NASA launches satellite to study Western drought from space

NASA launches satellite to study Western drought from space

Though the launch won't stop the drought, it will provide valuable information about where and when others will happen.

Dirt has never seemed so cosmic as it has since NASA launched the latest Earth-observing mission into space this past Saturday, Jan. 31. SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite) is the latest development in NASA’s earth observations, which launched successfully from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch deployed very smoothly into space, which was all that NASA could ask for.

SMAP will have a very important job during its launch, it will map moisture levels all over earth’s soil to help scientists better predict floods, droughts and other weather factors that are influenced heavily by topsoil.

According to NASA launch director, Tim Dunn, “We’re in contact with SMAP and everything looks great. We couldn’t be happier.”

All over the earth, SMAP will measure the first two inches of topsoil moisture levels by use of two instruments, making for the most accurate readings ever created by NASA. SMAP has a three-year lifespan, over which it will give global topsoil readings every three days, through a giant antenna on top of the satellite. The antenna alone has a diameter of nearly 20 feet, and is the largest of its kind, but even more important, the most accurate as well.

Through SMAP’s data, scientists will be able to learn exactly where and when droughts happen. On the other side, SMAP will also help to predict where floods could happen as well. SMAP will have scientists better understand the relationship between the earth’s carbon, water and energy cycles. SMAP’s mission has an estimated cost of $916 billion and will join the already 19 orbiting satellites currently surrounding earth.

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