Transcript Remote Sensing

Build a Remote Sensing Satellite
Transform electromagnetic radiation
into an electrical signal that can be
used to analyze Earth’s Systems.
Remote sensing satellites can detect the reflection
of the radio waves from precipitation.
Meteorologists use that information
to analyze weather systems.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/02mar_rainandsnow.htm
Different colors can be used to represent
frequencies and intensities of electromagnetic
radiation that the human eye can not “see”.
http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Intro/Part2_2a.html
Note: The wavelengths of visible light should range from 400 to 700 nm.
Data indicating different amounts of reflected radio
waves can be used to generate a “false color
image” of rates and types of precipitation.
http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en
Satellites can detect a wide range of reflected or
emitted frequencies of electromagnetic radiation.
http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Intro/Part2_1.html
This is a map of snow cover on February 1st, 2010.
How is data for maps of such a large area obtained?
http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/nh_snowcover/
A false color infrared map shows the Arctic with minimum
snow and clouds during a period of maximum “green up”.
Red areas represent greater amounts of green vegetation.
Blue and gray areas represent sparse vegetation. Black
areas represent fresh water and white areas represent ice.
http://www.arcticatlas.org/atlas/cavm/cavmavhrr/
Today’s Remote Sensing
Design Challenges
• Build a model of a remote sensing satellite.
• Use your model of a satellite to transform
reflected visible of different frequencies into
electrical signals with different voltages.
• Use different colors of paper to calibrate the
model.
• Create a model of a landscape using three
different colors of paper.
• Create a “false color” image of the model of
a landscape (if time permits).
The key component of a model of a remote
sensing satellite is a light emitting diode (LED).
LEDs are usually used to
transform an electrical
energy into light of a specific
frequency (energy).
LEDs can also transform
light of a certain frequency
into an electrical signal with a
certain voltage (energy).
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/led.htm
An electric meter can indicate the voltage of an
electrical signal when an LED detects light.
The voltage depends on the frequency of light
detected by the LED and the intensity of the light.
http://mvh.sr.unh.edu/mvhinvestigations/light_investigations.htm
Alligator clips on wires connected
to an electric meter do not make a very
reliable connection to the thin lead wires
of an LED.
A “Barrier Strip” can be used to create a secure link
between the LED and the wires that connect to an electric
meter (e.g. a voltmeter).
The LED is connected to two terminals on one side of a
barrier strip. The alligator clips of wires that connect to an
electric meter are attached to the two terminals on the
other side of the barrier strip.
Directions for building a model of a
remote sensing satellite are found on Page
Two of the Build and Calibrate a Remote
Sensing Satellite.
The procedure for calibrating your model
of a remote sensing satellite is found on
Page Three of the Build and Calibrate a
Remote Sensing Satellite.
Page Three of the Remote Sensing
Teacher’s Guide includes examples of
data collected.
The Map a Polar Landscape document
describes how you can:
• Create a polar landscape using three
different colors of paper.
• Collect remote sensing data as your
model satellite passes over the polar
landscape.
• Create a “false color” image of the polar
landscape.
A few questions.
• How was your false color image of a landscape
similar to a false color image of precipitation used in
weather reports?
• How was your false color image of a landscape
different from a false color image of precipitation?
• How could this activity be integrated into your STEM
curriculum?
• What are some ways that students could use the
model of a remote sensing satellite to design an
investigation.
• What variations of this activity can be developed?