2010
Measuring Industrial Emissions
In another example of space spinoff technology in the environmental and energy sector, German company ESCUBE produces sensors to monitor emissions from industrial heating systems. The company uses technology originally developed by ESA to measure oxygen levels near spacecraft reentering Earth’s atmosphere.
Powder Keeps Oil Spills in Check
Space technology plays a role in monitoring and responding to environmental disasters unfolding in real time, such as the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. During the oil spill response, satellites were used daily both to track the geographic extent of the spill and to help forecast weather systems that might have affected the spread and the clean-up of the oil spill.
Imagery Interactivity Increases Information Receptivity
Space agencies increasingly are combining space-derived imagery and data with information from other sources, such as ground and aerial photography, to produce visually striking products that convey scientific information to the general public.
Integrated Earth Observation Data For Better Environmental Monitoring
To ensure that developing nations have access to satellite information and services such as these fire-mapping satellite services, NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have partnered on an initiative called SERVIR.
Mapping “Hot Spots” to Fight Fires
The same wide perspective that allows satellites to track the effects of an insect infestation helps forest managers and emergency response agencies to monitor and respond to forest and wildfires. In August 2010, the United Nations’ (U.N.) Food and Agriculture Organization, in partnership with the University of Maryland, launched the Global Fire Information Management System.
Eyes On Managing Mountain Pine Beetle
Since 2006, the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and Canada has been the site of a Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak. The current outbreak is among the most severe on record and may result in the death of entire forests. These beetles infect native pine species, which generally cannot be cured, often resulting in the death of infected trees.
NASA Nano-materials Beautifies
Wherever they may go, travelers can take advantage of new hairstyling tools derived from space-related nanomaterial research. Nanoceramic materials were developed by NASA researchers for the manufacture of microcapsules capable of delivering cancer-fighting drugs.
Fly With Wi-Fi
Another advancement within the travel and lifestyle sector that has taken off during 2010 is satellite-enabled in-flight entertainment. In the spring of 2009, Southwest Airlines, in collaboration with the satellite broadband company Row 44, tested an aircraft Wi-Fi internet system and pricing plans. In October 2010, Southwest Airlines announced that its entire fleet will be equipped with satellite-enabled Wi-Fi by 2013.
Better Soccer Through Satellite Services
During the FIFA World Cup 2010, worldwide audiences were able to visit DigitalGlobe’s Flickr gallery or Spot Image’s website, which showed satellite views of all 10 of the venues in South Africa. These galleries provided high-resolution satellite imagery for global audiences.
Satellite Receiver Dish Array
Large satellite dishes on rooftops may soon be a thing of the past due to technology that enables lower-cost “virtual” dishes. This new technology enables affordable antennas that conform to the shape of an object, allowing for delivery of satellite television without the need for a bulky dish.