Observing the Earth http://www.esa.int ESA Observing the Earth newsspaceen-us600Copyright 2012 European Space Agencyrss@esa.intFri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:21 GMTFri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:21 GMThttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Watch ‘Mountains of snow’ on the Earth from Space programme Discover more about our planet with the Earth from Space video programme. Join us every Friday at 10:00 CET for an 800 km-high tour with spectacular images from Earth-observing satellites.

Watch the replay

]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM9AAWX7YG_index_0.html SEM9AAWX7YGFri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT SMOS water mission turns hurricane hunter ESA’s Earth Explorers have again shown how they are surpassing expectations. Designed to map soil moisture and ocean salinity, the versatile SMOS satellite has demonstrated that it can also offer unique information to improve hurricane forecasts. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMJFHWX7YG_index_0.html SEMJFHWX7YGFri, 10 Feb 2012 08:17:00 GMT Rockot to launch two Sentinel satellites ESA and Eurockot today signed contracts for launching two ESA satellites: Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-3A will fly in 2013 on Rockot vehicles from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia for Europe’s GMES programme. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM7MMVX7YG_index_0.html SEM7MMVX7YGThu, 09 Feb 2012 13:20:00 GMT MSG ground controllers plug into satellite for live test An intensive, two-day test of the third Meteosat Second Generation satellite saw ESA mission controllers in Germany connecting their computers to the satellite at a manufacturing facility in France. The test was a milestone in the lead up to launch this summer. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMYZTVX7YG_index_0.html SEMYZTVX7YGTue, 07 Feb 2012 10:08:00 GMT CryoSat breaks the ice with ocean currents Ocean measurements from ESA’s CryoSat mission are being exploited by the French space agency CNES to provide global ocean observation products in near-real time. Understanding sea-surface currents is important for marine industries and protecting ocean environments. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM54JVX7YG_index_0.html SEM54JVX7YGMon, 06 Feb 2012 10:50:00 GMT Watch ‘Shanghai waters’ on the Earth from Space programme Discover more about our planet with the Earth from Space video programme. Join us every Friday at 10:00 CET for an 800 km-high tour with spectacular images from Earth-observing satellites.

Watch the replay

]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMP69TXXXG_index_0.html SEMP69TXXXGFri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT Watch the replay: Earth from Space – special edition Discover more about our planet with the Earth from Space video programme. In this special edition, Professor Volker Liebig, Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes, joins the show to discuss Earth observation for the coming year.

Watch the replay

]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMQDRSXXXG_index_0.html SEMQDRSXXXGTue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT Watch ‘Sahara’s end’ on the Earth from Space programme Discover more about our planet with the Earth from Space video programme. Join us every Friday at 10:00 CET for an 800 km-high tour with spectacular images from Earth-observing satellites.

Watch the replay

]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMTU5I8RXG_index_0.html SEMTU5I8RXGFri, 27 Jan 2012 08:47:00 GMT Satellites detect abundance of fresh water in the Arctic ESA satellites show that a large dome of fresh water has been building up in the Arctic Ocean over the last 15 years. A change in wind direction could cause the water to spill into the north Atlantic, cooling Europe. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMD7FNXDXG_index_0.html SEMD7FNXDXGMon, 23 Jan 2012 07:00:00 GMT Earth from Space: A southern summer bloom In this Envisat image, a phytoplankton bloom swirls a figure-of-8 in the South Atlantic Ocean about 600 km east of the Falkland Islands. ]]> http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_for_our_climate/SEMB88KX3XG_0.html SEMB88KX3XGFri, 13 Jan 2012 07:47:00 GMT Preparations under way for IGARSS 2012 One of the biggest conferences on geoscience and remote sensing will be held this summer in Europe. The deadline for abstract submissions for the July symposium is fast approaching. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMIDWJX3XG_index_0.html SEMIDWJX3XGWed, 11 Jan 2012 09:01:00 GMT Ice data at your fingertips Discover ESA’s ice mission, track it in real time and obtain the latest measurements with the new CryoSat application. CryoSat is measuring the thickness of polar sea ice and monitoring changes in the ice sheets that blanket Greenland and Antarctica. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM5Z62XFVG_index_0.html SEM5Z62XFVGWed, 04 Jan 2012 08:12:00 GMT CryoSat ice satellite rides new waves ESA’s CryoSat mission has been gathering detailed information on the thickness of Earth’s ice since its launch in 2010. Through international collaboration, this state-of-the-art mission is soon to be used to monitor conditions at sea for marine forecasting. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMI2KBX9WG_index_0.html SEMI2KBX9WGThu, 22 Dec 2011 11:37:00 GMT Earth observation empowers African scientists to improve water management With many African countries suffering from a lack of water, ESA’s TIGER initiative has built capacity to map this precious resource. This new knowledge is making a practical difference and paving the way to sustainable water management practices. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMFZ4BX9WG_index_0.html SEMFZ4BX9WGWed, 21 Dec 2011 13:00:00 GMT SMOS versatility offers sea ice mapping ESA’s SMOS mission is proving to be extremely versatile. Not only does this pioneering satellite offer crucial data on soil moisture and ocean salinity, but it can also map the thickness of ice floating in the polar seas. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM361BX9WG_index_0.html SEM361BX9WGTue, 20 Dec 2011 07:48:00 GMT Two GMES satellites to be launched on Europe’s new Vega rocket ESA and Arianespace have signed contracts for the launches of two of ESA’s Sentinel satellites. Arianespace will launch Sentinel-2B and Sentinel-3B on Europe’s new Vega rocket from French Guiana. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM5JL8XZVG_index_0.html SEM5JL8XZVGFri, 16 Dec 2011 15:17:00 GMT SMOS detects freezing soil as winter takes grip ESA’s SMOS satellite is designed to observe soil moisture and ocean salinity, but this innovative mission is showing that it can also offer new insight into Earth’s carbon and methane cycles by mapping soil as it freezes and thaws. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM4C38XZVG_index_0.html SEM4C38XZVGWed, 14 Dec 2011 10:35:00 GMT Antarctic expedition checks CryoSat down-under Next week marks 100 years since Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole. As a team of scientists brave the Antarctic to validate data from ESA’s CryoSat mission, it’s hard to imagine what these first intrepid explorers would have thought of today’s advances in polar science. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaLP/SEMHXD5XPVG_index_0.html SEMHXD5XPVGFri, 09 Dec 2011 11:37:00 GMT ESA selects Astrium to build Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite Furthering Europe’s capacity to monitor atmospheric pollution, ESA has awarded a contract worth €45.5 million to Astrium UK to act as prime contractor for the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite system. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMA475XPVG_index_0.html SEMA475XPVGThu, 08 Dec 2011 08:06:00 GMT SMOS maps Europe’s dry autumn soils Dry soil resulting from Europe’s exceptionally warm and dry autumn is being monitored by ESA’s SMOS water mission. The images here show the stark comparison between soil moisture in November 2010 and November 2011. ]]> http://www.esa.int/esaLP/SEMVG15XPVG_index_0.html SEMVG15XPVGWed, 07 Dec 2011 12:44:00 GMT