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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
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Arctic Lakes
Published:
May 8, 2014
Arctic Lakes
ENLARGE
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SWOT will provide NASA’s first global survey of Earth’s surface water.
SWOT (Animated Gif)
A diagram illustrating the swaths of data that SWOT will collect.
Diagram of SWOT Data Collection
Crowds flock to the Earth Sciences exhibits during the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) "Open House" event, giving volunteers (red shirts) a chance to share information about their various miss...
JPL Open House Earth Sciences Exhibits
A banner explaining the purpose of the SWOT mission, created and displayed during testing.
Understanding Surface Water Characteristics and Ocean Dynamics
An image of the original concept for the Water and Terrestrial Elevation Recovery (WATER) Mission, which later became SWOT.
WATER Mission Concept Illustration
Disappearing lakes in Barrow, Alaska.
Disappearing Lakes in Barrow, Alaska
Artist’s concept of seven altimeters orbiting Earth: Jason-CS/Sentinel-6B, SWOT, Sentinel-6A, Jason 3, TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason 1 and OSTM/Jason 2.
Altimeter Series
Alaska lakes.
Alaska Lakes
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.
Probing the Depths of "SWOT in a Box"
Soccer Nets on a levee in the Amazon
Soccer Nets on a Levee in the Amazon
Floodplain Channel in the Amazon
Floodplain Channel in the Amazon
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for SWOT.
SpaceX Launch Vehicle
The first 90 days of the SWOT science mission will be flown in a "fast-sampling" phase that revisits specific areas once per day. This phase will begin after a 90-day commissioning phase for engine...
SWOT 1-Day Repeat Orbit
Part of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite's science instrument payload sits in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory during assembly.
Part of the SWOT satellite's science instrument payload in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Pictured are team members who helped load the hardware for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite's research instruments onto a C-17 airplane pose for a picture. The payload left M...
Team members who helped load the hardware onto a C-17 aircraft for SWOT's transfer from Southern, Calif. to Cannes France.
SWOT technologies - advanced wide-swath technology, ocean and surface water topography measurements, and high-resolution products - will support such societal needs as dams, shipping, and surface w...
SWOT Technologies and Societal Needs
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (2 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
Arctic
Arctic
An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (March 2012).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
An early rendering of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2011).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
The SWOT satellite observatory is being jointly built by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES).
NASA
NASA’s Blue Marble
NASA's Blue Marble
This animation shows estimates of average sea ice freeboard — or the amount of ice above the waterline — taken over a 21-day period from Aug. 8, 2023, to Jan. 14, 2024, by the Surface Water and Oce...
SWOT cryosphere animation: sea ice freeboard
This collaborative mission poster, designed by CNES (French Space Agency), shows the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite soaring over an abstract of a water molecule.
Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission Poster
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.
AirSWOT Platform
