What does SMAP measure?
What does SMAP measure?
Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, is an Earth satellite mission designed to measure and map Earth’s soil moisture and freeze/thaw state to better understand terrestrial water, carbon and energy cycles.
Is SMAP still in orbit?
The science mission continues with data being returned only by the radiometer instrument. SMAP’s prime mission ended in June 2018. The 2017 Earth Science senior review endorsed the SMAP mission for continued operations through 2020, and preliminarily, through 2023.
What information does SMAP give scientists?
The SMAP mission will quantify the nature, extent, timing and duration of landscape seasonal freeze/thaw state transitions that are key to the estimation of terrestrial carbon sources and sinks.
Where can I find SMAP data?
These data products are made available publicly through two NASA-designated data centers, Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) and National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). ASF specializes in SAR data, and NISDC specializes in cryospheric science and land microwave data. You can also browse SMAP data in Worldview.
How much did SMAP cost?
915 million USD (2015)Soil Moisture Active Passive / Cost
Who created SMAP?
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Soil Moisture Active Passive/Manufacturers
How deep can the SMAP satellite view into the soil?
The generated wave can add to the incoming wave such that their sum is zero. Instead, the generated wave goes back out the way the incoming wave came in: this is reflection. SMAP’s antenna was optimized for work with L band radio waves that its radar and radiometer use.
How long did it take to build SMAP?
The prime mission of SMAP was completed in summer 2018 with three years of science data for a wide range of research. Since then, SMAP has been approved to operate in extended phase through 2023.
