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Probing the Depths of "SWOT in a Box"

Visiting Scout uses a color-coded, calibrated stick to determine "sea surface topography"
Published: June 4, 2016

Visiting Scout uses a color-coded, calibrated stick to determine "sea surface topography" within a wooden box while his sister records his results by placing stickers on a card.

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Teams from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California, loaded the scientific payload for the SWOT Earth-observing satelli...
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Team members pushing the SWOT scientific payload onto an airplane for transport to France.
SWOT's scientific payload loading into a U.S. Air Force C-17 airplane for transport to Cannes, France.
Emblem for the SWOT mission.
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Emblem for the SWOT mission.
SWOT Emblem
The Canadian Space Agency will contribute to the SWOT Mission by providing a high-power assembly component for SWOT’s Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn).
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Canadian Space Agency
The SWOT satellite observatory is being jointly built by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES).
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NASA logo
NASA
Engineers integrate separate parts of the SWOT satellite into one in a Thales Alenia Space clean room facility in Cannes, France.
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A Photo from a high vantage point showing parts of the SWOT satellite being integrated in a clean room in France
Part of the SWOT satellite's science instrument payload in a clean room at a Thales facility.
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for SWOT.
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SpaceX Launch Vehicle
SpaceX Launch Vehicle
SWOT will collect data across a 75-mile (120-kilometer) wide swath, with a gap in the center for an altimetry track. This animation shows the collection of data over the state of Florida, which is ...
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An animation showing how SWOT will collect data once it is in space.
This animation shows a simulation of SWOT collecting data over the state of Florida.
The logo for the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission.
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The logo for the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission.
SWOT Mission Logo
Arctic Lakes
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Arctic Lakes
Arctic Lakes
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (3 of 4).
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A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (3 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
A banner explaining the purpose of the SWOT mission, created and displayed during testing.
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A banner explaining the purpose of the SWOT mission, created and displayed during testing.
Understanding Surface Water Characteristics and Ocean Dynamics
An alternate logo for the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission.
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An alternate logo for the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission.
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An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2015).
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An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft.
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An image of the original concept for the Water and Terrestrial Elevation Recovery (WATER) Mission, which later became SWOT.
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An image of the original concept for the Water and Terrestrial Elevation Recovery (WATER) Mission, which later became SWOT.
WATER Mission Concept Illustration
Highly visible in their red shirts, SWOT project team members - including Project Manager Parag Vaze at left - interact with the public during the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) "Open House" ...
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SWOT Exhibit at JPL Open House
SWOT Exhibit at JPL Open House
The SWOT Payload module consists of two primary components: the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) and the Nadir module.
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SWOT Payload
SWOT Payload
Artist's impression of the future SWOT satellite making sea surface height observations, even through clouds.
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Artist's impression of the future SWOT satellite making sea surface height observations, even through clouds.
Artist's Impression of the SWOT Satellite
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Open House visitors are delighted to see how well their color-coded stickers match the "sea surface topography model of the Gulf of Mexico within a wooden box.
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"SWOT in a Box" Reveal - Gulf of Mexico Model
"SWOT in a Box" Reveal - Gulf of Mexico Model
AirSWOT plays a key role in SWOT mission development. It allows scientists to study interferometric data before launch and thus be prepared to effectively interpret SWOT data after launch.
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AirSWOT Platform
AirSWOT Platform
NASA’s Blue Marble
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NASA’s Blue Marble
NASA's Blue Marble
A view of SWOT from inside a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft, as it was being loaded en route to Thales Alenia Space near Cannes, France.
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A view from inside the plane as the SWOT instrument is being loaded on.
A view of SWOT as it was being loaded into a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft en route to Thales Alenia Space near Cannes, France.
SWOT leaving NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, en route to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California. Once the scientific payload arrived, it was sent to a Thale...
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A photo of the SWOT instrument loaded on a truck outside of the Spacecraft Assembly Facility and the large NASA logo painted on it.
SWOT leaving NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California en route to March Air Reserve Base.
This SWOT "Bannerbug" exhibit was created for display during hardware tests conducted during an eleven-day period in October 2008.
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SWOT Banner on Display
SWOT Banner on Display
Arctic
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Arctic
Arctic
SWOT is being jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES).
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CNES logo
Centre National D'Études Spatiales