Elevation data at the highest possible resolution from NASA SRTM mission in February 2000 are being released for the first time for most of the African continent. This color shaded relief image shows the extent of SRTM digital elevation data for Africa.

The Sovereign Democratic Republic of the Fiji Islands, commonly known as Fiji, is shown in this image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM on February 19, 2000.

Volcanism and erosion are prominently seen in this view of the eastern flank of the Andes Mountains taken by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

In this image of Manhattan, acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM on February 12, 2000, the city skyscrapers appear as ghostly white spikes.

Caliente Range and Cuyama Valley, California, are shown in this image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM on February 16, 2000.

The Alpine fault runs parallel to, and just inland of, much of the west coast of New Zealand South Island. This view was created from the near-global digital elevation model produced by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

On January 26, 2001, the city of Bhuj suffered the most deadly earthquake in India history. This stereoscopic image was generated from NASA Landsat satellite and data from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

Erosional features are prominent in this view of southern Colorado taken NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM. The area covers about 20,000 square kilometers and is located about 50 kilometers south of Pueblo, Colorado.

Digital elevation models DEMs, such as those produced by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM, allow user-controlled visualization of the Earth landforms that is not possible using satellite imagery alone.

This image is of Ventura, California, one of this state oldest cities, and Lake Casitas, California. NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM acquired this data on February 16, 2000.

The Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia is shown in this scene created from a preliminary elevation model derived from the first data collected during NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM on February 12, 2000.

A site in the Crater Highlands of Tanzania reveals the difference between NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM digital elevation model data as originally released in 2004 left and as now released at full resolution in 2014 right.

San Joaquin, the name given to the southern portion of California vast Central Valley, as shown in this image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM on February 16, 2000.

This depiction of an area south of San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina, is the first Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM view of the Andes Mountains, the tallest mountain chain in the western hemisphere.

Santa Barbara, California, is often called America Riviera as seen in this image generated from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM data on February 16, 2000.

This stereoscopic satellite image showing Miquelon and Saint Pierre Islands, located south of Newfoundland, Canada, was generated by draping NASA Landsat satellite image over a preliminary Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM elevation model.

This perspective view shows the city of Bhuj, India, in the foreground gray area after an earthquake in western India on January 26, 2001. This image was generated from NASA Landsat satellite and data from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

This image is of Mt. Pinos and San Joaquin Valley, California. NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM acquired this data on February 16, 2000.

This image of France was generated with data from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

This image of the world was generated with data from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

This image of North America was generated with data from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

This topographic image acquired in February 2000 by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM shows an area in the state of Bahia in Brazil.

This perspective view, acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM in Feb. 2000, shows Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.

NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM has produced the first high-resolution, near-global elevation dataset of Earth.

This image of South America was generated with data from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

The white, mottled area in the right-center of this image from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM is Madrid, the capital of Spain.

This radar image acquired in February 2000 by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM shows an area in the state of Bahia in Brazil.

This radar image acquired in February 2000 by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM shows an area in the state of Bahia in Brazil.

inal Caption Released with Image: The colored regions of this map show the extent of digital elevation data recently released by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). This release includes data for most of Europe and Asia plus numerous islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. SRTM flew on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000 and used an interferometric radar system to map the topography of Earth's landmass between latitudes 56 degrees south and 60 degrees north. The data were processed into geographic "tiles," each of which represents one by one degree of latitude and longitude. A degree of latitude measures 111 kilometers (69 miles) north-south, and a degree of longitude measures 111 kilometers or less east-west, decreasing away from the equator. The data are being released to the public on a continent-by-continent basis. This Eurasia segment includes 5,940 tiles, more than a third of the total data set. Previous releases covered North America and South America. Forthcoming releases will include Africa-Arabia and Australia plus an "Islands" release for those islands not included in the continental releases. Together these data releases constitute the world's first high-resolution, near-global elevation model. The resolution of the publicly released data is three arcseconds (1/1,200 of a degree of latitude and longitude), which is about 90 meters (295 feet). European coverage in the current data release stretches eastward from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west, across the Alps and Carpathian Mountains, as well as the Northern European Plain, to the Ural and Caucasus Mountains bordering Asia. The Asian coverage includes a great diversity of landforms, including the Tibetan Plateau, Tarin Basin, Mongolian Plateau, and the mountains surrounding Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake. Mt. Everest in the Himalayas, at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) is the world's highest mountain. From India's Deccan Plateau, to Southeast Asia, coastal China, and Korea, various landforms place constraints upon land use planning for a great population. Volcanoes in the East Indies, the Philippines, Japan, and the Kamchatka Peninsula form the western part of the "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific Ocean. Many of these regions were previously very poorly mapped due to persistent cloud cover or the inaccessibility of the terrain. Digital elevation data, such as provided by SRTM, are particularly in high demand by scientists studying earthquakes, volcanism, and erosion patterns for use in mapping and modeling hazards to human habitation. But the shape of Earth's surface affects nearly every natural process and human endeavor that occurs there, so elevation data are used in a wide range of applications. In this index map color-coding is directly related to topographic height, with green at the lower elevations, rising through yellow and tan, to white at the highest elevations. The large, very dark green feature in western Asia is the Caspian Sea, which is below sea level. Blue areas on the map represent water within the mapped tiles, each of which includes shorelines or islands. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03398

This perspective view taken in February 2000 from NASA Landsat and SRTM shows the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica, the gray area in the center of the image.

Much of Honshu, Japan largest island, is seen in this image generated from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM data on February 19, 2000.

This radar image acquired in February 2000 by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM shows an area south of the Sao Francisco River in Brazil.

This perspective view taken in February 2000 from NASA Landsat and SRTM shows the Caribbean coastal plain of Costa Rica, with the Cordillera Central rising in the background.

This topographic radar image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM in Feb. 2000 shows the Lanai left and western Maui right islands of Hawaii.

The volcanic nature of the island of Bali is evident in this shaded relief image generated with data from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

Launched February 11, 2000, the STS-99 Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) was the most ambitious Earth mapping mission to date. A 200-ft long (60 meter) mast supporting the SRTM where it jutted into space from the Space Shuttle Endeavour. In this photograph, part of the SRTM hardware is shown in the payload bay of the shuttle. Orbiting some 145 miles (233 kilometers) above Earth, the giant structure was deployed on February 12, 2000 and the C-band and X-band anternae mounted on it quickly went to work mapping parts of the Earth. The SRTM radar was able to penetrate clouds as well as provide its own illumination, independent of daylight, obtaining3-dimentional topographic images of the world's surface up to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. The mission completed 222 hours of around the clock radar mapping gathering enough information to fill more than 20,000 CDs.

This perspective view acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected in the year 2000 shows Lakes Managua and Nicaragua near the Pacific coast of Nicaragua.

This perspective view shows the western side of the volcanically active Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia. The image was generated using the first data collected during NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

This topographic map acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 12, 2000 shows the western side of the volcanically active Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.

This topographic map acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 16, 2000 vividly displays California famous San Andreas Fault along the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert, Calif.

This topographic radar image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM in Feb. 2000 shows the city of Honolulu, Hawaii and adjacent areas on the island of Oahu. Honolulu lies on the south shore of the island.

This perspective view acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected in the year 2000 shows Patagonia, Argentina, a spectacular landscape formed by volcanoes, rivers, and wind.

This image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 12, 2000 shows two islands, Miquelon and Saint Pierre, located south of Newfoundland, Canada.

This topographic acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 16, 2000 shows the relationship of the urban area of Pasadena, California to the natural contours of the land.

The topography of the island nation of Sri Lanka is well shown in this color-coded shaded relief map generated with digital elevation data from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

The prominent linear feature straight down the center of this perspective view is California famous San Andreas Fault. The image was created with data from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

This perspective view acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 12, 2000 shows the western side of the volcanically active Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.

This image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 12, 2000 shows two islands, Miquelon and Saint Pierre, located south of Newfoundland, Canada.

The prominent linear feature straight down the center of this perspective view is the San Andreas Fault in an image created with data from NASA shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM.

This radar image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 15, 2000 includes the city of Salalah, the second largest city in Oman.

From the desert to the mountains to the sea, this image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM in Feb. 2000, shows in striking detail the varied topography of Southern California.

The 1,200-kilometer 800-mile San Andreas is the longest fault in California and one of the longest in North America as seen by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM on February 16, 2000.

This perspective view acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 16, 2000 shows an area of Ventura County, California, including Simi Valley in the center of the image.

This topographic radar image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM in Feb. 2000 shows the relationships of the dense urban development of Los Angeles, Calif. and the natural contours of the land.

Japan Mt. Fuji presents a beautiful backdrop for the city of Tokyo as seen in this image generated from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM data on February 21, 2000.

This perspective view from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM, acquired on February 2000, shows central Panama, with the remnants of the extinct volcano El Valle in the foreground and the Caribbean Sea in the distance.

The top picture is a shaded relief image of the northwest corner of Mexico Yucatan Peninsula generated from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM data, and shows a subtle, but unmistakable, indication of the Chicxulub impact crater.

This radar image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 18, 2000 shows the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in Texas.

This perspective view, acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM in Feb. 2000, shows the western part of the city of Pasadena, California, looking north towards the San Gabriel Mountains.

This topographic image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 15, 2000, of Patagonia, Argentina shows a spectacular landscape formed by volcanoes, rivers, and wind.

This radar image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 16, 2000 shows the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

This shaded relief topographic acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM image from data collected on February 12, 2000 shows the western side of the volcanically active Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.

This topographic radar image acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 16, 2000 shows the relationship of the urban area of Pasadena, California to the natural contours of the land.

This topographic map acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 16, 2000 vividly displays California famous San Andreas Fault along the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert, Calif.

Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, is a large and growing urban area. This stereoscopic image pair, combining a Landsat image with topography measured by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM, shows how topography controls the urban pattern.

Tokyo, located on the island of Honshu, with Mt. Fuji in the background as seen in this image generated from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM data on February 21, 2000.

NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM, flown aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000, acquired elevation measurements for nearly all of Earth landmass between 60°N and 56°S latitudes.

Pando Province, Bolivia, and adjacent parts of Brazil and Peru are seen in this visualization of NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM elevation data covering part of the Amazon Basin.

Launched February 11, 2000, the STS-99 Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) was the most ambitious Earth mapping mission to date. This photograph shows a 200-ft long (60 meter) mast supporting the SRTM jutted into space from the Space Shuttle Endeavour (out of frame). Orbiting some 145 miles (233 kilometers) above Earth, the giant structure was deployed on February 12, 2000 and its C-band and X-band anternae quickly went to work mapping parts of the Earth. The outboard antennae can be seen near bottom right. The SRTM radar was able to penetrate clouds as well as provide its own illumination, independent of daylight, and obtained 3-dimentional topographic images of the world's surface up to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. The mission completed 222 hours of around the clock radar mapping, gathering enough information to fill more than 20,000 CDs.

This perspective view acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 18, 2000 shows three Hawaiian islands: Molokai lower left, Lanai right, and the northwest tip of Maui upper left.

This three-dimensional perspective view, looking up the Tigil River, acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 16, 2000, shows the western side of the volcanically active Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.

Launched February 11, 2000, the STS-99 Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) was the most ambitious Earth mapping mission to date. This illustration shows the Space Shuttle Endeavour orbiting some 145 miles (233 kilometers) above Earth. With C-band and X-band outboard anternae at work, one located in the Shuttle bay and the other located on the end of a 60-meter deployable mast, the SRTM radar was able to penetrate clouds as well as provide its own illumination, independent of daylight, obtaining 3-dimentional topographic images of the world's surface up to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. The mission completed 222 hours of around the clock radar mapping, gathering enough information to fill more than 20,000 CDs.

JSC2000E01555 (January 2000) --- A one-dimensional representation of Earth indicates only a portion of the total anticipated coverage area for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The primary objective of SRTM is to acquire a high-resolution topographic map of the Earth's land mass (between 60 degrees north and 56 degrees south latitude) and to test new technologies for deployment of large rigid structures and measurement of their distortions to extremely high precision.

JSC2000E-01557 (January 2000) --- This partially computer-generated scene depicts anticipated coverage by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) of topographic features on Earth. Heavy cloud cover, hurricanes and cyclonic storms can prevent optical cameras on satellites or aircraft from imaging some areas. SRTM radar, with its long wavelength, will penetrate clouds as well as providing its own illumination, making it independent of daylight.

This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, shows Viti Levu, the largest island in the group some 332 islands commonly known as Fiji. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

Mount Oyama is a 820-meter-high (2,700 feet) volcano on the island of Miyake-Jima, Japan. In late June 2000, a series of earthquakes alerted scientists to possible volcanic activity. On June 27, authorities evacuated 2,600 people, and on July 8 the volcano began erupting and erupted five times over that week. The dark gray blanket covering green vegetation in the image is the ash deposited by prevailing northeasterly winds between July 8 and 17. This island is about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Tokyo and is part of the Izu chain of volcanic islands that runs south from the main Japanese island of Honshu. Miyake-Jima is home to 3,800 people. The previous major eruptions of Mount Oyama occurred in 1983 and 1962, when lava flows destroyed hundreds of houses. An earlier eruption in 1940 killed 11 people. This image is a perspective view created by combining image data from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) aboard NASA's Terra satellite with an elevation model from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Vertical relief is exaggerated, and the image includes cosmetic adjustments to clouds and image color to enhance clarity of terrain features. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02771

On January 26, 2001, the Kachchh region in western India suffered the most deadly earthquake in India's history. This shaded topography view of landforms northeast of the city of Bhuj depicts geologic structures that are of interest in the study the tectonic processes that may have led to that earthquake. However, preliminary field studies indicate that these structures are composed of Mesozoic rocks that are overlain by younger rocks showing little deformation. Thus these structures may be old, not actively growing, and not directly related to the recent earthquake. The Haro Hills are on the left and the Kas Hills are on the right. The Haro Hills are an "anticline," which is an upwardly convex elongated fold of layered rocks. In this view, the anticline is distinctly ringed by an erosion resistant layer of sandstone. The east-west orientation of the anticline may relate to the crustal compression that has occurred during India's northward movement toward, and collision with, Asia. In contrast, the largest of the Kas Hills appears to be a tilted (to the south) and faulted (on the north) block of layered rocks. Also seen here, the linear feature trending toward the southwest from the image center is an erosion-resistant "dike," which is an igneous intrusion into older "host" rocks along a fault plane or other crack. These features are simple examples of how shaded topography can provide a direct input to geologic studies. In this image, colors show the elevation as measured by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Colors range from green at the lowest elevations, through yellow and red, to purple at the highest elevations. Elevations here range from near sea level to about 300 meters (about 1000 feet). Shading has been added, with illumination from the north (image top). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03300

After draining the northern flank of the Alps Mountains in Germany and Austria, the Danube River flows east as it enters this west-looking scene (upper right) and forms the border between Slovakia and Hungary. The river then leaves the border as it enters Hungary and transects the Transdanubian Mountains, which trend southwest to northeast. Upon exiting the mountains, the river turns southward, flowing past Budapest (purplish blue area) and along the western margin of the Great Hungarian Plain. South and west of the Danube, the Transdanubian Mountains have at most only about 400 meters (about 1300 feet) of relief but they exhibit varied landforms, which include volcanic, tectonic, fluvial (river), and eolian (wind) features. A thick deposit of loess (dust deposits likely blown from ancient glacial outwash) covers much of this area, and winds from the northwest, funneled between the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains, are apparently responsible for a radial pattern of erosional streaks across the entire region. This image was generated from a Landsat satellite image draped over an elevation model produced by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The view uses a 3-times vertical exaggeration to enhance topographic expression. The false colors of the scene result from displaying Landsat bands 1, 4, and 7 in blue, green, and red, respectively. Band 1 is visible blue light, but bands 4 and 7 are reflected infrared light. This band combination maximizes color contrasts between the major land cover types, namely vegetation (green), bare ground (red), and water (blue). Shading of the elevation model was used to further highlight the topographic features. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04952

These images of the world were generated with data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The SRTM Project has recently released a new global data set called SRTM30, where the original one arcsecond of latitude and longitude resolution (about 30 meters, or 98 feet, at the equator) was reduced to 30 arcseconds (about 928 meters, or 1496 feet.) These images were created from that data set and show the Earth as it would be viewed from a point in space centered over the Americas, Africa and the western Pacific. Two visualization methods were combined to produce the image: shading and color coding of topographic height. The shade image was derived by computing topographic slope in the northwest-southeast direction, so that northwest slopes appear bright and southeast slopes appear dark. Color coding is directly related to topographic height, with green at the lower elevations, rising through yellow and tan, to white at the highest elevations. Elevation data used in this image were acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on Feb. 11, 2000. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03394

This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, is of the Andes Mountains, southeast of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

This anaglyph NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, shows the Haro and Kas Hills of the Kachchh region in western India. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, is of an area southwest of Zapala, Argentina, showing a wide diversity of geologic features. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

This anaglyph NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, shows the city of Bhuj, India. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, shows Wheeler Ridge and vicinity, California, a site of major tectonic activity. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, is of Patagonia, near La Esperanza, Argentina. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

The city of New Orleans, situated on the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, is shown in this radar image from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). In this image bright areas show regions of high radar reflectivity, such as from urban areas, and elevations have been coded in color using height data also from the SRTM mission. Dark green colors indicate low elevations, rising through yellow and tan, to white at the highest elevations. New Orleans is near the center of this scene, between the lake and the Mississippi River. The line spanning the lake is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the world’s longest overwater highway bridge. Major portions of the city of New Orleans are actually below sea level, and although it is protected by levees and sea walls that are designed to protect against storm surges of 18 to 20 feet, flooding during storm surges associated with major hurricanes is a significant concern. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04174

This topographic image acquired by SRTM shows an area south of the Sao Francisco River in Brazil. The scrub forest terrain shows relief of about 400 meters (1300 feet). Areas such as these are difficult to map by traditional methods because of frequent cloud cover and local inaccessibility. This region has little topographic relief, but even subtle changes in topography have far-reaching effects on regional ecosystems. The image covers an area of 57 km x 79 km and represents one quarter of the 225 km SRTM swath. Colors range from dark blue at water level to white and brown at hill tops. The terrain features that are clearly visible in this image include tributaries of the Sao Francisco, the dark-blue branch-like features visible from top right to bottom left, and on the left edge of the image, and hills rising up from the valley floor. The San Francisco River is a major source of water for irrigation and hydroelectric power. Mapping such regions will allow scientists to better understand the relationships between flooding cycles, forestation and human influences on ecosystems. This shaded relief image was generated using topographic data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. A computer-generated artificial light source illuminates the elevation data to produce a pattern of light and shadows. Slopes facing the light appear bright, while those facing away are shaded. On flatter surfaces, the pattern of light and shadows can reveal subtle features in the terrain. Shaded relief maps are commonly used in applications such as geologic mapping and land use planning. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02700

S99-E-5546 (16 February 2000) --- Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) antenna on the end of a 200 foot-long mast continues around-the-clock mapping of Earth.

S99-E-5544 (16 February 2000) --- Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) antenna on the end of a 200 foot-long mast continues around-the-clock mapping of Earth.

JSC2000E01552 (January 2000) --- This chart compares currently available global map data with the data which will be provided by SRTM during STS-99. The area depicted is the California coast. The SRTM mission will have approximately 1,000 scheduled data takes (every time Endeavour is over land). Data acquisition will be conducted in excess of 80 hours. The recording rate for data will be 180 Mbits/sec for C-band, 90 Mbits/sec for X-band. Total raw radar data will be approximately 9.8 terabytes (15,000 CDs). The mission will utilize some 300 high-density tapes (each tape records 30 min. of C-band, or 60 min. of X-band data).

Los Angeles, Calif., is one of the world largest metropolitan areas with a population of about 15 million people. The urban areas mostly cover the coastal plains and lie within the inland valleys.

New Zealand straddles the juncture of the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, two of Earth major crustal plates.

St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda are the four main islands front to back of this east-looking view of the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, along the northeast perimeter of the Caribbean Sea.

On January 26, 2001, the Kachchh region in western India suffered the most deadly earthquake in India history. Geologists traversed the region looking for ground surface disruptions, that could provide clues to the tectonic processes here.

This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, shows the eastern flank of the Andes Mountains, southeast of San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, shows the city of Bhuj, India. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

The Zagros Mountains in Iran offer a visually stunning topographic display of geologic structure in layered sedimentary rocks.

This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, is of the Nyiragongo volcano in the Congo. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

The Zagros Mountains in Iran offer a visually stunning topographic display of geologic structure in layered sedimentary rocks in this anaglyph from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

On January 26, 2001 the Kachchh region in western India suffered the most deadly earthquake in India history.