May the Forest Be with You: GEDI Moves Toward Launch To Space Station
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- Written by:
- Patrick Lynch
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- Produced by:
- LK Ward
- View full credits
The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation – or GEDI, pronounced like "Jedi," of Star Wars fame – instrument is undergoing final integration and testing this spring and summer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. The instrument is expected to launch aboard SpaceX's 16th commercial resupply services mission, targeted for late 2018. GEDI is being led by the University of Maryland, College Park; the instrument is being built at NASA Goddard.
From its perch on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory, GEDI will be the first space-borne laser instrument to measure the structure of Earth's tropical and temperate forests in high resolution and three dimensions. These measurements will help fill in critical gaps in scientists' understanding of how much carbon is stored in the world's forests, the potential for ecosystems to absorb rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, and the impact of forest changes on biodiversity.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Writer
- Patrick Lynch (NASA/GSFC) [Lead]
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Producer
- LK Ward (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) [Lead]
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Videographer
- John Caldwell (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.)
Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Related Pages
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ID: 13114 Produced Video
![The GEDI instrument was built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and has the highest resolution and densest sampling of any lidar every put in orbit. The mission is led by the University of Maryland and is designed to help researchers understand how ecosystems are storing carbon.Complete transcript available.Music: Secret Science, by Lee Groves [PRS], Peter George Marett [PRS]; Team Effort, by Alexandre Prodhomme [SACEM], Eddy Pradelles [SACEM]Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.](/vis/a010000/a013100/a013114/GEDI_on_ISS_print.jpg)
GEDI Overview
Read moreThe GEDI instrument was built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and has the highest resolution and densest sampling of any lidar every put in orbit. The mission is led by the University of Maryland and is designed to help researchers understand how ecosystems are storing carbon.Complete transcript available.Music: Secret Science, by Lee Groves [PRS], Peter George Marett [PRS]; Team Effort, by Alexandre Prodhomme [SACEM], Eddy Pradelles [SACEM]Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || GEDI_on_ISS_print.jpg (1024x576) [60.9 KB] || GEDI_on_ISS.png (3840x2160) [5.6 MB] || GEDI_on_ISS_searchweb.png (320x180) [56.5 KB] || GEDI_on_ISS_thm.png (80x40) [5.2 KB] || 13114_GEDI_overview_prores.mov (1920x1080) [6.3 GB] || 13114_GEDI_overview_youtube_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [354.2 MB] || 13114_GEDI_overview_youtube_720.mp4 (1280x720) [354.4 MB] || 13114_GEDI_overview_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [49.8 MB] || 13114_GEDI_overview.webm (960x540) [91.1 MB] || 13114_GEDI_overview-captions.en_US.srt [5.0 KB] || 13114_GEDI_overview-captions.en_US.vtt [5.0 KB] ||
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ID: 13090 Produced Video
GEDI Media Resources
Read moreThe Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) uses laser pulses to give a view of the 3D structure of the Earth. GEDI’s precise measurements of the height and vertical structure of forest canopy, along with the surface elevation, will greatly advance our ability to characterize important carbon and water cycling processes, biodiversity, and habitat. The mission is led by the University of Maryland, College Park, and the instrument was built and tested at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.GEDI observes nearly all tropical and temperate forests using a self-contained laser altimeter on the International Space Station. GEDI has the highest resolution and densest sampling of any lidar ever put in orbit. This has required a number of innovative technologies to be developed at NASA Goddard.GEDI has three lasers that produce 8 parallel tracks of observations. Each laser fires 242 times per second and illuminates a 25-meter footprint on the surface over which 3D structure is measured. Each footprint is separated by 60 meters along the track, with an across-track distance of about 600 m between each of the 8 tracks. GEDI is expected to produce about 10 billion cloud-free observations during its nominal 24-month mission length.With these observations, GEDI will provide answers to how deforestation has contributed to atmospheric CO2 concentrations, how much carbon forests will absorb in the future, and how habitat degradation will affect global biodiversity. This data is of immense value for forest and water resource management, carbon cycle science, and weather prediction.For more information about GEDI: https://gedi.umd.edu ||
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