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Satellite CRYOSAT-2

author: ESA/S.Corvaja/Novapix

reference: e-sot01-70200

Image Size 300 DPI: 19 * 29 cm

CryoSat-2 undergoing testing at the Space Test Centre at IABG (Industrieanlagen-Betriebsgesellschaft mbH) in Ottobrunn, Germany in September 2009. CryoSat will be the third of ESA's Earth Explorer satellites in orbit. The 700 kg CryoSat spacecraft ­ whose name comes from the Greek kryos meaning cold or ice ­ carries the first all-weather microwave radar altimeter. The instrument has been optimised for determining changes in the thickness of both floating sea ice, which can be up to several metres, and polar land ice sheets, which in Antarctica can be close to 5 km thick. The mission will deliver data on the rate of change of the ice thickness accurate to within one centimetre.

Keywords for this photo:

2009 - 2010 - ARTIFICIAL SATELLITE - CRYOSAT - CRYOSAT-2 - EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE - HUMAN - ICE - MAN - PERSON - PREPARATION - SPACE - TEST -