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Earth Observation
EARTH OBSERVATION ONBOARD THE ISS NATIONAL LAB
The ISSInternational Space Station provides a unique vantage point for Earth observation.
At a Glance
The ISS is 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., at an altitude of approximately 250 miles (roughly the distance from New York to Boston).
The orbital path of the ISS also gives it a unique point of view, traveling over the regions of Earth that contain more than 90% of our population. Compared with typical satellites used for Earth observation, the ISS provides better spatial resolution and variable lighting conditions.
Earth observation from the ISS can improve disaster response, identify pipeline leaks, and advance studies of agriculture, water quality, natural resources, the atmosphere, maritime tracking, land use, and much more.
The ISS also serves as a technology test bed, a platform for studying elementary particle physics, and a conduit to enable sustainability and the democratization of imaging data.
Compared with typical satellites used for Earth observation, the ISS provides (1) better spatial resolution in images and (2) variable lighting conditions, which traditional satellites cannot achieve because they pass over the same area at approximately the same time every day. The ISS also provides a low risk option to prove out prototype sensors and electronics before committing to full satellite builds and launches.
Examples of space-based earth observation investigations that promise to improve life on Earth include:
Spectral Imaging:
Some of the imaging systems on the ISS detect more than just visible light (the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can see with the naked eye). These instruments are capable of hyperspectral imaging, which can capture phenomena such as atmospheric gases, temperature variations in the upper atmosphere, and features of coastlines, such as water clarity and chlorophyll content. Such imaging techniques can also catalogue geospatial, thermal, and magnetic information as it relates to oil, gas, and mineral exploration.
Monitoring of land and sea:
Land use studies can provide valuable information for fields such as agriculture (e.g., examining the types, health, and abundance of plants in an area) and urban growth (examining expanding land use for buildings, etc., that result from growth of cities). The ISS also has the first space-based method to track global maritime traffic. This method can monitor speed, position, course, cargo, and other information about ships in open water (compared with Earth-based systems, which can monitor only coastal waters).
Fundamental sciences:
Studies in biology, geology, biogeography, and hydrology include analyzing aquatic organisms, coral reefs, endangered species, and glaciers; capturing features of glaciers, agricultural fields, cities, and coral reefs with unprecedented detail; exploring the distribution of species and organisms in geographic regions over time; and studying water’s movement, location, and quality.
Technology validation:
Along with serving as a unique vantage point for imaging and data collection, the ISS also provides a platform to validate technologies or products that benefit society—it is a test bed for data collection and aerospace technology development, including new approaches for Earth observation, atmospheric monitoring, and spacecraft or satellite technologies.
Disaster response:
Scientists use images from the ISS to monitor global hazards, natural disasters, and environmental changes to help make response efforts faster and more effective. For example, astronauts used these capabilities to aid in disaster recovery efforts after the 2011 Japanese tsunami and to monitor the melting of glaciers that caused a Russian avalanche in 2002.
Earth observation studies through the ISS National Lab provide critical insights into natural disasters, technological advancements, scientific research, and environmental sustainability, helping to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet.
Examples of recent earth observation investigations onboard the ISS National Lab include:
A commercial project that significantly improved intensity measurements and, subsequently, path predictions of strong tropical cyclones using a measurement technique from the vantage point of the ISS.
A variety of academic and commercial organizations are using images of the coastal ocean to study and develop predictive algorithms for water quality, harmful algal blooms, mineral mapping, and ecosystem responses to environmental stress.
An elementary particle physics detector that advances knowledge of the universe and leads to the understanding of the universe’s origin by searching for and studying antimatter, dark matter, and cosmic rays-a project which continues to publish new findings from its 13+ years of operations.
A commercially operated Multi-User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES)-an Earth-observing, precision pointing platform can host up to four instruments simultaneously and offer the ability to change, upgrade, and robotically service those instruments.
