Ames Research Center, Calif. Oct. 04, 2004 NASA Infrared Images
May Provide Volcano Clues NASA scientists took infrared (IR)
digital images of Mount Saint Helens' last week. The images
revealed signs of heat below the surface one day before the
volcano erupted last Friday in southern Washington. The images
may provide valuable clues as to how the volcano erupted.
Scientists flew an IR imaging system aboard a small Cessna
Caravan aircraft over the mountain to acquire the data. "Based
on the IR signal, the team predicted an imminent eruption," said
Steve Hipskind, acting chief of the Earth Science Division at
NASA's Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, Calif. "We
were seeing some thermal artifacts in the floor of the Mount
Saint Helens' crater in southern Washington," said Bruce
Coffland, a member of the Airborne Sensor Facility at ARC. " We
flew Thursday and used the 50-channel MODIS/ASTER Airborne
Simulator (MASTER) digital imaging system. We are working to
create images from the IR data that depict the