4Learning - Secondary - Resources4Learning - Secondary - Resources - Science - The Complete Cosmos: Blast Off!

Nowadays we chart our planet from space. Satellites in orbit around the Earth keep watch for us. Meteosat records global weather patterns and keeps track of severe storms, thus saving lives and reducing disruption. Using satellite images, engineers can select the best locations for barriers and dams to reduce flooding.
Topex-Poseidon scans the world's oceans measuring changes in sea level, and hence ocean temperatures. The waether is driven by exchanges between the oceans and the atmosphere. In the Pacific Ocean, satellites reveal major changes brought about by the El Niño phenomenon.
Satellites allow ships to avoid fog banks and rough seas; they provide accurate positions for navigation; and they keep track of icebergs. They watch the Earth's ever-changing environment, monitoring volcanic eruptions, industrial emissions, the ozone hole, global temperatures, and damage inflicted by oil spills, fires and destruction of the rainforest.
SPOT provides planners with a fresh perspective on urban and rural development. It produces three-dimensional pictures by combining images. Radar images reveal previously hidden information. Agriculture benefits too, season by season, as false-colour images provide a health check on crops, and keep track of pests and blight, allowing the spray planes to be directed to where they are most needed.

00.10 - 00.57 Introduction

Nowadays we rely on satellites to chart the Earth, to help us understand how the planet works, to keep watch for us, and to speed information around the globe.

The launch of Meteosat and its vantage point 36,000 kilometres above the equator.
Global weather patterns, and how weather satellites keep track of hurricanes and tornado-generating storms.
How meteorologists use satellite data to produce weather forecasts which help to save lives and reduce disruption.
Using satellite images, engineers can pinpoint the best locations for barriers and dams to reduce the risk of severe flooding.

Topex-Poseidon scans the Earth's oceans, measuring changes in sea level, and hence ocean temperatures.
The exchange of heat between oceans and atmosphere helps drive our weather. By monitoring ocean currents and temperatures, we can predict the weather.
In the Pacific, the El Niño phenomenon is revealed by satellite. In South America it brings heavy rain; in Indonesia and Australia it brings drought.

Shipping benefits from an array of satellites which enable vessels to skirt fog banks and heavy seas.
Navigation satellites help ships to fix their positions to an accuracy of ten metres.
Satellites spot the best routes through pack ice, and keep track of icebergs.

Monitoring volcanic eruptions, and the falls in temperature as volcanic dust spreads over the Earth.
Keeping track of industrial emissions and levels of atmospheric gases.
The ozone layer, our shield against ultra-violet radiation from the Sun.
Above Antarctica, a great hole is revealed in the ozone layer. Certain chemical emissions are thought to be responsible.
Earth may be warming up. Satellites keep track of global temperatures.

Satellites watch the damage being caused to Earth's environment.
They help with the clean-up after major oil spills, and monitor the environmental cost of war.
They record the destruction of tropical rainforests - the 'lungs' of our planet.

The SPOT satellite helps improve land use. It provides planners with a fresh perspective on urban and rural developments.
By combining images from different positions, it produces three-dimensional pictures. With the help of computer enhancements these enable planners to visualise new developments.
Using radar, we can peer through clouds of volcanic dust and beneath the sands of the Sahara.

False-colour imagery provides farm reports from space.
Season by season, satellites monitor the health of crops, alerting growers to pests and blight.
Satellites show where pesticides should be sprayed.