirely new notions in spacecraft design. As youll see in the following collection of images, the efforts of those involved in these programs can show us the Earth as most of us have never seen it before. |
TAPE CONTENTS: |
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| ITEM (1): A Legacy Of Earth Imaging (Reporter Package) - NASAs legacy of remote Earth imaging, space and time are the defining parameters. First space. In the twenty-eight years since the first Landsat satellite blasted into orbit, our ability to see details on the ground has vastly improved. Presently leading that legacy of invention is the latest in the series: Landsat 7. But the trend of innovation continues. A new, experimental Earth imaging satellite called EO-1 has already begun its shakedown in space. If the forward thinking technologies on board fully check out, they will likely define the future of remote based Earth observations. Now time. NASAs nearly thirty years of land imaging experience offers a powerful resource to ongoing research. By committing to long term observations and archival preservation of data, researchers can pursue important work about the changing face of our world. Only with long term records is this possible, and NASAs efforts in this regard have been robust. Legacies carry with them responsibilities, and to that end the space agency has moved boldly. In addition to development of next generation land imaging technologies, NASA is also developing new ways to study our home planet. The launch and activation of the spacecraft called Terra is just such an endeavor. With its unique array of five distinct but complementary Earth observing instruments, Terra not only opens the next chapter in a long legacy of Earth exploration, but begins a new tale of discovery by itself. | ||||
| ITEM (2): Great Zooms From Space: American Cities - No doubt about it: these are new. Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with the following collection of American cities in a way youve never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Enjoy the ride! Featured Cities Include: Washington, DC Atlanta, GA Los Angeles, CA San Francisco, CA Orlando, FL Chicago, IL New York, NY | ||||
| ITEM (3): Zooms From Space: How Did They Do That? - Theres no Earth observing telescope parked in orbit. There are no geosynchronous elevators on which a camera can be mounted. The images that went into each of the remarkable city zooms come from data collected by a group of Earth imaging satellites. By taking data sets from different satellites that each show the Earth at various spatial levels, a sequence of images was electronically knitted together. Computer experts used images from MODIS, Landsat 7, and a remarkable commercial satellite called Ikonos to create these zooms. In virtual space the viewer travels far more than a thousand miles, but in real terms, nothing besides electrons, photons, and an elite group of computer and spacecraft personnel have moved to make these images possible. | ||||
| ITEM (4): The Desert Blooming: Urban Growth In Las Vegas - Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Over a period of 27 years, a series of Landsat satellites has taken pictures of Las Vegas from space. Seen in sequence, the series vividly displays powerful forces of urban growth there. Spreading out from the center of town, we see how construction and its effects has changed the nature of the surrounding area, replacing natural features in many parts, and simply altering characteristics in others. | ||||
| ITEM (5): Disappearing Water: The Aral Sea Over Time - The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all. It is an immense lake, and in the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of it has disappeared. Poor management of regional water resources, from irrigation to urban and industrial development has dramatically affected the Aral. In the following sequence of images, we see a series of Landsat 22 scenes taken several years apart. As the years pass, we see the profound reduction in overall area, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. | ||||
| ITEM (6): Lake Chad Disappearing - When it thrived, Lake Chad was one of those ironic points of planetary formation in that it seemed to defy the vast ocean of sand directly to its north. Persistent drought has caused the lake to drop from its former sixth place position in the list of worlds largest lakes; it is now one tenth its former size. This Landsat time series can not only help quantify the changes there, but can help researchers evaluate the root causes for such large transformation events on Earth, from climate change to human use of natural resources. | ||||
| ITEM (7): Mozambique Flooding - Following weeks of heavy rains in late Winter 2000, massive flooding inundated wide tracts of eastern and southern Africa, displacing more than 200,000 people. This side by side Landsat sequence shows the comparative size of rivers in Mozambique before and during the floods. Notice how the high waters have all but covered the lowlands, far exceeding the boundaries of the normal river system. | ||||
| ITEM (8): Mozambique Flooding Compared To Size Of Washington DC - This sequence shows the scale of the tragic floods that washed through Mozambique in 2000. As the visualization begins, we see the relative size of Washington, DC, shown in red, superimposed over the flood area. In this case, remote Earth imagery becomes useful as a tool for communication, allowing accurate and clear description of the scale of a particular natural event. | ||||
| ITEM (9): Mt. St. Helens Over Time - The explosion of Mt. St. Helens volcano in Washington State on May 18, 1980 sets the scene for one of Landsat's most important capabilities. As a means for archiving surface features, researchers can study how the Earth changes over time. In this sequence, pictures of the mountain taken in 1973, 1983, and 2000 show how the eruption changed the surrounding area. Notice how the north face of the mountain dramatically changed following the blast. The crater's mouth elongated, and significant ash deposits altered the down slope terrain. | ||||
| ITEM (10): The Big BreakAntarctic Glacier Cracks - This Landsat 7 image shows a thin, 25 kilometer (15 mile) crack in whats called the Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica. What surprised scientists was the fact that images taken just ten months before showed no sign of such a fissure. A major break was forming in the Antarctic ice, and here it was caught in the act. Although the speed of the crack seems to have slowed as it picks its way across the ice, experts say its likely a huge new iceberg will be falling into the south seas within the next year and a half or so, assuming the crack continues to grow. | ||||
| ITEM (11): Shenzhen, China 1988-1996: Explosive Urban Growth Changes a Continent a) True Color Sequence - The Peoples Republic of China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Additionally, much of the Chinese political and cultural landscape is in a state of transition, and economic development is remarkably strong, particularly in southern industrial cities. As seen by Landsat, Shenzen, China practically transforms from a regional urban center to a metropolitan powerhouse in the space of roughly ten years. Notice along the southern peninsula as the actual outline of the land changes, with huge structures emerging in the waters off-shore. Landsat 5 collected the data. You can see how roads, bridges, and massive construction projects transform the landscape. New structures appear off the southern coast, and highways grow less distinct against the background as significant building spreads along the sides of the roads. Also notice how the massive growth alters lakes and mountains in the area, adding sediment and changing borders. b) Changes in VegetationFalse Color Sequence - As construction goes up, something has to come down. In these images, the same scenes are presented in a way that highlights vegetation concentration. Red indicates density of plant life, and as becomes immediately apparent, vegetation all but disappears across the region over the last ten years. By using data like this, researchers can better understand the causes of environmental changes they find in cities like Shenzhen, and better monitor a regions overall health. c) Before and After Images - These images are simply the first and last frames of the preceeding animations, played sequentially to emphasize the scope of change to the Shenzhen region in a period of the last ten years. | ||||
| ITEM (12): Losing Forests In Bolivia - This scene starts in space, high above South America. As we zoom in closer, we see the national outlines of Bolivia come into view on the map. By focusing on one particular region, were able to see effects of deforestation in the equatorial forest. The sequence that follows shows two images of the Santa Cruz region of Bolivia. The first was taken in 1984. Landsat 7 took the second in 2000. In just a few short years, we see how intense agricultural development has transformed the forest. | ||||
| ITEM (13): Colorado Mosaic - Using the data collected by the versatile Extented Thematic Mapper Plus instrument onboard the Landsat 7 satellite, we can take a tour of Colorado in a way that was impossible just a few years ago. This virtual fly-over of Colorado is the product of dozens of Landsat scenes digitally stitched together into a single, unified mosaic. We see the state as an unbroken whole, but only after its been cut into manageable sections, beamed to Earth, stored, retrieved from the Landsat database, assembled, and digitally reprocessed. | ||||
| ITEM (14): Trees Falling: Mapping Deforestation In Rondonia, Brazil - Data gathered over time by several in the Landsat series of spacecraft shows enormous tracts of forest disappearing in Rondonia, Brazil. This territory underwent an enormous rise in population towards the end of the twentieth century, buoyed by cheap land offered by the national government for agricultural use. Its useful to note how the human phenomenon of deforestation generally works, especially in the dense tropical forests of Brazil. Systematic cutting of a road opens new territory to potential deforestation by penetrating into new areas. Clearing of vegetation along the sides of those roads tends to fan out to create a pattern akin to a fish skeleton. As new paths appear in the woods, new areas become vulnerable. The spaces between the "skeletal bones" fall to defoliation, and another inch of the Earths biological rudder is no longer reliably steering the planet into the future. | ||||
| ITEM (15): Scanning San Francisco With ASTER - The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, otherwise known as ASTER, is not only capable of detecting thermal data, but also recording scenes in stereo. As the sequence starts, we see first an overhead picture of the city. The scene shifts to show a number of different electromagnetic bands of information reflected back to the instrument, each providing different information to researchers. Finally, we fly in close to the city and soar over virtual depictions of its surrounding hills, over its fabled harbor, and finally come in for a landing at the airport. | ||||
| ITEM (16): Circling The Crater: Aster Sees Mt. St. Helens - Taken on August 8, 2000, the sequence shows a virtual fly-around of Mt. St. Helens volcano in Washington State. A part of the Cascade Range of mountains, Mt. St. Helens began to wake from more than a hundred years of slumber in the beginning of 1980. When it ultimately erupted on May 18 of that year, the energy released actually caused the disintegration of the mountains top. Computer experts enhanced the visualizations to reflect a more familiar look of a wooded area. ASTER data taken in the visible and near infrared parts of the spectrum were draped over a digital topographic model, itself created by the 3-D stereo imaging capabilities of the instrument. The vertical relief of the image has been exaggerated by a factor of two to enhance the surface features. | ||||
| ITEM (17): Case Study: El Reno, Oklahoma - At different levels of resolution, with different types of data available, Terra can show regions of the Earth in comparative terms. By those comparisons, experts can assess what present conditions are on the ground to a highly accurate degree, as well as recognize how a given region is changing over time, or changing in relation to surrounding regions. This sequence of ASTER data showing El Reno, Oklahoma is a good example. | ||||
| ITEM (18): A Thickness Of Sky On the left we see a stripe of ground running across the border between Idaho and Montana. This scene comes from the MISR instrument on Terra. As the image scrolls down, we see tendrils of smoke drifting up from fires burning. On the right side of the screen we see a corresponding image showing data about the atmosphere above the region. The data displayed is a visual representation of whats called "aerosol optical thickness", a measurement of the amount of light absorbed by the smoke and haze in the atmosphere. | ||||
| ITEM (19): Fire Signatures In Idaho - ASTER can not only get in close to a subject on the ground, but can also assess its thermal characteristics. This can provide useful information for officials on the ground in dealing with fires, volcanos, and other natural events. Here we see ASTER data of fires that happened last summer in Idaho. The scene first shows the area of the fires, zooms in for a closer look, then shows a thermal signal indicating hot spots on the ground. | ||||
| ITEM (20): Nine Eyes On Montana Fires - MISR is a single instrument on Terra composed of nine different cameras. By using images from those cameras either in combination, alone, or in sequence, sophisticated information can be gleaned. Here we see a still picture of the fire region in Montana. We see haze over the area as smoke drifts high into the atmosphere. As MISRs nine cameras cycle through the scene, the change in perspective allows us not only to see different angles of the ground and the particles of clouds themselves, but also to measure cloud height. | ||||
| ITEM (21): Catching The Light In The Cracks - - MISRs nine cameras are useful for surface measurements, too. On the Pine Island glacier in Antarctica, a large crack has recently appeared. In very little time last year, the crack spread more than 25 kilometers (15 miles) across the glacier. The value of a space based perspective is the ability to take in a wide area. With MISR, detailed analysis of this particular surface feature can be studied across the entire length of the fissure. By using images taken by the forward, nadir, and aft cameras, we can see differences in reflectance in the crack very clearly. This helps scientists track the crack as it grows as well as better understand the forces that led to its formation. | ||||
| ITEM (22): What Calibration Means - Calibration is simply a term that describes a process of conforming to a standard. For example, all thermometers will measure the freezing point of water, but unless properly calibrated they cannot determine how much the temperature of a quantity of water had changed. In terms of remote sensing, calibration is vital for analysis of data gathered by different instruments. Unless certain standards for measurement are determined by the research teams and imposed on instruments, measurements will have no absolute relevance to each other. Researchers might be able to identify an image, but the value of that data as compared to other relevant instrumentation would be zero. | ||||
| ITEM (23): Hyperion: A New View Of Earth - Hyperions goals are nothing less than ambitious. The instrument is designed to gather highly complex data from a given region on the Earth by viewing the surface in terms of 220 distinct "bands" or colors of light. The uses for an instrument than can make such fine spectral distinctions include studies of land use, changes in land cover, mineral resource assessment, research into coastal processes, changes in the atmosphere and more. | ||||
| ITEM (24): Observations On The Edge Of The Future - In this visualization we see data gathered by Hyperion over a portion of Argentina. As the ground scrolls by in the imaging window, we see how the instrument assesses the surface features. Data about the surface features being observed by the instrument appear in the graphical readout. As scientists begin to use Hyperion data more and more, they expect to be able to quantify surface features in ways never before possible at planetary | ||||
| ITEM (25): Hyperion, Thinly Sliced - The principal reason Hyperion offers such powerful research opportunities for scientists is its ability to slice reflected light into more than 220 individual wavelengths. It doesnt see much more of the spectrum, but it sees light in significantly more subtle gradations. In this visualization, we see how light is broken into bands for processing by the Landsat instrument. Next to it we see a comparison to Hyperions spectral capabilities. Hyperion slices the spectrum into thin colors, offering highly precise measurements of surface features. | ||||
| ITEM (26): The Advanced Land Imager - In many ways, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) embodies the engineering ideal that less is more. A principle component to the EO-1 mission, ALI is an Earth observing instrument designed to generate images of the planet based on various wavelengths of light reflected from the surface. Project designers developed the instrument to be comparable with or exceed the capabilities of Landsats Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus. Further, the EO-1 project team designed ALI to deliver these images at a significant reduction in weight, technical complexity, and cost. | ||||
| ITEM (27): Clearing The View: The Atmospheric Corrector - Until now, experts have generally compensated for atmospheric distortion by using predicted or modeled mathematical values for how much the atmospheric layer between the Earth and their instrument causes changes to images. But EO-1s Atmospheric Corrector changes that strategy. By gathering actual, real time information about how the atmosphere distorts images from the ground, scientists can calibrate their sensors to create significantly clearer images of what theyre studying. | ||||
| ITEM (28): A String of Pearls: Enhanced Formation Flying - A novel experiment is being conducted with EO-1 and Landsat 7 working in concert. In the first satellite maneuver of its kind, EO-1 and Landsat 7 will become part of a carefully choreographed constellation, joining Terra and an Argentinean spacecraft called SAC-C" in a line of vehicles flying approximately one minute apart on the same ground track. The operation offers unique research possibilities, including highly precise cross calibration of instruments on each spacecraft. | ||||
| ITEM (29): Earth's Check-Up - If the Earth had a heartbeat, its pulse has just been taken. Using three years of continuous data from an orbiting instrument called SeaWiFS, NASA scientists have amassed a first look at how carbon moves through the biosphere. Carbon is one of the most essential elements for life, and experts say that this research is a major step in the effort to monitor overall planetary health, from climate change to the rhythms of life in oceans and on land. | ||||
| ITEM (30): Colorful Shadows: Inferring Carbon's CYCLE - Following three years of continuous data collected by the SeaWiFS instrument, NASA has gathered the first record of photosynthetic productivity in the oceans. A measurement of photosynthesis is essentially a measurement of successful growth, and growth means successful use of ambient carbon. The process begins with a measurement of surface chlorophyll concentration. Chlorophyll is the material that allows plant cells to convert sunlight into energy, thus enabling them to grow. Healthy color signatures indicate the successful use of carbon, the fundamental building block for life. In other words, lots of green indicates lots of chlorophyll; lots of chlorophyll implies healthy photosynthesis; strong photosynthesis indicates growth, and growth indicates successful use of carbon. | ||||
| ITEM (31): LANDSAT: Continuing A Legacy Of Earth Observation - Landsat 7 is the latest in a series of satellites. From an altitude of 438 miles (730 kilometers), Landsat 7 can see surface features as small as 15 meters, providing world-wide land resource information for a diverse range of uses. The only scientific instrument onboard the satellite is the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus, a passive sensor that measure reflected solar radiation (light) from the surface of the Earth. Landsat 7 is part of a global research effort NASA calls the Earth Science Enterprise, which seeks to acquire a long term understanding of the changes to our planet. NASA officially called the first Landsat satellite the Earth Resources Technology Satellite, or ERTS-1, on July 23, 1972. Since then the program has continued to pave the way in research and data acquisition techniques about the surface of our planet. | ||||
| ITEM (32): TERRA: Flagship of the Earth Observing System - On December 18, 1999 NASA launched Terra, paving the way for a new era in orbiting Earth science tools. Its a multi-national orbiting research platform managed at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center. By synchronizing a sophisticated suite of sensors and instruments, Terra will help researchers pursue some of the grandest and most complex questions about the nature of our home planet, including cutting edge research into climate change. The satellite can simultaneously study clouds, water vapor, aerosol particles, trace gases, terrestrial and ocean properties, and systemic interactions on a planetary scale. In the following sections we take a closer look the five scientific instruments that comprise the Terra platform. (a) The MODIS Instrument (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) - In science, color is more than simply a characteristic. Its information. As described by the instruments acronym, MODIS collects images of the Earths surface, reading the various spectra (or color) of reflected radiation from different points on the globe . Primary investigative pursuits for MODIS include the study of surface temperature (including fire detection), ocean sediment and phytoplankton concentrations, vegetation maps, pollution, snow cover, and more. (b) The ASTER Instrument (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) - ASTER is designed primarily to collect data based on the reflection and absorption of heat on the planet below. With its stereoscopic capabilities, ASTER can create digital elevation maps. Its also the instrument on Terra with the highest spatial resolution; in other words, its capable of observing the smallest area in the greatest detail. (c) The MOPITT Instrument (Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere) - Of the five Terra instruments, MOPITT looks at the largest geographic sample area at one time. Its main purpose is to measure carbon monoxide and methane levels in the lower atmosphere, called the troposphere. By studying where atmospheric gasses are concentrated, how they circulate through the atmosphere, and how they form, scientists hope to gain a more complete picture about how atmospheric pollution interacts and affects the environment. (d) The MISR Instrument (Multi-angle Spectroradiometer) - MISR is similar to MODIS in that it, too, looks at color. But MISR is unique. It has a series of nine cameras, each pointed at a different angle, looks at a the same slice of the Earth below from a different perspective as the instrument passes overhead. MISR will help determine how sunlight behaves and interacts as it passes through Earths environment. Further, Misrs sophisticated sensors can also monitor long term trends in pollution and naturally generated aerosols, cloud heights, and distribution of land surface cover. (e) The CERES Instrument (Clouds and the Earths Radiant Energy System) - CERES looks at clouds. More specifically, CERES studies the radiation balance on Earth--how much heat is absorbed and reflected in different areas. By looking at how different cloud formations absorb or reflect various amounts of energy, scientists can develop new predictive models about weather systems and how the Earth maintains its delicate balance in temperature. | ||||
| ITEM (33): EO-1: A View From Above - The hexagonal satellite called EO-1 carries a suite of instruments designed to test new technologies while also conducting valuable research about our home planet. Flying almost 438 miles above the Earth, the satellites scientific hardware can deliver some of the data collection capabilities previously possible only from satellites far larger and more complex. Fully outfitted, EO-1 weighed nearly 1166 pounds at launch. NASA launched it on a Delta 7320-10 rocket from Vandenberg AFB in California. | ||||
| ITEM (34): SeaWiFS: Big Returns From a Small Package - SeaWiFS (Sea-Viewing Wide Field of View Sensor) is the scientific portion of the OrbView-2 satellite, orbiting The Earth at an altitude of 423 miles (705 kilometers). By providing a regular picture of the planet's color, SeaWiFS helps researchers learn about the state of the world's interconnected ecosystems. OrbView-2 blasted into space on August 1, 1997 lifted by an extended Pegasus rocket. SeaWiFS is considered a low cost mission, many orders of magnitude less expensive than other Earth observing instruments. In scientific terms, however, this little instrument has proved to be one of the space agencys star performers, its highly focused mission parameters netting huge scientific returns for researchers studying a wide variety of questions. | ||||
| ITEM (35): Selected Soundbites (1) Dr. Darrel Williams Landsat Project Scientist (2) Dr. Jon Ranson Terra Project Scientist | ||||
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