The first satellite was launched to track near-perceptible changes in the Earth’s surface. This is an effort to help respond to natural disasters.
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission, or NISAR, is equipped with two types of synthetic aperture radars designed by the Indian Space Research Institute in the first joint satellite project of the US Space Agency and the country.
Radars pioneered for use in space by NASA, act like traditional radars in that they use microwaves to detect distant surfaces and objects. However, advanced data processing allows you to see details in high resolution.
Nisar lifted it from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeast coast at 8:10am (5:40am IST) on Wednesday. The release was streamed live on NASA+ and its agent’s YouTube channels.
The satellite completes scans of almost every ice and land surface of the planet’s ice and land twice every 12 days, and puts the Earth in orbit 14 times a day to detect changes in the Earth’s surface to a fraction of the inch of the process.
NISAR’s dual radars will help you better understand landslides and earthquakes and gather information that can improve monitoring of ice sheets, glaciers, permafrost, forests, wetlands and agricultural fields. Data published when collected and downloaded from satellites is also used to prepare and respond to hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, floods and wildfires.
First proposed in 2014, the mission will allow scientists to monitor the Earth more than ever before and change the way they study their home planets, allowing them to better predict natural disasters before they attack, said Nikki Fox, associate administrator at NASA’s Science Mission Bureau.
“We may not always notice, but much of our Earth’s surface is in constant motion,” Fox said. “However, the changes are so subtle that they are virtually irrelevant now. There is no need to make better preparations before, during or after the challenges caused by natural disasters around the world.”
The length of the pickup truck, NISAR is expected to capture a wide range of information with its dual radar system (L-band system with a 10-inch (25 centimeters) wavelength and S-band system with a 4-inch (10 centimeters) wavelength). The L-band was provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and the S-band was provided by ISRO.
At a press conference on July 21, Wendy Edelstein, NASA’s JPL’s Deputy Project Manager, NISAR, said: “These two radars work together to achieve science that neither of them can see for themselves.”
The signals in each system are calibrated to features of various sizes on the globe. Shorter wavelengths in the S-band can monitor crops by measuring small objects such as leaves and surface roughness, while long wavelengths in the L-band can be peered into a thick wooden canopy to study forest structures, and even rocks and tree trunks. Radar systems can also take specific measurements of movement, land deformation and moisture content.
By bounces microwave signals off the surface of the earth and receiving a return signal with a large radar antenna reflector, NISAR can see clouds and rain during the day and night. Continuing observations of satellites can help you discover potential land movements before a volcanic eruption, and help scientists understand how movements on the surface of the Earth destroy infrastructure such as levees and dams. According to NASA, it can even provide insight into where earthquakes occur.
The satellite was the result of a conversation between NASA and ISRO, which began in response to the 2007 Decade Survey of the National Academy of Sciences, which identified research priorities and recommended prioritization of Earth observation. The two agents signed an agreement on September 30, 2014 to be partners on the NISAR mission.
In addition to providing S-band radar, ISRO is developing algorithms to calibrate equipment, process data and achieve the scientific goals of the mission. The agency also supplies satellites, launch vehicles and main bodies of launch services. Meanwhile, NASA provided radar reflector antennas, deployable booms, communications subsystems for incoming data, and other aspects of the spacecraft.
“We are two countries with one mission,” said Karen St. Germain, director of Earth Sciences at NASA at a recent press conference. “Nisar is united in the US and India to study their home planet together. Collaboration, collaboration and information sharing between the two agencies is a foundation that we truly look forward to continuing.”
Previously, several NASA instruments were monitored for nearly two years on India’s first deep space mission Chandrayaan-1, released in 2008, and several NASA instruments were flying.
Members of the NASA and ISRO team worked together to work with NISAR over 13 time zones and over 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers), requiring long-distance trips and late-night and early morning video calls. The hardware was assembled on two different continents before it was integrated into India to complete the satellite.
Edelstein has traveled to India more than 25 times in the last 10 years and has worked with ISRO team members for more than 150 days in the last two years. Moved from JPL, she took her 36 hours to reach Bengaluru, India, where the system was being tested. However, she said the journey has allowed her to meet Isro’s colleagues and become immersed in Indian culture.
Saint-Germain agrees: “It was really tough to build satellites on the other side of the world during a global pandemic, but it strengthened our relationship with the island,” she said.
Indian Minister of Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said the mission is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Vishwa Bandhu” against India, or a global partner to contribute to news releases shared by the national news intelligence agency.
“This mission is not just about launching satellites. It is a moment that symbolizes what two democracies committed to science and the welfare of the world can achieve together. Nisar not only serves India and the United States, but also provides important data to countries around the world, especially in areas such as disaster management, agriculture, and climate surveillance. “Nisar is not just a satellite. It is a scientific handshake with the Indian world.”
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