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Delta 4 pad camera 1
The first Boeing Delta 4-Heavy rocket ignites and lifts off from pad 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on its demonstration test flight as seen through this sequence of images from a sound-activated still camera.
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Delta 4 pad camera 2
A second sound-activated still camera placed at pad 37B by Spaceflight Now photographer Ben Cooper provides a different view of the Delta 4-Heavy rocket launch.
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Atlas 5 soars
This sequence of images from a sound-activated still camera fitted with a fisheye lens was stitched together to provide a unique perspective of the Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket blasting off from Complex 41 with the Inmarsat spacecraft.
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Launch of Atlas 5!
The fifth Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket blasts off to deploy the Inmarsat 4-F1 mobile communications spacecraft into orbit. (2min 35sec file)
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Extended launch movie
An extended length clip follows the Atlas 5 launch from T-minus 1 minute through ignition of the Centaur upper stage and jettison of the nose cone. (6min 43sec file)
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Onboard camera
An onboard video camera mounted to the Atlas 5 rocket's first stage captures this view of the spent solid-fuel boosters separating.
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Press site view
This view of the Atlas 5 launch was recorded from the Kennedy Space Center Press Site. (1min 27sec file)
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Next Delta 4 rolls out
The Boeing Delta 4 rocket to launch the next GOES geostationary U.S. weather satellite is rolled to Cape Canaveral's pad 37B for its spring blastoff. (2min 08sec file)
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Rocket goes vertical
The pad erector arm lifts the Delta 4 rocket upright, standing the vehicle onto the launch table. (4min 00sec file)
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Checking their ride
The STS-114 return-to-flight space shuttle astronauts inspect Discovery's thermal tiles and wing leading edge panels during the Crew Equipment Interface Test activities at Kennedy Space Center. (2min 26sec file)
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In the payload bay
The astronauts don coveralls and go into space shuttle Discovery's payload bay for further examinations during the Crew Equipment Interface Test in the orbiter hangar. (1min 25sec file)
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Shuttle simulation
A long mission simulation is underway to rehearse the launch of space shuttle Discovery, the uncovering of impact damage and the decision-making process of the flight controllers and management team. (14min 31sec file)

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NASA uses imaging radar to detect coastal pollution
NASA/JPL NEWS RELEASE
Posted: March 18, 2005

A NASA-funded study of marine pollution in Southern California concluded space-based synthetic aperture radar can be a vital observational tool for assessing and monitoring ocean hazards in urbanized coastal regions.


European Remote Sensing 1 satellite radar image depicting natural oil seeps in the Santa Barbara Channel off Coal Point, California. Credit: ESA
 
"Clean beaches and coastal waters are integral to Southern California's economy and lifestyle," said Dr. Paul DiGiacomo, an oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. He is lead author of the study recently published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. "Using Southern California as a model system, we've shown existing high-resolution space-based radar systems can be used to effectively detect and assess marine pollution hazards. This is an invaluable tool for water quality managers to better protect public health and coastal resources," he said.

DiGiacomo and colleagues from JPL; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, examined satellite radar imagery of the coastal waters of Southern California. The area is adjacent to 20 million people, nearly 25 percent of the U.S. coastal population. The imaging radar data from the European Space Agency's European Remote Sensing Satellites 1 and 2 and Canada's Radarsat were complemented by shore-based surface current radar data and other field measurements.

"The key to evaluating and managing pollution hazards in urban coastal regions is accurate, timely data," DiGiacomo said. "Since such hazards are usually localized, dynamic and episodic, they're hard to assess using oceanographic field sampling. Space-based imaging radar works day and night, regardless of clouds, detecting pollution deposits on the sea surface. Combined with field surveys and other observations including shore-based radar data, it greatly improves our ability to detect and monitor such hazards," he said.

The study described three major pollutant sources for Southern California: storm water runoff, wastewater discharge and natural hydrocarbon seepage.

"During late fall to early spring, storms contribute more than 95 percent of the region's annual runoff volume and pollutant load," said JPL co-author Ben Holt. "Californians are accustomed to warnings to stay out of the ocean during and after storms. Even small storms can impact water quality. Radar data can be especially useful for monitoring this episodic seasonal runoff," he said.

DiGiacomo noted a regional Southern California marine water quality monitoring survey is under way involving JPL and more than 60 other organizations, including the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. Its goal is to characterize the distribution and ecological effects of storm water runoff in the region. Space radar and other satellite sensor data are being combined, including NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers. The sensors provide frequent observations, subject to clouds, of ocean color that can be used to detect regional storm water runoff and complement the finer resolution but less frequent radar imagery.

The second largest source of the area's pollution is wastewater discharge. Publicly owned treatment works discharge daily more than one billion gallons of treated wastewater into Southern California's coastal waters. Even though it is discharged deep offshore, submerged plumes occasionally reach the surface and can contaminate local shorelines.

Natural hydrocarbon seeps are another local pollution hazard. Underwater seeps in the Santa Barbara Channel and Santa Monica Bay have deposited tar over area beaches. Space imaging radar can track seepage on the ocean surface, as well as human-caused oil spills, which are often affected by ocean circulation patterns that make other tracking techniques difficult.

Further research is necessary to determine the composition of pollution hazards detected by radar. "From imaging radar, we know where the runoff is, but not necessarily which parts of it are harmful," Holt said. "If connections can be established, imaging radar may be able to help predict the most harmful parts of the runoff."

While the researchers said environmental conditions such as wind and waves can limit the ability of space radar to detect ocean pollution, they stressed the only major limitation of the technique is infrequent coverage. "Toward the goal of a comprehensive coastal ocean observing system, development of future radar missions with more frequent coverage is a high priority," DiGiacomo said.

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.