ISRO helped track Hurricane Sandy

[Yusuf]

MUMBAI: Indian Space Research Organization (Isro)'s Oscat radio scatterometer on board its 960kg Oceansat-2 remote sensing satellite had tracked ocean surface winds of Hurricane Sandy that wrought havoc in eastern US on Monday, a Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory announcement has said.

Nasa had sought Isro's help as its QuikSat satellite stopped operating in November 2009. QuikSat resembles the Oscat radio scatterometer.

Officials said Isro's Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre has designed and developed the scatterometer, an active microwave device, which among other things is equipped with one-meter parabolic dish antenna. It has been designed to provide global ocean coverage.

Isro chief spokesperson Dev Prasad Karnik said Isro, Nasa and US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USNOAA) have an agreement regarding sharing Oceansat-2's data.

"The sharing of data of Hurricane Sandy only reflects the growing collaboration between Isro, Nasa and USNOAA," he told TOI.

The scatterometer's image of Hurricane Sandy obtained at 9.30 am (IST) on Monday was transmitted to Nasa and USNOAA and shows it heading towards the eastern US coast.

The satellite was launched from four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle on September 23, 2009 and operates at an altitude of 720km in the sun-synchronous orbit. Oceansat-2 is the Isro's sixth remote sensing satellite.

Isro's centre in Ahmedabad helped track Hurricane Sandy - The Times of India

 

[pmaitra]

It's nice to see ISRO helping the US. I also see a lot of scope for Indian masons helping the US. The US seriously needs to quit making houses out of cardboard and plastic, and start using brick, cement, and concrete. Every-time there is a storm, there is complete devastation, and no one bothers to make amends to their house building practices.

 

[uvbar]

with all the south indians (and indians in all ) in NASA its obvious that indians will be called for help if possible

 

[Yusuf]

with all the south indians (and indians in all ) in NASA its obvious that indians will be called for help if possible