5 mind-blowing satellites launched by NASA to watch EarthNASA satellites have been integral in enriching human knowledge.
NASA satellites like GOES, POES, Landsat and more have revealed data that has helped provide real-world solutions virtually on real-time basis.
Here we take a look at 5 mind-blowing satellites that NASA launched as far back as decades ago and some more recently to boost humanity’s knowledge about our planet.
First weather satellite – TIROS 1On April 1, 1960, NASA launched TIROS 1, the nation’s first weather satellite.
NASA satellites, dates and highlights table below:
5 mind-blowing satellites launched by NASA to watch Earth
NASA satellites have been integral in enriching human knowledge. Not just that, these have been put to use and are benefiting governments and the common public on a daily basis.
NASA satellites like GOES, POES, Landsat and more have revealed data that has helped provide real-world solutions virtually on real-time basis. (NASA)
US space agency has been observing and documenting the Earth from space for decades now via its satellites and through the years it has revealed some awesome facts about the planet. NASA has studied Earth as an integrated system including the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans are improving scientists’ ability to predict climate, weather, and natural hazards.
These have gone a long way in deepening our knowledge of Earth and given insight about the changes happening as well as opportunities that these changes open for humanity to benefit from. Here we take a look at 5 mind-blowing satellites that NASA launched as far back as decades ago and some more recently to boost humanity’s knowledge about our planet.
1. First weather satellite – TIROS 1
On April 1, 1960, NASA launched TIROS 1, the nation’s first weather satellite. It monitored Earth’s cloud cover and weather patterns from space and provided the first accurate weather forecasts.
2. Nimbus
Nimbus satellites gave us the first images of hurricanes from space, and their data contributed to improved long-term weather forecasts and provided some of the first consistent global measurements of oceanic plant life and the ozone layer.
3. GOES and POES
Much of our knowledge of weather has been derived from two long-running series of weather satellites that NASA has built dubbed GOES and POES, the more than 30 satellites have been observing Earth since 1970.
4. Landsat
NASA’s Earth resource satellite program began in 1972 with the launch of Landsat 1. Landsat plays a critical role in monitoring, understanding, and managing resources needed for human survival, such as food, water, and forests.
5. GRACE
GRACE and GRACE-FO measure changes in Earth’s gravity field. These measurements and other data help track the movement of water masses across the planet and mass changes within the Earth itself and this helps scientists understand important aspects of global change.
NASA satellites, dates and highlights table below:
