Earth's gravity from space

Measuring Earth's Gravity from Space exhibit

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

GRACE on orbit - 1

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

GRACE mission pre-launch poster

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....

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.

One of the GRACE satellites undergoes thermal testing at IABG in Germany.

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.

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.

The original GRACE satellites in a clean room in Germany.

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

GRACE on orbit

GRACE being readied for launch - 1

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

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 amount of water stored in the Amazon basin varies from month to month, and can be monitored from space by looking at how it alters Earth's gravity field.

GRACE being readied for launch - 2

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

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

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

This image shows the mean annual amplitude of total water storage on Earth in 2007 as measured by GRACE.

GRACE logo

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