As the number of satellites in low Earth orbit grows by leaps and bounds, accurate calculations of the effects of atmospheric drag on their trajectories are becoming critically important.
geodesy
Posted inScience Updates
Using Earthquake Forensics to Study Subduction from Space
Researchers combined satellite geodetic measurements of surface motion with a new geophysical data inversion method to probe the Chilean subduction zone in the wake of the 2010 Maule earthquake.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
First Detection of a Built-In Wobble on Another Planet
Spacecraft find that Mars oscillates 10 centimeters off its axis of rotation.
Posted inNews
Gravity Data Reveal Unexpected Antarctic Ice Variations
A new analysis of long-term satellite records shows the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is unexpectedly dependent on fluctuations in weather. This study may improve models of how much sea levels will rise.
Posted inFeatures
The Bay of Bengal and the Curious Case of the Missing Rift
In a classic detective story, clues from data new and old helped researchers reveal the puzzling chain of tectonic events that followed the Early Cretaceous split between India and Antarctica.
Posted inNews
Flickers of Light Help Map the Space Junkyard
Researchers are identifying space debris by measuring its flickering patterns of reflected light.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Land Motion Offers Insights into Cascadia Earthquake Cycle
Comparing recent GPS data with a longer record of sea level along the western coast of North America allows researchers to home in on interseismic deformation above the Cascadia megathrust.
Posted inNews
The First Global Geologic Map of the Moon
At a time when more geological data about the Moon are available than ever before, USGS scientists have created a one-stop shop where everyone, including the public, can see how it all fits together.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Graceful Way to Study Daily Water Storage on Land
A new analysis technique could help scientists improve the temporal resolution of satellite gravity data and see trends in terrestrial water storage and movement in near real time.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Space-Based Data Expand Understanding of Crustal Deformation
Researchers used the largest GPS data set yet to examine deformation of the crust across continental China and its implications for tectonic activity.