NASA launched the NISAR satellite into low Earth orbit./Travel@Azamsyed

Travel@Azamsyed

NASA launched the NISAR satellite into low Earth orbit./Travel@Azamsyed Welcome to you My YouTube channel is Travel@Azamsyed.your passport to a world of wanderlust and adventure! Join us on a journey to discover the most awe-inspiring destinations, hidden gems, and cultural experiences from around the globe. Whether you're an avid traveler seeking inspiration or someone dreaming of your next escape, our channel is your window to the world.   Our Travel Vlog is all about sharing the thrill of exploration, capturing breathtaking landscapes, and immersing ourselves in diverse cultures. From hiking in the misty mountains to savoring exotic cuisine in bustling markets, we'll take you along on our escapades and provide tips and insights to make your own adventures unforgettable.  Expect weekly travel guides, travel tips, and captivating stories that will ignite your wanderlust. Join our community of fellow adventurers, and let's embark on a new adventure together in every episode.  Don't forget to hit that subscribe button, ring the notification bell, and pack your virtual bags as we set off on our next incredible expedition. Adventure awaits, and we can't wait to share it with you!" #moon #earth #india #nasa #nisar #education #unitedstates   Like, share and Subscribe

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00:00On December 31st, 2021, NASA launched the NISA satellite into low Earth orbit.

00:07NISA is an acronym for NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite.

00:14A joint venture between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization,

00:19after about three months of orbiting the planet, the satellite is now fully operational.

00:25And when it comes to NISA's R's instruments, there are two main instruments, which are the L.

00:32And see, Band Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR, and the 7-Band,

00:37fully accessible Synthetic Aperture Radar, or FPAR.

00:43The goal of these instruments is to measure changes in ice sheets, glaciers, and the cryosphere,

00:50down to a resolution of 10 centimeters or 4 inches.

00:53The reason why this mission was started is because we need to know how water moves around the planet.

01:00Water plays a vital role in regulating our planet's climate.

01:05And we can see this when we look at where clouds form, where deserts are found,

01:10where rainforests are found, when even where snow and ice exist.

01:15To better understand what's happening on Earth,

01:18we need to use satellites that can view the planet in different ways.

01:22Like with infrared cameras to see the heat coming off of the surface,

01:26or radar, which is a type of radio wave that can penetrate clouds, smoke, and even light cover.

01:34There are already a number of satellites that use various forms of radar to map our planet from space.

01:41But this new satellite will be mapping our planet using two different types of radar waves,

01:46the L-band and the C-band.

01:48The goal is for these two satellites to work together to track changes over time.

01:54There are a few other satellites out there that are also using similar radar frequencies.

02:00But the difference here is that those satellites either focus on the ocean or just one of the frequencies.

02:07NISA is the first satellite to use both frequencies and track changes over time.

02:12These types of measurements have been helpful for a number of reasons.

02:17For example, they help us understand when ice shelves break apart,

02:21which could cause ice to flow faster into the ocean.

02:25This would then cause sea levels to rise.

02:29These satellites can also help us understand how the frozen ground,

02:33known as permafrost, degrades and releases methane into the atmosphere.

02:39We don't want to do that.

02:41So this is good information to know.

02:44They can also be used to determine the volume of water held in snowpacks,

02:49which directly impacts our water supply during drier months.

02:53And they can also monitor forest types,

02:56which can help scientists understand what regions might become more or less forested in the future,

03:02due to things such as drought or rising temperatures.

03:05Basically, these two radars can help us understand what's happening on Earth.

03:10Especially to things like water and ice,

03:14which are important factors when it comes to our climate.

03:18But the question is, how do we collect data from space and turn it into images that we can actually use?

03:25Well, this is where synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, comes in.

03:30As the name implies, this type of radar creates an image by generating a synthetic aperture.

03:36If you were to take a picture of a building using a regular camera,

03:40the building would appear the same, no matter where the sun is shining.

03:44But radar doesn't work like this.

03:47With radar, you need an illuminated area to detect any reflected waves.

03:52In order to get an image of the building,

03:55you need the radar to be able to rotate.

03:58And face each side of the building,

04:00so that you can get an image of the front side and back of the building.

04:04Because radar works this way,

04:06you need to be able to generate a synthetic aperture,

04:10or in layman's terms, create an illusion.

04:13Radar does this by moving the antenna across the building in small increments,

04:18and recording the returning signal after each rotation,

04:22once all the data has been collected.

04:25The computer can then combine all of the images together

04:29to create one complete image.

04:32So, the synthetic aperture radar on the NYSA satellite

04:35will emit a series of radar pulses towards the Earth-S surface

04:40and record the returning signals.

04:42The radar will repeat this process every 45 days,

04:47and the frequency will change from the L-band to the C-band.

04:51This will allow scientists to compare the radar images over time

04:55and see any changes that have occurred.

04:58The thing is, radar isn't perfect.

05:01Sometimes the radar pulse will reflect off of multiple targets,

05:06which causes what's called speckle noise.

05:09Speckle noise looks like this,

05:12and it makes it difficult to discern details in the image.

05:15To overcome this, NYSA uses something called polarimetry.

05:20Polarimetry involves sending multiple radar pulses

05:23with slightly different polarization states.

05:27Polarization, in simple terms,

05:30is the orientation of the electric field within the radar wave.

05:34It can be vertical, horizontal, or at any angle in between.

05:39By sending multiple pulses with slightly different polarizations,

05:43the satellite can collect more information about the target below.

05:48This allows the satellite to distinguish between targets

05:51that may have been grouped together due to speckle noise.

05:55The goal is that by using polarimetry,

05:58NYSA will be able to distinguish between different types of ice and vegetation,

06:02which will allow scientists to gain a better understanding of what's going on.

06:07NYSA-AS-FAPAR instrument will emit four separate radar pulses,

06:13one horizontally polarized, one vertically polarized,

06:17one with a diagonal polarization, and one with a circular polarization.

06:22The combination of these four radar pulses,

06:26along with the sea, band radar from the other instrument,

06:30should give scientists an unprecedented amount of information.

06:33When it comes to measuring the properties of materials on Earth-S surface,

06:39using this information,

06:41NYSA will be able to produce highly detailed maps of ice sheets, glaciers, and the cryos.

06:47And these maps will help us better understand what's happening to the ice

06:51and how it's changing over time.

06:54The data from the NYSA satellite will be freely available to the public once it's processed.

07:00And hopefully, with this data, we can come up with some sort of solution.

07:05When it comes to these problems that we're refacing today,

07:09the mission is expected to last six years.

07:12But the instruments on board are expected to continue working well beyond that.

07:16When it comes to space,

07:18there are some very exciting things happening right now.

07:22There's people going to space,

07:24rovers exploring Mars,

07:26and rovers exploring Saturn's moon Titan.

07:29You might think that there's nothing else going on,

07:32but there's actually something else big that's happening.

07:35Scientists all around the world are launching new telescopes,

07:40including the James Webb Space Telescope.

07:43With these telescopes,

07:45we'll be able to learn so much more about the universe.

07:49I hope you enjoyed this video.

07:51If you did,

07:52make sure to subscribe so you can be notified when I upload a new video.

07:57If you want to learn more about NISA,

08:00check out the link in the description below.

08:03Thanks for watching,

08:04and I'll see you in the next one.

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