A "DisasterCam" for the ISS June 27, 2012: Of all the hundreds
of spacecraft and satellites in Earth orbit, few can match the
International Space Station for its view of the big blue marble
below. Scientists would like to put that spectacular view to
good use – by having the ISS photograph disasters, both natural
and manmade, in progress on the Earth below. Thanks to a
collaboration between the NASA/USAID program known as SERVIR
within NASA’s Applied Sciences Program, and NASA’s ISS program,
the station will be outfitted with a new instrument – part of a
system called ISERV1 – and equipped with a prototype automated
camera which could image areas threatened by floods, landslides,
forest fires, or other disasters. At this point, ISERV is
specifically intended to help scientists gain the experience and
expertise to deploy an operational system in the future, and to
inform its design. Ideally, a future operational system, and
perhaps ISERV Pathfinder itself, will be able to monitor Earthly
disasters. "Let’s assu