NASA's Near-Earth Science Mission Fleet: March 2017
NASA Near-Earth Science Fleet (August 2017)
This visualization shows the orbits of NASA-related near-Earth science missions that are considered operational as of March 2017. These missions include both NASA-run missions as well as missions run by organizations that NASA has partnered with. Missions that enable science data collection (TDRS) are also included.
The following missions are included:
- ACE
- AIM
- Aqua
- ARTEMIS
- Aura
- CALIPSO: Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation
- Cloudsat
- Cluster 5,6,7,8
- Chandra
- CYGNSS-1-8: Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System 1
- DSCOVR: Deep Space Climate Observatory
- GOES 13, 15, 16: Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
- GPM: Global Precipitation Measurement
- GRACE-1: Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment-1
- GRACE-2: Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment-2
- Hinode
- HST: Hubble Space Telescope
- IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer
- ISS: International Space Station
- Jason 2
- Jason 3
- LAGEOS
- Landsat 7
- Landsat 8
- LRO: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
- MMS 1,2,3,4: Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission
- NuSTAR: Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array
- OCO-2: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2
- Polar
- QuikSCAT
- RBSP A,B: Radiation Belt Solar Probes (also called Van Allen Probes)
- RHESSI: Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Images
- SDO: Solar Dynamics Observatory
- SMAP: Soil Moisture Passive Active
- SMAP: Solar and Heliophysics Observatory
- SORCE: Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment
- Suomi NPP: Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership
- Swift
- TDRS 3, 5-12: Tracking Data Relay Satellite
- Terra
- THEMIS: Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms
- TIMED: Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics
- Wind
Also included:
- Stars
- Moon
- Sun
- Earth
- L1: Sun-Earth Lagrange Point-1
- L2: Sun-Earth Lagrange Point-2
Colors are used to distinguish what science category each mission is observing. In some cases, one mission may observe multiple categories (e.g., DSCOVR observes the Sun and the Earth), so only one is choosen. The colors are:
- Yellow orbits are missions that observe the sun (heliophysics)
- Blue orbits are missions that observe the Earth
- Red orbits are missions that observe the stars and planets (astrophysics)
- Orange orbits are "other"
- The green orbit is manned (International Space Station)
The clouds used in this version are from a high resolution GEOS model run at 10 minute time steps interpolated down to the per-frame level.
Looking at satellite orbits from with in the Moon's orbit
Looking towards the Sun and L1
Looking towards the Earth and L1
Looking at lunar satellites towards the Earth
Looking at L2, the Earth, L1, and the Sun
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
-
Visualizers
- Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC)
- Ernie Wright (USRA)
-
Technical support
- Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
- Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
-
Project support
- Eric Sokolowsky (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
Release date
This page was originally published on Monday, November 20, 2017.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 12:11 AM EST.
Datasets used in this visualization
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GTOPO30 Topography and Bathymetry
ID: 274 -
CelesTrak Spacecraft Orbit Ephemeris
ID: 454This dataset can be found at: http://celestrak.com
See all pages that use this dataset -
Tycho Catalogue (Tycho 2 Catalogue) [Hipparcos: Telescope]
ID: 550This dataset can be found at: http://archive.eso.org/ASTROM/
See all pages that use this dataset -
JPL/Horizon Orbital Ephemerides
ID: 597Planetary ephemerides
This dataset can be found at: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?horizons
See all pages that use this dataset -
GEOS Atmospheric Model
ID: 665 -
Space-Track TLE (Space-Track Two-Line Elements)
ID: 753Satellite ephemerides
This dataset can be found at: http://Space-Track.org
See all pages that use this dataset
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.