WASHINGTON — Among the 32,000 pounds of cargo in NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour there is a camera that will help U.S. farmers and provide unique educational opportunities for students.
AgCam
Students and faculty at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, built the agricultural camera, known as AgCam, that will be delivered and installed on the International Space Station.
The students will operate the camera from their campus and work closely with NASA engineers and station astronauts.
AgCam will take images in visible and infrared light of growing crops, rangeland, grasslands, forests and wetlands in the northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions.
The information from AgCam will provide useful data to agricultural producers in North Dakota and neighboring states, benefiting farmers and ranchers and providing ways for them to protect the environment.
Classroom use
Images from the camera also will be shared with educators throughout the country for use in their classrooms.
AgCam is an example of a space-related research project which delivers direct benefits to the general public.
AgCam imagery also may assist in disaster management, such as flood monitoring and wild fire mapping.
For more information and images of AgCam, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_ pages/station/science/experiments/AgCam.html.
