Scientists are intensely interested in examining the interactions of people with the land they inhabited and exploited over time in an effort to explain the changes that occurred in both human societies and in the natural environment. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission will provide archaeologists with a topographic view of both ancient sites and the current landscape, which they can use to help determine the boundaries of original sites. They also will be able to learn how and where these sites fit into the regional landscape, as well as probable migration routes through topographic barriers such as mountain ranges. Shuttle radar data also will enable them to compare large-scale ancient settlement patterns and their distribution around the world. Since many archaeologists working in remote parts of the world rely on outdated maps or no maps at all to conduct these studies, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission's highly precise 3-D data will provide many with their first comprehensive tools.
Ecology concentrates on the interrelationship of living things and their environment.
As civilization and technology advance, people have learned to modify the environment. Human activity has had enormous repercussions, changing ecosystems and depleting natural resources. People use vast amounts of energy and produce massive amounts of waste and exhaust. It is critical that scientists understand the impact humanity is having on planet Earth and that better tools be developed to accurately measure changes in world climate, temperatures, habitats,and species. Like glass in a greenhouse, these gases admit the sun's light but tend to reflect the heat that is radiated from the ground below back down to the ground, trapping heat in Earth's atmosphere.