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A\u00a0new image from the NISAR mission shows\u00a0off the satellite\u2019s ability\u00a0to reveal\u00a0details of\u00a0Earth\u2019s surfaces.\u00a0The science team also released new sample data.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n A U.S.-Indian Earth satellite\u2019s ability to see through clouds,\u00a0revealing insights and characteristics of our planet\u2019s surface,\u00a0is on display in a colorful,\u00a0newly released image showing the Mississippi River Delta region\u00a0in\u00a0southeastern Louisiana.\u00a0<\/p>\n Created with data collected\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)\u00a0satellite\u00a0in late fall, the image\u00a0shows\u00a0the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge,\u00a0the Mississippi River,\u00a0Lake Pontchartrain, and\u00a0a diversity of wetlands,\u00a0farmland, forests, and\u00a0communities.\u00a0It also\u00a0highlights the key difference between\u00a0radar, which\u00a0scans surfaces with\u00a0microwaves, and\u00a0technologies\u00a0that\u00a0sense\u00a0visible light:\u00a0Optical imagery<\/a>\u00a0from other\u00a0instruments\u00a0taken the same day showed the region\u00a0largely\u00a0obscured\u00a0by\u00a0clouds.\u00a0<\/p>\n This\u00a0image comes as the NISAR\u00a0project\u00a0prepares\u00a0to make\u00a0thousands of mission\u00a0data\u00a0files\u00a0available for download in late February.\u00a0The mission\u00a0also\u00a0recently\u00a0released<\/a>\u00a0a smaller set of\u00a0sample\u00a0files\u00a0to help data\u00a0users\u00a0prepare to\u00a0utilize\u00a0the broader dataset.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the\u00a0Earth-observing\u00a0satellite\u00a0went\u00a0through checks to verify the health of all its systems\u00a0after\u00a0launching<\/a>\u00a0in July, the mission\u2019s NASA science team \u2014\u00a0researchers and data scientists from a range of disciplines spread around the U.S.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0pulled\u00a0preliminary measurements from its L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR)\u00a0instrument\u00a0to\u00a0generate\u00a0maps such as this one that demonstrate the instrument\u2019s\u00a0capabilities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Built by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California,\u00a0the L-band radar\u00a0employs\u00a0microwaves that,\u00a0due to their\u00a09-inch (24-centimeter) wavelength,\u00a0can pass uninterrupted\u00a0through clouds\u00a0and image the surface below clearly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Captured Nov. 29, the image\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0how the L-band SAR can discern what type of land cover \u2014 low-lying vegetation, trees, and human structures \u2014 is present in each area. This capability is vital both for\u00a0monitoring\u00a0the gain and loss of forest and wetland ecosystems, as well as for tracking the progress of crops through growing seasons around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n The colors\u00a0seen here\u00a0represent varying types of cover,\u00a0which tend to\u00a0reflect\u00a0microwaves\u00a0back to the satellite\u00a0differently.\u00a0Portions of New Orleans\u00a0appear\u00a0green, a sign that the radar\u2019s signals\u00a0may be\u00a0scattering\u00a0from\u00a0buildings\u00a0that are\u00a0oriented at different angles\u00a0relative\u00a0to the\u00a0satellite\u2019s\u00a0orbit.\u00a0Parts of the city\u00a0appear\u00a0magenta\u00a0where\u00a0streets\u00a0that run\u00a0parallel\u00a0to\u00a0the satellite\u2019s\u00a0flight track\u00a0cause\u00a0the\u00a0signals\u00a0to\u00a0bounce\u00a0strongly\u00a0and brightly\u00a0off buildings and\u00a0back to the instrument.\u00a0<\/p>\n The resolution of the image is fine enough to\u00a0make\u00a0clear, right of center,\u00a0the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway\u00a0\u2014 twin bridges\u00a0that, at\u00a0nearly\u00a024\u00a0miles\u00a0(39 kilometers)\u00a0in length,\u00a0make up\u00a0the world\u2019s longest\u00a0continuous bridge over water.\u00a0<\/p>\n The bright green areas to the\u00a0west of the Mississippi\u00a0River,\u00a0which snakes from Baton Rouge in the upper left to New Orleans in the lower right,\u00a0are healthy forests. There,\u00a0tree canopies and other\u00a0vegetation\u00a0caused\u00a0NISAR\u2019s microwaves to\u00a0bounce in\u00a0many\u00a0directions before returning to the satellite.\u00a0Meanwhile, the\u00a0yellow-and-magenta-speckled\u00a0hues\u00a0of\u00a0Maurepas Swamp,\u00a0directly\u00a0west of Lake Pontchartrain\u00a0and the smaller Lake Maurepas,\u00a0indicate\u00a0that\u00a0the tree\u00a0populations\u00a0in that\u00a0wetland\u00a0forest\u00a0ecosystem\u00a0have thinned.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n On either bank of the Mississippi,\u00a0the image shows\u00a0parcels\u00a0of varying shapes, sizes, and cover.\u00a0Darker\u00a0areas\u00a0suggest\u00a0fallow\u00a0farm\u00a0plots,\u00a0while\u00a0bright magenta\u00a0indicates\u00a0that\u00a0tall\u00a0plants, such as crops,\u00a0may be\u00a0present.\u00a0<\/p>\n The data products created\u00a0with\u00a0NISAR\u2019s\u00a0L-band\u00a0measurements\u00a0will be downloadable\u00a0at the\u00a0website of the\u00a0Alaska Satellite Facility\u00a0Distributed Active Archive Center<\/a>. The Fairbanks-based facility\u00a0stores and distributes\u00a0NASA\u2019s SAR data.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Insights from NISAR\u00a0can\u00a0protect communities by providing unique, actionable information to decision-makers in a diverse range of areas, including disaster response, infrastructure monitoring, and agricultural management.\u00a0<\/p>\n A joint mission developed by NASA and the Indian Space Research\u00a0Organisation\u00a0(ISRO), NISAR launched\u00a0on July 30\u00a0from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India\u2019s southeastern coast.\u00a0Managed by Caltech,\u00a0JPL\u00a0leads the U.S.\u00a0component\u00a0of the project\u00a0and\u00a0provided the satellite\u2019s L-band SAR\u00a0and antenna reflector. ISRO\u00a0provided NISAR\u2019s spacecraft bus and its S-band SAR, which\u00a0operates\u00a0at a wavelength of\u00a04 inches (10 centimeters.)\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0NISAR satellite\u00a0is the first\u00a0to carry two SAR instruments at different wavelengths and\u00a0will\u00a0monitor Earth\u2019s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, collecting data using the spacecraft\u2019s\u00a0giant\u00a0drum-shaped reflector<\/a>, which measures 39 feet (12 meters) wide \u2014 the largest\u00a0radar antenna reflector\u00a0NASA has ever sent into space.\u00a0<\/p>\n To learn more about NISAR, visit:\u00a0<\/p>\n