ESA Portal - Envisat: Ground control expects a wealth of data

Media Centre

Press Releases ESA Television Launch Media Corner Exhibitions

Services

Calendar Publications Frequently asked questions ESA-sponsored Conferences Help Site Credits Portal terms of use Comments Subscribe

Envisat: Ground control expects a wealth of data

27 November 2001

Back to article

The juxtaposition of old and new data shows the change. An aerial or satellite picture of Venice (black and white) is overlaid with the current data of the earth reconnaissance satellite (colored). The space data show that part of Venice is sinking millimetre by millimetre into the sea - more in the red and violet areas than in the blue and green. Such details help concentrate structural protection measures in the places where they are most needed.
Credits: GAMMA/ESA

Credits: Gamma/ESA

Back to article

Marine pollution from crude oil becomes obvious when tanker accidents occur in the vicinity of the coast. But far more crude oil is dumped into the open ocean where tankers have nothing to fear from the authorities. That will change with ENVISAT. Its radar instrument can detect oil spills of less than a few hundred liters through the clouds on the surface of the ocean around the world, day and night. It is thereby possible to determine when ships on the high seas clean their tanks or if drilling platforms are leaking. ENVISAT can also find crude oil clusters which originate from the ocean floor and which indicate new oil deposits.

Credits: Tromsø satellite station/ESA 2001

Back to article

An unmanned spaceflight must be remote controlled from the ground like a manned satellite. The control center of the European Space Agency ESA is located in Darmstadt. The European environmental satellite Envisat will be guided from here. That begins with the launch and the deployment maneuver and continues with routine corrections of position for the life of the satellite. Even under extreme conditions like the annual Leonids storms the Darmstadt engineers must remain in control.

Back to article

Download:

HI RES JPG (Size: 1797 Kb)

The millions of bits of data which ENVISAT continuously sends back to the ground station will depict our earth in unique detail. From the raw data countless evaluations are generated for thousands of scientists, engineers, institutions, for industry and other users. This will help scientists unveil the secrets of our oceans, the atmosphere and the biosphere. Public institutions and companies will be provided with data for work and leisure time. Officials and international organisations will arm themselves against natural catastrophes benefit from world wide environmental protection observation. In the picture ENVISAT is being prepared for launch in a special radiation free chamber of ESA in Noordwijk, Holland.

Back to article

The ozone hole forms a layer at high altitude in order to protect the surface of the Earth from aggressive UV-radiation. Where ozone is lacking the UV-radiation is very high. The evaluation of the ozone instrument GOMOS on board the environmental satellite ENVISAT helps to make almost real time UV-predictions. High UV-radiation over the equator is normal, as well as over the high plateaus of Tibet und Peru. The yellow spot over the southern end of Argentina is unusual. This extremely high UV-radiation emanates from the extension of a huge ozone hole with a center over the south pole and extending all the way to South America. It was taken in October, 2000. To effectively protect human skin from a UV-index of 15, a sun screen factor of 60 is required. (courtesy KNMI)

Credits: KNMI/ESA 2001