Earth's gravity from space

NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has measured significant groundwater depletion around the world in recent years. These animations show trends in total water storage from Jan....

GRACE being readied for launch - 2

The twin GRACE satellites are seen in a clean room in Germany in 2002.

Measuring Earth's Gravity from Space exhibit

GRACE on orbit

This animation illustrates the highs and lows of the Earth's gravity field as water in the basins of the U.S. changes over time.

One of the twin GRACE satellites, Flight Model 1, is seen on a trolley during construction in Germany.

These images show the changes in gravity anomalies from GRACE over the Amazon Basin for each month of 2004. 

This animation illustrates the movements of the two GRACE-FO satellites as they orbit Earth.

GRACE being readied for launch - 1

This visualization of a gravity model was created with data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and shows variations in Earth’s gravity field.

The GRACE satellites are seen at an IABG testing facility in Germany.

The original GRACE satellites in a clean room in Germany.

Global ocean conveyor belt of warm and cold water is explained.

The GRACE satellites during component integration in a German clean room.

Between 2002 and 2020, Antarctica shed approximately 150 gigatons of ice per year, causing global sea level to rise by 0.4 millimeters per year.

Research based on GRACE observations indicates that between 2002 and 2021, Greenland shed approximately 280 gigatons of ice per year.

GRACE satellites are mounted belly to belly at an IABG testing facility in Germany.

This animation shows the annual water storage changes over the U.S. from GRACE from 2003 - 2013.

One of the twin GRACE spacecraft is seen during construction in Germany.

GRACE on orbit - 1

The GRACE Intermediate Field 48 (GIF48 from UT-CSR) field model is an improved mean gravity field that combines GRACE observations with terrestrial and ocean gravity information for the small-scale...

The force of gravity not only keeps us from floating away, it also lets NASA study Earth’s water and ice from space. Using a pair of twin satellites named "GRACE," we can monitor our planet’s water.

GPS signal occultation by the atmosphere, and the resulting useful data is explained.

GRACE mission pre-launch poster