25 Years Ago: STS-99, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
Twenty-five years ago, on February 11, 2000, Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-99, carrying a crew of five astronauts and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The 11-day mission was dedicated to mapping the Earth’s surface in unprecedented detail using radar technology.
SRTM was a joint project between NASA, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The mission’s primary objective was to create a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) of the Earth’s landmasses, excluding Antarctica.
The SRTM payload consisted of two radar systems: the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) and the X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-SAR). SIR-C operated at three different wavelengths (L-, C-, and X-band) and was used to collect data on vegetation, land use, and surface roughness. X-SAR operated at X-band and was used to penetrate vegetation and provide information on topography.
Endeavour flew in a near-polar orbit, providing SRTM with a global coverage. The shuttle’s orbit was carefully designed to minimize the effects of Earth’s curvature and ensure that the radar data could be stitched together seamlessly.
Over the course of the mission, SRTM collected over 12 terabytes of data, covering an area of over 80% of the Earth’s land surface. The data was processed by a team of scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and DLR to create a DEM with a resolution of 30 meters (98 feet).
The SRTM DEM has revolutionized the field of geoscience. It has been used to study a wide range of Earth processes, including erosion, tectonics, and climate change. It has also been used for applications such as land use planning, disaster management, and water resources management.
The SRTM mission was a major success, and its legacy continues to this day. The SRTM DEM is still one of the most widely used topographic data sets in the world, and it continues to be used for a variety of scientific and practical applications.
Significance of STS-99 and SRTM
The STS-99/SRTM mission was a major milestone in the history of space exploration. It was the first time that a space shuttle mission had been dedicated to collecting global topographic data, and it resulted in the creation of one of the most comprehensive and accurate DEMs ever produced.
The SRTM DEM has had a profound impact on our understanding of the Earth’s surface. It has been used to study a wide range of Earth processes, from the movement of glaciers to the formation of mountains. It has also been used for practical applications such as land use planning, disaster management, and water resources management.
The legacy of STS-99/SRTM continues to this day. The SRTM DEM is still one of the most widely used topographic data sets in the world, and it continues to be used for a variety of scientific and practical applications. The mission is a testament to the power of space technology to advance our understanding of the Earth and its processes.
25 Years Ago: STS-99, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
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