Blog #7- JPL Visit 2 Morgan Grimes

NISAR Mission
            
The NISAR NASA mission is scheduled to launch in December of 2020.  This mission is a collaboration between the American space program, NASA, and the Indian space program, ISRO. This mission will be to launch a satellite into orbit around the Earth . This satellite will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequencies to monitor and collect data from around the world in a variety of different subjects. This mission will cost an estimated $1.5 billion dollars making it the most expensive Earth-imaging satellite to date. 
            NISAR stands for NASA, ISRO, Synthetic Aperature Radar. This satellite once launched will help to produce one of the most detailed images of Earth ever produced. NISAR will help us to image the Earth to an accuracy that has not yet been achieved by current satellites. The main focus of the NISAR satellite will be to take constant radar images of the Earth over years and decades to help us understand the physical changes that the Earth is going through. Some of the advantages to using radar imaging are that it will penetrate through clouds and is operational both day and night. This satellite will allow NASA to produce images that will track both local and global changes in the long term and short term.       
            NISAR will be able to measure the planet’s natural processes such as ecosystem disturbances, ice sheet collapse, as well as natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and droughts.  Data collected from NISAR would be available within hours to help with any global disasters.  The satellite will monitor the sea levels and ice caps and measure any changes and the subsequent consequences. It will improve on our current ability to predict sea level changes. It will map not only the melting of ice sheets, but also the movement and paths of glaciers. It will also be able to measure faults and use the data as a possible predictor for future earthquakes. The satellite will also be able to determine and monitor the global carbon budget and how the biomass contributes to carbon emissions on earth. It will also measure moisture around the world and will allow for data collection on droughts and proper water usage. 
            The benefits of an advanced technology such as this one are near limitless. It is imperative that we monitor our planet and its physical changes so that we may know better how to adapt and minimize detrimental changes. This satellite will also be a huge aid in not only preventing loss and damage from disasters, but it will also help inform first responders to know the best course of action. This satellite will be some of the most accurate and holistic images of Earth.  It will map and measure countless important scientific subjects around the world. It will help to predict changes, improve our technologies and scientific knowledge, and give us a more complete view of this planet that we call home.








https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov/missionthemes/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JPL Visit 2

On our second trip to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory campus, the majority of the day was focused on the tree of life project being run by the arts team. We had many of our questions answered about the project, and witnessed first-hand the process the team takes in generating and refining their projects based on the research and findings of the NASA scientists. My main question in regards to the tree of life dealt with how the team planned to create a cube-sat which had the ability to last the duration of the project, 200 years, since no such thing has ever been done before. My favorite brainstorming session activity was writing down every question we had about the project on sticky notes and putting them up on the wall. I wish our questions had all been answered because I think the project is still very early on and a lot of people had really great questions to ask. We briefly viewed a few of the things we had seen during the first visit, including the clean room with the more-develop...
Read more

Blog #7- Sammy Keane

Image
Sammy Keane Blog #7  Since I was unable to attend the second JPL field trip due to unfortunate events, I found myself looking throughout NASA’s dense website. Juno, NASA’s mission to Jupiter, really stood out to me. Launched on August 5, 2011, the goal of this mission was to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. Juno is a solar-powered spacecraft that’s observations will lead to a better understanding of the formation of our solar system and planetary systems discovered around other stars (eyes on the solar system). In addition to that, Juno would look for solid planetary core, map its magnetic field, measure water and ammonia in its atmosphere, and finally observe auroras (nasa.gov). Juno did not arrive at Jupiter until July 4th of 2016. Reading into Mission Juno allowed me to understand more about Jupiter, a planet that I before knew nothing about. For example, written on October 24,19, data from Juno has helped scientists discover that the swirling ban...
Read more

Blog #7: JPL -Sophie Ungless

Image
The majority of our time during this visit to JPL consisted of working with the A-Team to go over the Tree of Life project, which we were introduced to during our first visit last month. The last time we learned about it, I left feeling really confused about exactly what the project was and how it has relevance, so being able to inquire more on this trip was helpful. That being said, though, I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around what the goal of the mission is. It's clear that they were inspired by how we can eventually create a mission that has the ability to arrive at Proxima B, and the drive behind the Tree of Life is this idea of time and longevity. However, the team still doesn't seem clear about how the information they gain from this project can be applied to a future mission involving Proxima B. Or if they do know, they aren't effectively articulating it to the general public, which I believe is going to be vital for keeping interest in the 200 year ...
Read more