NASA's Earth-observing satellite NISAR has successfully demonstrated its ability to reveal detailed insights into the planet's surface. The latest image from the mission showcases its capabilities in observing the Mississippi River Delta region in southeastern Louisiana.
The colorfully captured image, which was created using data collected by the L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument on board NISAR, reveals various land cover types such as wetlands, forests, and farmland. The SAR's microwaves are able to pass through clouds and provide clear images of the surface below.
Compared to other instruments that sense visible light, the L-band SAR provides unique insights into the type of land cover in each area. This is evident in the image where buildings in New Orleans appear green due to scattering from angles relative to the satellite's orbit. Streets running parallel to the satellite's flight track cause strong reflections off buildings.
The high resolution of the image can be seen clearly, including right-of-center Lake Pontchartrain Causeway - a 24-mile-long continuous bridge over water that is the world's longest such structure.
Forests in the bright green areas west of the Mississippi River appear healthy with tree canopies and vegetation causing the microwaves to bounce in many directions. On the other hand, Maurepas Swamp indicates thinned tree populations due to various environmental changes.
On either side of the Mississippi, parcels of varying shapes, sizes, and cover are shown. Fallow farm plots appear darker while areas indicating tall plants, such as crops, show bright magenta colors.
NISAR's data products created using its L-band measurements will be downloadable from the Alaska Satellite Facility Distributed Active Archive Center website.
The satellite has provided valuable insights that can protect communities by offering unique and actionable information to decision-makers. The joint mission between NASA and ISRO aims to monitor Earth's land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, utilizing the giant drum-shaped reflector - the largest radar antenna reflector ever sent into space.
For more information on NISAR, visit science.nasa.gov/mission/nisar/.
The colorfully captured image, which was created using data collected by the L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument on board NISAR, reveals various land cover types such as wetlands, forests, and farmland. The SAR's microwaves are able to pass through clouds and provide clear images of the surface below.
Compared to other instruments that sense visible light, the L-band SAR provides unique insights into the type of land cover in each area. This is evident in the image where buildings in New Orleans appear green due to scattering from angles relative to the satellite's orbit. Streets running parallel to the satellite's flight track cause strong reflections off buildings.
The high resolution of the image can be seen clearly, including right-of-center Lake Pontchartrain Causeway - a 24-mile-long continuous bridge over water that is the world's longest such structure.
Forests in the bright green areas west of the Mississippi River appear healthy with tree canopies and vegetation causing the microwaves to bounce in many directions. On the other hand, Maurepas Swamp indicates thinned tree populations due to various environmental changes.
On either side of the Mississippi, parcels of varying shapes, sizes, and cover are shown. Fallow farm plots appear darker while areas indicating tall plants, such as crops, show bright magenta colors.
NISAR's data products created using its L-band measurements will be downloadable from the Alaska Satellite Facility Distributed Active Archive Center website.
The satellite has provided valuable insights that can protect communities by offering unique and actionable information to decision-makers. The joint mission between NASA and ISRO aims to monitor Earth's land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, utilizing the giant drum-shaped reflector - the largest radar antenna reflector ever sent into space.
For more information on NISAR, visit science.nasa.gov/mission/nisar/.
! I mean who needs all that fancy tech to see a river delta? It's like they say "you can't see the forest for the trees". But seriously, it's awesome that they can get clear pics through the clouds. And wow, those buildings in New Orleans are so green it's like someone poured a whole bottle of paint on 'em 
! I love how they're using this satellite to help people make decisions about their land and communities. It's like having eyes in the sky to help figure out what's going on with our planet.
OMG, can you believe that NASA's NISAR satellite is giving us such sick, detailed pics of the Earth 
? I mean, those images of the Mississippi River Delta region are just insane! The way it reveals all these hidden land cover types like wetlands and forests... it's like having a superpower 
. And can you even believe that buildings in New Orleans are appearing green due to scattering from angles relative to the satellite's orbit? Mind blown 
! I'm loving how NISAR is providing actionable info for decision-makers, which can really protect communities 
. It's awesome that we're getting all these valuable insights twice a day 
... let's just hope it gets shared with more people so we can all appreciate its awesomeness 
i mean we need more satellites like this to help us protect communities and all that jazz 
this is so cool! NISAR is like a super powerful spy that's always watching over us. I mean, being able to see through clouds and detect land cover types like wetlands and forests? That's some serious tech right there! 
And can you believe the level of detail in this image? It's crazy to see the Mississippi River Delta region so clearly. The green building thing is wild, btw... I guess all those microwaves bouncing off buildings give it that hue 
. On a more serious note, I'm stoked that NISAR's data can help protect communities by giving decision-makers actionable info 
. It's awesome to see NASA and ISRO working together on this mission!