Mark Scherer prepares the C-20A for the AfriSAR mission.

Tanguay Gahouma Bekale, director general of the Gabonese Space Agency, talks to media about the AfriSAR mission.

NASA researchers walk through the Mondah rainforest to collect tree and flora measurements and other data as part of the AfriSAR mission.

The Okoumé tree is large, as compared to a hand seen in the bottom right portion of the image. The Mondah National Park is one of the field research sites for NASA’s AfriSAR campaign.

AfriSAR team members Sassan Saatchi (left) from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Laura Duncanson from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center take measurements of trees in the rainforest in the Mondah National Park, Gabon, Africa.

Armstrong Pilots David Fedors and Stu Broce are at the controls of the C-20A in March 2016 as it flies a synthetic aperture radar over areas of interest in the AfriSAR mission based in Gabon, Africa. The international campaign included measurements of flora in the country’s rainforests, wetlands, mangrove forests and savanna.

In Gabon, Africa, the Mondah National Park is one of the field research sites for NASA’s AfriSAR campaign. Gabon is a Central African country slightly smaller than the state of Colorado that features the world’s second largest rainforest. In addition to environmental measurements, the flights were used for calibrating satellites for current and upcoming missions.

Members of the AfriSAR team standing by the C-20A in Gabon, Africa, which is usually based at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in California include, from left, John McGrath, Carlos Meza, Stu Broce, Samuel Choi, David Fedors, Naiara Pinto, Mark Scherer, Marc Simard, Vincent Moreno, Chuck Irving and Kean Tham.

NASA’s C-20A takes off from Libreville International Airport in Gabon, Africa, in support of the AfriSAR  campaign in March 2016. Gabon is a Central African country slightly smaller than the state of Colorado that features the world’s second largest rainforest. In addition to environmental measurements, the flights were used for calibrating satellites for current and upcoming missions.

Sam Choi and Naiara Pinto observe Google Earth overlaid with in almost real time what the synthetic aperture radar is mapping from the C-20A aircraft. Researchers were in the sky and on the ground to take measurements of plant mass, distribution of trees, shrubs and ground cover and the diversity of plants and how much carbon is absorbed by them.

C-20A crew chief Vince Moreno inspects the aircraft.

The NASA Langley Research Center-based B-200 in Gabon, Africa, was visited by three representatives of the Gabon Ministry of the Numerical Economy (the three women seen in the middle). In the photo from left are Bryan Blair, Rick Yasky, the three Gabon representatives, Alan Barringer and Lola Fatoyinbo.

A member of the Gabon National Park Agency Ecoguard discussed the next research destination with Lola Fatoyinbo, Marc Simard and Laura Duncanson.

During an education outreach event in Gabon, Africa, students and educators, look at the German Aerospace Center Dornier DO-228 twin-engine turboprop aircraft.

The Okoume’ tree grows tall above the other flora to reach for the suns energy.

Marc Simard of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory installs a gauge that will record water level changes in the Pongara Mongrove.

Goddard Space Center’s Laura Duncanson records global positioning satellite coordinates of the Pongara Mangrove and tree heights and diameters.