Satellites to the Rescue!
A ship on the ocean is
swamped by a giant wave. A small airplane loses power and crash lands on a
mountain field. A snowmobiler in Alaska breaks a tread and is lost far from
civilization. How do the brave people who rescue folks in peril find out where
they are?
Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking, called SARSAT for short, uses two
types of satellites to help people (and their pets!). Geostationary
Operational Environmental Satellites, nicknamed "GOES," fly in place. They
never stray from their spots above Earth. Polar Orbiting Environmental
Satellites, called "POES," are in constant motion. They orbit Earth several
times a day. The main job of these spacecraft is to track environmental
conditions around the world. But GOES and POES also hear special distress
signals from ships, planes, and individuals. The satellites send the
information to a control center in Suitland, Maryland. The National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Government, operates the
center. They learn who's in danger and where the emergency is. Then they send
the Coast Guard or the Air Force to save the day!
Ships, airplanes and people use different kinds of equipment to transmit
emergency signals. All these devices broadcast distress messages to GOES and
POES. Personal Locator Beacons for individuals are available only in Alaska,
but soon may be sold in the rest of the United States. Backpackers and others
who travel to remote areas could carry these devices in case they get into
trouble.
NASA provided the satellites used for SARSAT and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration operates them. SARSAT has helped to locate and
rescue more than 12,800 people worldwide and 4,300 people in the United
States. The Air Force and Coast Guard also rescued dogs and other pets that
were traveling with their families when disaster struck!
Find out more about SARSAT
at http:// www.sarsat.noaa.gov. Also check
out The Space Place Web site at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/goes/orbits.htm to
learn how these satellites orbit Earth and how GOES can hang over one spot all
the time!
This article
was written by Eric Elkins and provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system helps find people
in trouble and send rescuers to help.