PIA02724: Perspective View, Radar Image, Color as Height, Molokai, Lanai and Maui, Hawaii
 Target Name:  Earth
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)
 Spacecraft:  Space Shuttle Endeavour
 Instrument:  C-Band Interferometric Radar 
 Product Size:  1319 x 1062 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Producer ID:  MRPS95903 JSC2000-E-02754
 Primary Data Set:  SRTM Mission
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA02724.tif (1.541 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA02724.jpg (141.2 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

This perspective view shows three Hawaiian islands: Molokai (lower left), Lanai (right), and the northwest tip of Maui (upper left). Data such as these will be useful for studying the history of volcanic activity on these now extinct volcanoes. SRTM data also will help local officials evaluate and mitigate natural hazards for islands throughout the Pacific. For example, improved elevation data will make it easier for communities to plan for tsunamis (tidal waves generated by earthquakes around the perimeter of the Pacific) by helping them identify evacuation routes and areas prone to flooding.

This perspective view combines two types of data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The image brightness corresponds to the strength of the radar signal reflected from the ground, while colors show the elevation as measured by SRTM. Colors range from blue at the lowest elevations to white at the highest elevations. This image contains 1800 meters (5900 feet) of total relief.

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), launched on February 11, 2000, uses the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. The mission is designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, an additional C-band imaging antenna and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and the German (DLR) and Italian (ASI) space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise,Washington, DC.

Size: 60 by 70 kilometers (37 by 43 miles)
Location: 20.8 deg. North lat., 156.7 deg. West lon.
Orientation: Looking southeast
Original Data Resolution: 30 meters (99 feet)
Date Acquired: February 18, 2000

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/NIMA

Image Addition Date:
2000-02-19