OSU sends satellite to filter out din

A half-century ago, only military and air-traffic radar competed with Earth’s natural microwave radiation that helps climate scientists monitor the planet’s land, ocean and atmosphere.

Man-made signals, such as those from wireless technology, cell towers and satellite communications, are now cluttering the frequencies that scientists use to keep an eye — or rather, an ear — on the planet.

Satellite measurements of Earth's natural microwave radiation, for instance, constantly provide the U.S. Navy with up-to-date information about oceanic wind and rain conditions, and they helped earth scientists capture images of Hurricane Katrina from space in 2005. Researchers use the thermal emissions data to monitor the rapid intensification of tropical cyclones and melting sea-ice levels.

But human-caused transmissions are increasingly interfering with satellite radiometers that collect data on climate conditions such as weather, soil moisture and ocean winds.

A new Ohio State University technology that recently was launched into space cuts through the noise.

“In the past, radiometers had to measure everything and just deal with interference, but it’s a lot worse now. Today, every car has a radar on it,” said Christa McKelvey, an Ohio State research associate engineer. “Our sensor tries to measure the natural signals when all the man-made signals are getting in the way.”

On May 21, Ohio State launched its first-ever satellite, CubeRRT, named after Ohio State’s CubeRRT satellite was launched aboard a rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on May 21, bound for the International Space Station. CubeRRT will be put into orbit from there.