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California Institute of Technology
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NASA's Blue Marble
Published:
May 5, 2014
NASA’s Blue Marble
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An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (January 2012).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for SWOT.
SpaceX Launch Vehicle
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.
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
Arctic Lakes
Arctic Lakes
A banner explaining the purpose of the SWOT mission, created and displayed during testing.
Understanding Surface Water Characteristics and Ocean Dynamics
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (1 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
Soccer Nets on a levee in the Amazon
Soccer Nets on a Levee in the Amazon
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 ...
This animation shows a simulation of SWOT collecting data over the state of Florida.
Amazon Fishermen
Amazon Fishermen
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (2 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
Floodplain Channel in the Amazon
Floodplain Channel in the Amazon
Mounted above the Payload Module, the Spacecraft Bus is a multi-purpose platform housing many of the electronics required for the observatory to function, including components for power, propulsion...
SWOT Spacecraft Bus
SWOT's nominal coverage during its 3-year science orbit will include measurements between 78°N and 78°S collected over a period of 21 days. Maps show the coverage after 3 days (left) and the full 2...
SWOT Science Orbit
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.
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.
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
Canada is home to more than 30,000 lakes including these water bodies in Northern Alberta. The abundance of surface freshwater in Canada makes it a prime target for AirSWOT investigations.
Northern Alberta Lakes, Canada
An early rendering of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2011).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
AirSWOT is using parts of Saskatchewan as a testing ground for mapping water levels.
The Saskatchewan River and Prairie Potholes
Lake Calado, Amazon
Lake Calado, Amazon
SWOT is being jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES).
Centre National D'Études Spatiales
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.
Siberian Lakes
Siberian Lakes
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
An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2015).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
