Terra

3D visualization of the NASA Terra satellite, its payload and data products.

Global design of the NASA Terra satellite, represented along with its equipment and some data products. The application allows the user to interact with a 3D model of the NASA Terra satellite in order to learn the way it works, the payload and equipment present in the system, and the kind of data the satellite obtains to perform detailed observations of the Earth. Very useful to introduce in satellite development and EOS missions.

The application is composed of the following interactive sections:

* Flyby: Simulation of the overpass of the satellite. Time, distance and size proportions are completely real. The scene does not show the real position of the satellite. Actually, it will appear in a different and random part of the globe every time the scene is loaded.

* Terra: 3D visualization of the satellite, where each instrument can be selected to get complete information about it.

* MODIS: Simple 3D visualization of the Terra MODIS instrument, where every component has been identified.

* Products: Visualization of processed data acquired by the Terra ASTER instrument. The area belongs to Monfragüe National Park (Spain), and it can be observed using different band combinations, which allow to highlight certain characteristics. The scene also presents a simulation of an user login procedure to download the original satellite products.

NOTE: This is NOT an official NASA application. All the information has been collected from official publications.

CREDITS: The original Terra mission is currently being developed by NASA. This institution owns the rights over the official and original design of the satellite, payload and data product types. The 3D adaptation of the satellite has been performed using official NASA sources and belongs to Himalaya Computing. The Milky Way background was generated by ESO.