A new satellite, currently residing on the International Space Station and scheduled for deployment in January, will measure and map the urban heat island effect of seven U.S. cities.
Arizona State University students built a satellite named CubeSat that launched this month into space on an Antares rocket.
Ian James reports on the recent launch of the satellite, known as CubeSat, which measures only 12 inches long by 4 inches wide and weighed 8.6 pounds. Cubesat was engineered to capture block-by-block, infrared images of Phoenix and six other U.S. cities. The resulting data on heat trends "could help urban planners design cooler cityscapes to withstand the effects as the world continues to heat up due to the burning of fossil fuels," according to the article.
"Four years ago, the students wrote a proposal to build the satellite and obtained $200,000 in NASA funding," explains James of how the project came to be. "A total of about 80 undergraduate students took part in the project. Many of them spent long hours designing the spacecraft, piecing together the components, testing its systems, and writing code to make it all work."
"In addition to focusing on Phoenix, the plan is for the satellite to gather thermal images of Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Baltimore and Minneapolis," adds James, who also provides details of how the new data will be used to create new forms of climate mapping for the cities under study.
FULL STORY: Satellite built by students soars to space on mission to map heat in Phoenix, other cities
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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