The SRTM's sophisticated radar collected surface imaging data at a rate of 40,000 square miles a minute. Earth Science - Earth Science includes the study of atmospheric quality, weather, climate change, vegetation and land use, mineral and food resources and the health of fresh water and oceans. NASA's EarthKAM - EarthKAM is a NASA sponsored program in which students remotely operate a Kodak electronic still camera that provides stunning, high quality photographs of our planet taken from the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. The collection contains Earth images which can be searched by country, mission, or geographical feature. Visit the Educators Main Page for EarthKAM activities for the classroom.
Clouds often hide large areas of the Earth's surface.
But, we can use radar to make detailed maps of Earth right through clouds or darkness. The Space Place website explains that as the Space Shuttle orbits around Earth, radar instruments inside and outside the Shuttle made the most detailed and accurate topographic map ever of almost the whole world during the STS-99 Space Shuttle mission. Space Team Online - Meet the men and women who make the space shuttle fly and the International Space Station a reality. This tracking system uses a Java applet to calculate and display spacecrafts and satellites against a world map. The Women of NASA resource was developed to encourage more young women to pursue careers in math, science, and technology.