Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2013 - (Page 14)

Landsat A Continuing legacy of Earth Observation In 1972, NASA launched the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS), the first satellite designed specifically to observe and monitor our planet’s landmasses. ERTS, later renamed Landsat 1, turned out to be just the beginning of a mission that has so far lasted 40 years, providing the longest continuous record of changes on the Earth’s surface. In more than three million images, Landsat has documented storms and the aftermath of nuclear accidents, the blossoming of cities and the devastation of forests. It has shown us previously undiscovered volcanoes and islands, and revealed changing coastlines. It continues to provide knowledge essential not only to farmers, resource managers, public officials, and urban planners, but to all seven billion of us who depend on this planet’s resources. Landsat 7, currently in orbit, will be replaced by the latestgeneration Landsat satellite early this year. Here, we offer just a few striking images from the vast Landsat gallery. To see many more, visit http://landsat. gsfc.nasa.gov/images and http:// visibleearth.nasa.gov. Saharan Sand Dunes Lake Eyre, Australia Inundated patches of shallow Lake Eyre seem to form a face in the desert country of northern South Australia. An ephemeral feature of this flat, parched landscape, Lake Eyre is Australia’s largest lake when it’s full. But in the last 150 years, it has filled completely only three times. nasa/UsGs/lanDsat Lena River Delta At 2,800 miles long, the Lena River in Russia is one of the longest rivers in the world. The Lena Delta Reserve, shown here, is the most extensive protected wilderness area in Russia, offering refuge and breeding grounds for many species of Siberian wildlife. UsGs/nasa/lanDsat These patterned stripes are part of Erg Chech, a desolate sand sea in southwestern Algeria, Africa, where the prevailing winds create an endlessly shifting collage of large, linear sand dunes. UsGs/nasa/lanDsat von Karman Vortex Street This image shows clouds forming a unique pattern called a “von Karman vortex street.” As air flows over and around objects in its path, spiraling eddies, known as von Karman vortices, may form. The vortices in this image were created when prevailing winds sweeping east across the northern Pacific Ocean encountered Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. nasa/GsFC/lanDsat 14 imagine http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/images http://visibleearth.nasa.gov http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/images http://visibleearth.nasa.gov

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2013

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2013
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
The Week I Turned Green
No Turning Back
Landsat: A Continuing Legacy of Earth Observation
Sensing Danger
The Black Gold Miners
Cleaner Water, Brought to You by Sunlight and Science
Journey to the Frozen Continent
CTY Paleobiology
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Innovation in the Real World
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2013