Latest Gravimetry Stories

Scientists from around the world have been hearing about the latest results from ESA's new GOCE, SMOS and CryoSat Earth observation missions at the biggest scientific gathering of the year. Attracting around 18 000 scientists, researchers, teachers, students and consultants to review developments in Earth and space science, the annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting is an unparalleled opportunity for participants from around the world to share and discuss their findings.This...

Following recovery from a glitch that prevented ESA's GOCE gravity mission from sending any scientific data to the ground, the satellite has been gently brought back down to its operational altitude and resumed normal service "“ delivering the most detailed gravity data to date. Data from GOCE will result in a unique model of the "˜geoid', which is the surface of an ideal global ocean at rest. It is a crucial reference for accurately measuring ocean circulation, sea-level change and ice...

ESA's GOCE gravity mission has recovered from a glitch that prevented the satellite from sending its flow of scientific data to the ground. News of the recovery comes earlier than expected, thanks to the fervent efforts of a team of experts.The recovery follows a serious communications malfunction on July 8, when the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite suddenly failed to downlink scientific data to its receiving stations.Extensive investigations by...

A European gravity observation satellite has been hit by a second computer glitch and is not able to transmit its valuable data down to Earth.Europe's Goce satellite, launched on 17 March, 2009, is a satellite carrying a highly sensitive gravity gradiometer which detects fine density differences in the crust and oceans of the Earth. Its main mission is to make the most precise maps yet of how gravity varies across the globe.The satellite suffered a processor fault in February forcing...

Europe's GOCE satellite has produced one of the most unique views of the Earth that we have ever seen. The colorful new map produced by the satellite depicts the influence the pull of gravity has around the world. Known as a geoid -- a mathematical figure of the Earth through gravitational calculations -- it essentially defines where the level surface is on our planet. It shows us which way is "up" and which way is "down". The GOCE satellite flies so low in orbit that it comes very close to...

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board Chairman Johann-Dietrich Worner signed an agreement Thursday during a bilateral meeting in Berlin to extend the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission through the end of its on-orbit life, which is expected in 2015.Launched in March 2002, GRACE tracks changes in Earth's gravity field by noting minute changes in gravitational pull from local changes in Earth's mass. It does this by...

WASHINGTON, June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board Chairman Johann-Dietrich Worner signed an agreement Thursday during a bilateral meeting in Berlin to extend the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission through the end of its on-orbit life, which is expected in 2015. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) Launched in March 2002, GRACE tracks changes in Earth's gravity...

TUM researchers present initial data from successful ESA missionESA's GOCE satellite has been orbiting the Earth for more than a year and surveying its gravitational field more accurately than any instrument previously. The goal of the researchers "“ including scientists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) "“ is to determine the gravitational force in precise detail even in pathless places like the Himalayas. Evaluations of the first data from the satellite indicate that current...

Following the launch and in-orbit testing of the most sophisticated gravity mission ever built, ESA's GOCE satellite is now in "˜measurement mode', mapping tiny variations in Earth's gravity in unprecedented detail.The "˜Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer' (GOCE) satellite was launched on 17 March from northern Russia. The data now being received will lead to a better understanding of Earth's gravity, which is important for understanding how our planet works.It is...

Scientists using satellite data say they've determined northern India's groundwater has been declining by as much as 1 foot per year during the past decade. The researchers, led by Matt Rodell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, blame the water loss nearly entirely on human activity. Hydrologists said they determined more than 26 cubic miles of groundwater disappeared from aquifers in areas of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and India's capitol territory of Delhi between 2002 and 2008. That's...