Earth's gravity from space

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

GRACE being readied for launch - 2

Twin GRACE spacecraft being deployed from Breeze

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.

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 - 1

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

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

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

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.

Research based on GRACE observations indicates that between 2002 and 2020, Greenland shed approximately 280 gigatons of ice per year.

GRACE on orbit - 1

One of the twin GRACE spacecraft is seen during construction 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.

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.

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.

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

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

GRACE mission pre-launch poster

GRACE logo

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

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

GRACE on orbit