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SWOT Technologies and Societal Needs

SWOT Technologies and Societal Needs
Published: June 15, 2017

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 water monitoring.

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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.
Emblem for the SWOT mission.
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Emblem for the SWOT mission.
SWOT Emblem
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
NASA’s Blue Marble
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NASA’s Blue Marble
NASA's Blue Marble
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
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...
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SWOT Spacecraft Bus
SWOT Spacecraft Bus
Arctic Lakes
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Arctic Lakes
Arctic Lakes
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.
SWOT Mission Logo with Full Text
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
Disappearing lakes in Barrow, Alaska.
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Disappearing lakes in Barrow, Alaska.
Disappearing Lakes in Barrow, Alaska
An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (January 2012).
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An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (January 2012).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2015).
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An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft.
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
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...
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JPL Open House Earth Sciences Exhibits
JPL Open House Earth Sciences Exhibits
An early rendering of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2011).
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An early rendering of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2011).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
Floodplain Channel in the Amazon
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Floodplain Channel in the Amazon
Floodplain Channel in the Amazon
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 Stream within a wooden box.
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"SWOT in a Box" Reveal - Gulf Stream Model
"SWOT in a Box" Reveal - Gulf Stream Model
A Flooded Forest in the Amazon
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A Flooded Forest in the Amazon
A Flooded Forest in the Amazon
A diagram illustrating the swaths of data that SWOT will collect. 
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A diagram illustrating the swaths of data that SWOT will collect.
Diagram of SWOT Data Collection
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...
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This image shows a map of the 1-day repeat orbit that will occur during the calibration-validation (CalVal) phase for SWOT.
SWOT 1-Day Repeat Orbit
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
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (1 of 4).
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A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (1 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
Alaska lakes.
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Alaska lakes
Alaska Lakes
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.
The U.K. Space Agency will provide a part of the radar payload for SWOT.
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U.K Space Agency logo
United Kingdom Space Agency
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.