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Prof. Dr. Stefan Dech
Director DFD, Weßling

Prof. Dr. Richard Bamler
Director IMF, Weßling

PART 4/4 – From Cluster AF to Earth Observation Center (EOC)

26 October 2020
A milestone of functional effectiveness and inner cohesion of Clusters AF in Oberpfaffenhofen was situating most of the departments in two neighbouring buildings, 121 (the traditional DFD premises since 1989) and 122, an existing building that had its best years behind it and needed renovation.

…

Fire detection on Kilimandjaro -- October 2020

21 October 2020
Analyses of satellite data show the spatial extent of the forest and brush fires on Africa’s highest mountain and their development over time. It is also possible to analyse and predict the degree of biomass combustion. Comparisons with the disastrous fires in Australia (late 2019, early 2020) and in California during the past few weeks come to mind.

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PART 3 – A larger context: establishing the applied remote sensing cluster

21 October 2020
We were hardly used to our new roles when new structural adversities threatened. The Executive Board established a structure commission spanning individual institutes and physical locations to evaluate the two fields “earth observation” and “communication/navigation”.

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From space for the earth

19 October 2020
40 years German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), 20 years Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF), 20 years Earth Observation Center (EOC)

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20 Years Remote Sensing Technology Institute

19 October 2020
Personal reflections on the 20th anniversary of the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) by Richard Bamler
In the last two years, all research in the Helmholtz Association has been subjected to extensive scientific and strategic evaluation. Our program topic Earth Observation received the highest marks in all evaluation points. I am happy to quote the statement of the evaluation spokesperson: "Earth Observation is actually a diamond in the crown [of DLR's Space Program]". An important criterion for success is our system capability, i.e. the scientific and technological mastery of the entire chain from sensor and mission development and operation to geoscientific research.

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40 years German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD)

19 October 2020
The German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) turns 40 years old. DFD has been receiving and analyzing images from earth observation satellites since 1980. More than 21 terabytes of data are processed and processed there daily. Today, the German Satellite Data Archive (D-SDA) established by DFD provides access to 29 petabytes of remote sensing data from four decades. The data volume corresponds to video material with a lifetime of more than 800 years.
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Earth Observation Center – For Earth into Space
EOC conducts research in the field of remote sensing. We seek answers to urgent social questions relating to the environment and climate, mobility and planning, prevention and management of natural catastrophes, and civil security. We operate satellite data receiving stations in Germany and abroad. In the German Satellite Data Archive (D-SDA) we safeguard data and information products long-term and make them available to users. EOC comprises the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) and the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF), at work in Oberpfaffenhofen, Neustrelitz, Berlin-Adlershof and the Maritime Safety Research Department in Bremen.
Full article

PART 4/4 – From Cluster AF to Earth Observation Center (EOC)


26 October 2020
A milestone of functional effectiveness and inner cohesion of Clusters AF in Oberpfaffenhofen was situating most of the departments in two neighbouring buildings, 121 (the traditional DFD premises since 1989) and 122, an existing building that had its best years behind it and needed renovation.
More

Fire detection on Kilimandjaro -- October 2020


21 October 2020
Analyses of satellite data show the spatial extent of the forest and brush fires on Africa’s highest mountain and their development over time. It is also possible to analyse and predict the degree of biomass combustion. Comparisons with the disastrous fires in Australia (late 2019, early 2020) and in California during the past few weeks come to mind.
More

PART 3 – A larger context: establishing the applied remote sensing cluster


21 October 2020
We were hardly used to our new roles when new structural adversities threatened. The Executive Board established a structure commission spanning individual institutes and physical locations to evaluate the two fields “earth observation” and “communication/navigation”.
More

From space for the earth


19 October 2020
40 years German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), 20 years Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF), 20 years Earth Observation Center (EOC)
More

20 Years Remote Sensing Technology Institute


19 October 2020
Personal reflections on the 20th anniversary of the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) by Richard Bamler
In the last two years, all research in the Helmholtz Association has been subjected to extensive scientific and strategic evaluation. Our program topic Earth Observation received the highest marks in all evaluation points. I am happy to quote the statement of the evaluation spokesperson: "Earth Observation is actually a diamond in the crown [of DLR's Space Program]". An important criterion for success is our system capability, i.e. the scientific and technological mastery of the entire chain from sensor and mission development and operation to geoscientific research.
More

40 years German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD)


19 October 2020
The German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) turns 40 years old. DFD has been receiving and analyzing images from earth observation satellites since 1980. More than 21 terabytes of data are processed and processed there daily. Today, the German Satellite Data Archive (D-SDA) established by DFD provides access to 29 petabytes of remote sensing data from four decades. The data volume corresponds to video material with a lifetime of more than 800 years.
More

BLOG: For Remote Sensing, PART 2/4 – Cornerstones of the first two decades


16 October 2020
Any look back can easily be influenced by the vantage point of one’s own activities and perceptions. For that reason I want to first mention in Part 2 some additional fundamental decisions about the future course of DFD that continue to have an effect up to the present.
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BLOG: For Remote Sensing, Part 1/4 - My first years in the DFVLR


14 October 2020
by Prof. Stefan Dech, DFD Director since 1998.
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Ozone hole exceeds 20 million square kilometres


07 October 2020
Measurements from Europe‘s Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite show that this year the ozone hole for the period since mid-September is larger in area than the average value for all years since 1979.
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Forest fires in the USA


21 September 2020
The forest fires of the last days in the USA are considered to be the most severe since recording. The smoke fields in the MODIS images of the Terra and Aqua satellites extend over several thousand kilometers. The smoke particles could also be measured in Germany. Here, they led to spectacular sunrises and sunsets because the smoke particles filter blue light more strongly and allow more red light to pass through.
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AI counts participants at major events


18 September 2020
Whether concert, rally, demonstration or fair: In order to ensure the safety - and in times of a pandemic also the health - of large crowds of people, it is important to know the exact number of visitors. This year, a new aspect was added: infection prevention. In order to ensure safety in this broader sense, accurate visitor numbers have become even more important today than before.
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Anniversary in the Arctic Circle - A decade of satellite data reception in Inuvik


When the Sun is shining and there is no wind, Inuvik’s annual average temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius does not seem so bad. But when the weather turns, the Arctic reveals its true nature. Storm clouds gather in the infinite blue sky, gusts of wind blow a gale, and buildings and vegetation vanish into the white vastness within minutes. In winter, the temperature can drop to as low as minus 45 degrees Celsius. During the short summer, clouds of mosquitoes billow from the countless puddles, ponds and lakes. With temperatures rising up to 30 degrees Celsius, the permafrost is transformed into a slushy morass. Why on Earth would anyone want to set up a ground station here?
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BLOG: World Settlement Footprint - Where do humans live?


by Mattia Marconcini; 09 September 2020
After three years of meticulous data processing and comprehensive quality control, the World Settlement Footprint 2015 is now available. With a resolution of 10 metres, the new world map reveals settlement structures on Earth in 2015.
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BLOG: Happy Birthday, DFD!


On September 1, 1980 – 40 years ago today – the German Remote Sensing Data Center DFD began work on “Mission Remote Sensing” as an independent DLR entity.
Today, DFD is a component of DLR's Earth Observation Center EOC, and its 40th birthday joins two other important anniversaries in 2020: the 20th anniversary of the Remote Sensing Technology Institute IMF and of EOC as a whole.

Explosion in Beirut, Lebanon


07 August 2020
On August 4, 2020, a heavy explosion in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, killed over a hundred people and left many hundred thousand homeless.
The explosion took place in the harbor area at 18:08 local time. It was probably caused by a large quantity of ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse in the port.
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Members of the Bundestag Karsten Klein and Lukas Köhler visit EOC


30 July 2020
A fact-finding visit led Bundestag members Karsten Klein (FDP) and Dr. Lukas Köhler (FDP) to the EOC in Oberpfaffenhofen on 29 July 2020. The FDP politicians were particularly interested in applications in the field of environment and climate. In the Earth Observation Center, the delegates then discussed the possible applications of earth observation. The focus was on the Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI).
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Federal Minister Altmaier and Member of Parliament Dobrindt visit UFS Schneefernerhaus


27 July 2020
On 24 July 2020, Federal Minister of Economics and Energy, Peter Altmaier and Member of the Bundestag and Chairman of the CSU Regional Group in the German Bundestag, Alexander Dobrindt visited Germany's highest research station: the Schneefernerhaus (UFS) on the Zugspitze. Thanks to its high alpine location, the environmental research station offers unique opportunities for environmental, climate and altitude research. The German Aerospace Center (DLR), as one of a total of ten consortium partners, conducts research there, among other things, on atmospheric temperature at high altitude and analyses changes that contribute to the improvement of climate models and the early detection of natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or tsunamis.
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ZKI-Support for India and 6 other disaster regions


17 July 2020
Within the framework of the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters', DLR-ZKI has been activated seven times in the past two weeks, six of the activations being due to heavy rainfall with subsequent flooding and landslides in Asia (Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Japan, and Myanmar).
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Noctilucent clouds over Bavaria


07 July 2020
After sunset these past few days we were offered a spectacle quite unusual at our latitudes. Although the sun had already retreated below the horizon, silvery cloud structures became visible, so-called “noctilucent clouds”. Noctilucent clouds are not conventional clouds and thus of considerable interest to scientists. They are visible ambassadors of the climate change that is under way. .
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International Astronautical Federation (IAF): Award for EOC employee


06 July 2020
Gunter Schreier, deputy director of DLR’s German Remote Sensing Data Center, was honoured by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) with its “Distinguished Service Award 2020” in recognition of his outstanding services to the Federation as Chairmen of the Earth Observation Committee. Gunter Schreier has been a member of this committee since 2010 and its chairman from 2015 to 2018.
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Six new missions for the European Copernicus Earth observation programme


01 July 2020
Sentinel satellites are at the heart of Copernicus, Europe's largest Earth observation programme. Sentinels are already reliably and continuously providing large amounts of data on the state of the climate, vegetation and oceans. Now, six more 'Earth Guardians', the High Priority Candidate Missions (HPCM), are being added.
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Congratulations, TanDEM-X – 10 years of 3D mapping from space


25 June 2020
A new era in radar remote sensing began 10 years ago, on 21 June 2010, when the radar satellite TanDEM-X was launched. Since then, it has been orbiting Earth in close formation flight with TerraSAR-X, its three-year-older 'twin'. The distance between the satellites varies between several kilometres and sometimes only 120 metres. This enables the radar sensors to obtain a 3D view of Earth.
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Project EisKlass2 improves sea ice services using satellite data


24 June 2020
With advancing global warming, waters in Arctic regions are becoming increasingly interesting for shipping. Sea ice can become a risk there. With EisKlass2, DLR is developing a prototype application to enable ships to pass safely through ice fields.
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Cyclon Amphan - DLR supports with satellite images


29 May 2020
On May 20, 2020, tropical cyclone Amphan made landfall on the northeast coast of India and the south coast of Bangladesh. According to the Indian Meteorological Service, it is one of the worst storms in the region in the last 20 years. More than three million people were taken to emergency shelters. This is a particular challenge due to the corona pandemic.
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DESIS supports Hyperspectral Copernicus Mission CHIME


27 May 2020
Starting in May 2020, the imaging spectrometer DESIS on the ISS (International Space Station) will additionally record data in preparation for the hyperspectral Copernicus mission CHIME.
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MetOp-C takes over: Ozone Monitoring based on GOME-type satellite data at DLR for a quarter of a century


26 May 2020
Watching the animation of the annual reopening of the Ozone hole in the austral spring reminds us to the damage mankind has caused to our planet’s atmosphere through the industrial release of chlorofluorocarbons in the past. This visualization has been created at DLR from a 25 years long European satellite data series from Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) type instruments which are hosted in the archives of EOC. The quarter-of-a-century long data-time-series is now continued by a new satellite starting to deliver data.
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20 years DEMMIN – A research platform in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania


25 May 2020
The COPERNICUS initiative of the European Union (EU) and the European Space Agency (ESA) is aimed at developing remote-sensing based information products and services. This requires establishing validation sites that provide ground truth data. For 20 years DLR has operated the DEMMIN remote sensing validation site.
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Artificial intelligence in earth observation


06 May 2020
In May 2020 three “International Future Labs for Artificial Intelligence”, the outcome of a competition launched by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), will begin work. One of them is the Future Lab ‘Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation: Reasoning, Uncertainties, Ethics and Beyond’ (AI4EO), led by Munich Technical University (TUM) in collaboration with the DLR Earth Observation Center. It will be concerned with the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in earth observation.
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Despite weather influence -- corona effect now indisputable


27 April 2020
Some 4 billion people are currently affected by lockdown measures connected with the coronavirus pandemic. It is therefore not surprising that monitoring by Europe's Sentinel 5P satellite reveals a strong decrease in air pollution globally. Especially nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels are a good indicator of air contamination caused by industrial production and road traffic.
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50 Years "Earth Day" - Satellites observe dramatic changes of our earth


22 April 2020
Millions of people took to the streets in the USA on April 22, 1970 - 50 years ago today - to demonstrate against oil spills, environmental pollution, whaling and toxic waste - and in doing so, they launched an initiative that would soon cover the entire globe: The environmental movement that today's "Earth Day" commemorates has left its mark on our civilization - in many cases with essential insights from outer space.
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DLR technologies for humanitarian aid


14 April 2020
Technologies that are developed for space travel have to meet extreme requirements for their task in space: The systems and devices must not only be robust, safe, compact, light and easy to handle, but also function reliably and autonomously.
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Copernicus Masters 2020 launched


07 April 2020
This year's DLR Copernicus Masters Challenge Environment, Energy and Health has started! Ideas and solutions leading to more sustainable management of our earth can be submitted from the beginning of April until the end of June. Especially at times of global change, pandemics and climate change this is more important than ever before. The specific focus of DLR is on managing the environment, natural resources, and the energy economy. In addition, human welfare, the connection between health and environmental factors, and the effects of epidemics are an important topic.
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Innovative analyses as possible triggers for a satellite-based recording


03 April 2020
Experimental map products based on heterogeneous data streams like Twitter and media analysis tools:
In order to ensure a continuous improvement of satellite-based crisis information, ZKI is involved, i. a. together with the DLR project UKIS, in the research of new applied methods and the development of relevant products for the users in disaster management, humanitarian aid and civil security.
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Relaunch for CODE-DE: The national earth observation portal is launched


01 April 2020
The earth observation portal CODE-DE (Copernicus Data and Exploitation Platform - Germany) has a new face: new interactive applications and data products as well as improved individual user support have been available to users since 1 April 2020.
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Digitisation in agriculture — Field testing DLR technologies


30 March 2020
Remote sensing data can be useful in agriculture for increasing productivity while protecting the environment and biodiversity. In the "AgriSens DEMMIN 4.0 – Remote sensing technologies for digitisation in plant cultivation" project, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is assessing remote sensing technologies suitable for digitisation applications in the agriculture sector through regional field testing at an experimental site in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
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Unusual ozone hole over the Artic


25 March 2020
We got used to the fact that an ozone hole appears every year in the Antarctic spring. Due to special meteorological conditions this spring a similar effect is observed over the northern polar region. The ozone hole is caused by the combination of temperatures below -80°C, sunlight, and ozone depleting substances (ODS). In contrast to the Antarctic, the Artic polar vortex in the spring is less stable and the temperatures inside the vortex are relative warm.
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BLOG: With Agulhas II into "perennial ice"


Progress report part 1 - 6
It began toward the end of September 2019 in a discussion with Dr. Christine Wesche of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI). The idea of using a supply trip by the icebreaker S.A. Agulhas II to the AWI Antarctic station to conduct some research at the same time evolved in a few weeks with the support of DLR, AWI, and not least also my family, into a concrete plan. After the obligatory medical check-up and instruction about environmental protection in the Antarctic we were to head toward South Africa already in mid-January.
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5. 5th Symposium of the Virtual Alpine Observatory in Bern


4 - 6 February 2020
On February 4, the fifth symposium of the Virtual Alpine Observatory (VAO) was opened at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Over the following three days, scientists from France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Finland and ESA discussed the impact of climate change on the Alpine region and comparable mountain regions in Europe.
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Congratulations, TerraSAR-X, on the 70,000st!


30 January 2020
At Gars O’Higgins in the Antarctic there was good reason to celebrate. The German radar satellite TerraSAR-X orbited the earth for the 70,000th time. Among other places, its data are acquired at the German Gars O’Higgins receiving station that is operated by DLR and the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy and supported year-round by EOC staff.

MdB Schrodi visits EOC


23 January 2020
Michael Schrodi (SPD), a member of the German parliament, visited DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen on 22 January 2020. His interest in climate protection and climate change also brought him to EOC.
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Smart data for sustainable cities


20 January 2020
Earth observation and artificial intelligence can be used to assist with sustainable development decisions. Some years ago, Earth underwent an epochal change, albeit one that was consciously perceived by only a few of us. For the first time in human history, more people are living in cities than in rural areas. Although this might not seem particularly remarkable at first glance, this change will ultimately affect each and every one of us, whether directly or indirectly – because the future is urban.
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Bremen finance senator visits DLR in Bremen


20 January 2020
Bremen's finance senator, Dietmar Strehl, paid a visit to DLR in Bremen. Scientists at the EOC Maritime Safety and Security Lab informed the senator about the numerous capabilities of radar remote sensing of the oceans.
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New earth observation sensors


15 January 2020
Aerial remote sensing supplements earth observation from space and contributes to the development of new satellite instruments and analytic methodologies. The cameras in use so far at EOC are now being replaced by new, improved instruments. They are available to all DLR scientists and their cooperating partners via the EOC user-service Optical Airborne Remote Sensing (OpAiRS).
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Ice pilot: EOC sea ice analyses for maritime navigation in Arctic waters


14 January 2020
Sea ice can be dangerous for ships. If it is shoved together by storms, pressure ridges several metres thick can form, invincible even for icebreakers. EOC is working on methodologies for distinguishing types of sea ice and monitoring their drift to identify where potential pressure ridges could form. For this purpose EOC scientists rely on radar images that provide a picture of the ice situation regardless of cloud cover or polar night. For the analysis near Price Patrick Island in Canada shown here a time series recorded by the German radar satellite TerraSAR-X was used.
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HELMHOLTZ Portrait: Im Bergwerk der Daten
Radio interview Corona effect on air quality (in german)
WELT: Das Polarluft-Phänomen sorgt für noch sauberere Luft im Lockdown
SZ.de: Weniger Verkehr sorgt für bessere Luftqualität
AUTOMOBIL INDUSTRIE: DLR: Weniger Stickstoffdioxid durch Corona-Lockdown
Spiegel Wissenschaft: Corona-Effekt beweist Wirksamkeit von Fahrverboten
ARD Mediathek: Maßnahmen gegen Klimawandel
YouTube: Helmholtz Horizons 2019 - Climate Change - From knowledge to action
heise online: Eine neue Karte zeigt detailreicher als je zuvor, wo Menschen leben
heise online: Detailreichste Siedlungskarte veröffentlicht
Bundesagentur für Arbeit - abi: Hilfe aus der Luft
SPACE DAILY: DLR DESIS spectrometer begins routine operations on the ISS
EOC Gasometer Installation in WDR-Westart (min. 22)
ZDF heute: Neue Erkenntnis zum Extremwetter - Risiko von Starkregen wird unterschätzt
SPIEGEL ONLINE: EOC Animations, Graphics and Pictures
Terra X: Surveying the Earth - with Harald Lesch (6:40 min and up)
Spektrum.de: Im Griff der Dürre
vimeo: Der Berg ruft im Gasometer Oberhausen
ZEIT ONLINE: Alles andere als oberflächlich: Sarah Asams Blick auf Europa
n-tv - Umweltsatellit visualisiert Luftverschmutzung
Welt.de - Spacetime: Für die Erde ins All - Wie Satelliten unser Leben verändern
Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Gipfel schon vor der Anreise erklimmen
Podcast omega tau: Glaciology Research at the Darwin Glacier
Podcast omega tau: SAR Satelliten und Satellitendatenarchivierung am EOC
SZ-ONLINE: Gipfel in neuen Dimensionen
Television NC11: Agencia Espacial Alemana enviará primeras fotografías espaciales de Costa Rica
Sentinel-3A launch event webcast (Lift-Off at 57:40, Interview at 1:23:50)
Die Welt: Die gefährliche Unberechenbarkeit des Ozonlochs
Bayern 2 - IQ - Wissenschaft und Forschung, Interview mit Prof. Dr. Dech (Ozonloch: ab 0:55 -5:50 min)
ARD Mediathek - Tagesthemen: Das Wetter (ab 17:38-18:57 min)
heise online: Raumsonde Rosetta: Europa will auf einem Kometen landen
pressesprecher: Tollywood: Der Rosetta-Trailer “Landing on a comet”
planet wissen: Raketenfrau Anja Frank und die Ariane 5 (ab 37:10 min)
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Satellitenbild der Woche: Wie der Mensch die Erde zersiedelt
Süddeutsche Zeitung: Signaturen der Städte
SPIEGEL ONLINE:
3D-Aufnahmen: Das neue Bild der Erde
nano spezial vom 18. Mai 2014: Raumfahrt im Alltag (ab 6:13 min)
ZDF Heute-Sendung: Raumsonde "Rosetta" wird aktiviert
Northern Journal: Inuvik targeted as international satellite hotspot
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