UND Camera on Space Station Wraps 1 Mission, May Get Another

The International Space Station continues to orbit 240-miles above earth and UND's Agricam has just wrapped up it's first mission aboard the Space Station.

It was a project enabled by retired astronaut, Mario Runco, who lectured at UND this past week.

Mario Runco, Astronaut: "You can have an asset to help monitor the crops in the field as they develop and get data, images to the user, the farmer, so that if there's a problem they can detect. It's like early cancer detection. You detect it early you can do something about it."

Images from the agricam aboard the Space Station were relayed to this UND control room. It's thermal pictures can be used to point out disease in crops and the need for different types of fertilizers.

Now, disaster workers around the globe are interested in refitting the UND camera already aboard the Space Station, so it can zoom in on disasters, like floods.

Doug Olson, UND Aerospace: "If you're trying to determine in a mud slide whether you have something like a buried car or a rock, you need something with a higher resolution."

Olson says they're still waiting to see if their agricam that's already aboard the Space Station, will now be refitted to become a disaster cam.

VIEW THE SPACE STATION THIS WEEK

If there are clear skies and you're an early riser you be able to see the International Space Station pass over the Valley this week.

Each pass lasts only 2 to 4 minutes. You'll need to be looking south by southeast, 30-degrees above the horizon. It will look like at bright star moving to the east.

Excerpt from:
UND Camera on Space Station Wraps 1 Mission, May Get Another