Source: Spaceflight Now
A NASA spacecraft circling more than 400 miles above Earth has snapped a striking picture of oil streaming ashore in Mississippi, adding another photo to the growing catalog of satellite images of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The Earth Observing 1, or EO 1, satellite spotted the oil encroaching on Petit Bois Island and Horn Island just offshore Pascagoula, Miss. The oil slick appears bright in the image, which was taken Saturday by EO 1’s Advanced Land Imager.
According to NASA, the Mississippi barrier islands are classified as lightly oiled this week, and officials say smaller sections are moderately and heavily oiled.
Scientists have also called upon powerful cameras aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites to track the oil spill. The MODIS instruments on both spacecraft see the oil when the sunglint falls inside the slick, producing a clear discoloration visible from space.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses experimental satellite data to develop trajectory forecasts, oil movement models, and environmental mitigation plans when the slick reaches shore.
International satellites have also observed the BP oil spill.
The European Space Agency’s Envisat spacecraft carries a radar capable of seeing the oil spill through clouds and at night.
Commercial Earth observation satellites are collecting high-resolution imagery of the spill, skimming vessels and drilling rigs, providing a dramatic look into efforts to stop the underwater leak and remove oil from the ocean’s surface.
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