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Subido el 28 de mayo de 2007 por EducaMadrid

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NASA Connect Segment exploring new and future technology to help meteorologists predict hurricanes and other severe weather. The video explores GIFTS, or geostationary satellites, and other developing technologies at NASA.

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So far on today's show, we've learned how data collected by the hurricane hunters helps 00:00:00
meteorologists at the Weather Channel predict hurricanes. 00:00:05
But what about NASA? 00:00:10
What does NASA have to do with hurricanes? 00:00:11
I thought you'd never ask. 00:00:13
Without NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, we wouldn't be able 00:00:16
to see Earth from space. 00:00:21
NASA's bird's eye view of our planet has revolutionized observations of the Earth's atmosphere, continents, 00:00:24
and oceans. 00:00:29
A few years back, NASA launched geostationary satellites that monitor the weather above 00:00:30
the Earth. 00:00:36
Geostationary means that the satellite orbits the Earth at about the same speed the Earth 00:00:38
rotates. 00:00:42
The satellite collects weather data as it hovers over the same point on the Earth. 00:00:43
The data is then sent back to Earth for our use. 00:00:48
Thanks to NASA, today there is a worldwide network of satellites above our Earth, collecting 00:00:51
weather data over the whole world, and transferring these data back to us on the ground. 00:00:56
But NASA's always looking towards the future, towards developing new and better technologies 00:01:02
for observing and predicting severe weather, like hurricanes and tornadoes. 00:01:07
We're here at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, to meet a scientist 00:01:12
who's developing a gift for future meteorologists. 00:01:16
How will gifts provide a more complete picture of the Earth's atmosphere? 00:01:25
How does remote sensing work? 00:01:28
What does the information collected about the water vapor tell us about a storm? 00:01:31
NASA Langley Research Center is developing a new technology which will allow meteorologists 00:01:36
to better predict how strong a hurricane will be and where it will come ashore. 00:01:40
Scientists like me are working with professors and students at the University of Wisconsin 00:01:45
and at the Utah State University on the Geostationary Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer, because 00:01:48
acronyms are easier to say, we call it the GIFS. 00:01:55
GIFS is actually an instrument that will be flown aboard a geostationary satellite about 00:01:58
22,000 miles above the Earth. 00:02:03
We believe our new technology will be a gift to mankind in that it will enable people to 00:02:05
avoid the loss of their property and even possibly their lives by warning them of approaching 00:02:10
hazardous weather such as tornadoes and hurricanes. 00:02:15
Okay, but how will GIFS improve weather predictions? 00:02:18
Well, GIFS will provide meteorologists with a complete picture of our Earth's atmosphere. 00:02:21
Currently upper air observations like temperature, water vapor and wind are obtained by launching 00:02:26
weather balloons. 00:02:31
Every day, twice a day, these balloons rise through the atmosphere and collect weather 00:02:32
data over land areas. 00:02:36
However, the balloons are spaced very far apart and give us only spotty data. 00:02:38
GIFS will collect the same data from space every 10 seconds over land as well as over 00:02:43
the sea where hurricanes come from. 00:02:48
Wow, every 10 seconds? 00:02:51
Dr. Smith, how will it do that? 00:02:53
Using new infrared digital camera technology, GIFS will have several thousand times more 00:02:56
sensors than current satellites to measure atmospheric temperature, water vapor and wind. 00:03:00
Let's take water vapor for instance. 00:03:05
Water vapor is actually water in its gaseous state, so it's invisible to the human eye. 00:03:07
When water vapor molecules become liquid water or ice crystals, a cloud forms. 00:03:12
Current satellites measure water in the form of clouds, but they do not measure very well 00:03:17
the water vapor that causes the clouds to form. 00:03:20
Being able to sense the water vapor before clouds form will allow us to predict how, 00:03:24
when and where storms will form and where they will go. 00:03:28
That's great! 00:03:32
Sounds like GIFS will provide meteorologists with information on hurricanes even before 00:03:33
they form. 00:03:37
This can only help save more lives because the more forecasters know, the quicker they 00:03:39
can warn people on the coast. 00:03:43
But you keep saying that GIFS will sense water vapor. 00:03:44
What do you mean by sense? 00:03:48
Oh, good question. 00:03:50
GIFS measures elements of the atmosphere like temperature and water vapor without touching 00:03:52
them. 00:03:56
It's called remote sensing and our eyes do it every day. 00:03:57
Your eyes can sense or measure how a person is feeling without touching them. 00:04:00
All you need to do is look at them and you'll be able to tell how they are feeling. 00:04:04
Oh, okay. 00:04:07
I understand how people sense things, but GIFS is an instrument. 00:04:09
How does it sense water vapor? 00:04:12
By using an infrared camera. 00:04:14
Let me show you. 00:04:15
This picture of a man in glasses was taken with an infrared camera, seeing through the 00:04:17
air and sensing only hard, solid objects like the wall, his face and his glasses. 00:04:21
Here we see the brightness of the man's face and the darkness of his glasses. 00:04:27
This means his face is giving off heat and is relatively warm, whereas his glasses and 00:04:31
the wall are not giving off as much heat and are therefore relatively cold. 00:04:36
This picture is a good example of what current satellites can see from space. 00:04:41
The second picture was taken with an infrared camera, seeing air molecules as well as hard, 00:04:45
solid objects. 00:04:50
Here we can see his breath, exhaled from his mouth. 00:04:51
This is because the infrared camera senses that his breath, which contains water vapor, 00:04:55
is warm relative to the cold wall behind him. 00:04:59
The second picture is a good example of how GIFS technology will improve weather detection. 00:05:03
You said that water vapor in his breath is warm, so I guess that means it gives off heat. 00:05:07
Yes, both water vapor and clouds give off or radiate heat. 00:05:12
GIFS can't feel the heat, but being an infrared camera, it can sense the amount of heat the 00:05:16
water vapor radiates. 00:05:21
An analogy is when you close your eyes on a partly cloudy day. 00:05:23
When the sun comes out from behind the clouds, you don't have to open your eyes to know the 00:05:27
sun is there. 00:05:31
You can sense or feel the heat of the sun radiating on your face. 00:05:32
Speaking of heat, remember the graph Valerie showed you? 00:05:36
Heat, but specifically temperature, is an important variable when describing what is 00:05:39
going on in a hurricane. 00:05:43
GIFS will measure the heat from water vapor even before clouds form. 00:05:45
This will allow us to predict the formation and intensity of upcoming storms, like how 00:05:49
much rain will fall or how severe the winds will be. 00:05:53
Cool! 00:05:56
Hurricanes are known for their winds. 00:05:57
Will GIFS sense winds, too? 00:05:59
Absolutely. 00:06:02
Dr. Lyons told us earlier that the steering winds determine where a hurricane is going. 00:06:03
There are very few clouds away from the storm where the steering winds are. 00:06:07
GIFS measures the movement of the water vapor at all altitudes. 00:06:11
These motions are the steering winds which determine the speed and the direction of the 00:06:15
hurricane. 00:06:18
Well, Dr. Smith, GIFS really is a gift for forecasters and for people who are affected 00:06:19
by severe storms like hurricanes. 00:06:24
That's right. 00:06:26
In fact, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenville, Maryland is working with us 00:06:27
to integrate GIFS technology on future weather satellites. 00:06:31
Visit this website to learn more about GIFS technology and NASA's dedication to help 00:06:34
science better understand our planet. 00:06:39
Thanks, Dr. Smith. 00:06:42
You know, future NASA technology, like GIFS, will provide us with more accurate satellite 00:06:43
measurements. 00:06:48
By combining GIFS technology with the data from the hurricane hunters, meteorologists 00:06:49
like Dr. Lyons will be better able to predict hurricanes and help save lives. 00:06:53
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Idioma/s:
en
Materias:
Matemáticas
Niveles educativos:
▼ Mostrar / ocultar niveles
      • Nivel Intermedio
Autor/es:
NASA LaRC Office of Education
Subido por:
EducaMadrid
Licencia:
Reconocimiento - No comercial - Sin obra derivada
Visualizaciones:
625
Fecha:
28 de mayo de 2007 - 16:51
Visibilidad:
Público
Enlace Relacionado:
NASAs center for distance learning
Duración:
06′ 59″
Relación de aspecto:
4:3 Hasta 2009 fue el estándar utilizado en la televisión PAL; muchas pantallas de ordenador y televisores usan este estándar, erróneamente llamado cuadrado, cuando en la realidad es rectangular o wide.
Resolución:
480x360 píxeles
Tamaño:
41.96 MBytes

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