Hurricane Florence from the Space Station
This morning, NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Ricky Arnold captured a harrowing view of Hurricane Florence from the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station), as the storm makes its way toward the Eastern U.S. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is currently a category 4 hurricane with sustained winds up to 130 mph and is continuing to rapidly intensify. Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall on the East Coast later this week.
From its position in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles., the ISS National Lab provides a powerful platform to monitor natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, also known as hurricanes and typhoons. Learn how researchers are using the unique vantage point of ISS to improve measurements of the intensity and trajectory of tropical cyclones in the Upward feature “Tropical Cyclone in Sight: Tracking Hurricanes & Typhoons from Space.”