
Photon Phridays!
#PhotonPhriday was a weekly look at how ICESat-2 measures Earth – from Antarctic dunes to the Bahamas to Greenland’s glaciers. Check out the profiles of our planet below!
5/31 Disko Bay, Greenland
6/14 Grand Canyon, AZ
6/21 Nantucket, MA
7/12 Crane Glacier, Antarctica
7/19 Cape Canaveral, FL
7/26 Crater Lake, OR
8/9 West Central Greenland meltponds
8/16 Los Angeles, CA
8/23 Great Bahama Bank
8/30 Dunes in Morocco; Megadunes in Antarctica
9/13 Gilbert, AZ
9/20 Nordenskiold Glacier, Greenland
9/27 Sequoia National Park, CA
10/4 Lake Mead, NV
10/11 Denali, AK
10/18 Rhine, France
10/25 Norwegian fjords
10/31 Transylvanian Alps
11/15 Forests of Botswana
11/22 Smoke clouds from Sonoma Fires
11/29 Black Forest (Germany), Black Sea (Istanbul), Black Canyon (Gunnison, CO)
12/6 San Francisco, CA
12/13 Cascade Mountains, Washington
10/29/21 Photon 'Phright Day' Look at ghost islands
The ATLAS box structure on a shaker
The ATLAS box structure, with weights attached to simulate different components, is attached to a vibration table at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where it will be tested to see if it can withstand the jolts associated with a rocket launch.
Chinstrap Penguins
Hear the sounds of Chinstrap Penguins

The 88-South Antarctic Traverse
NASA cryospheric scientist Kelly Brunt and ICESat-2 Deputy Project Scientist Tom Neumann recall some of the highlights and challenges from the recent 88-South Antarctic Traverse.
Download high resolution video here.
Video Credit: NASA/GSFC

Pho Movie Trailer
In Photon Jump, a 3-minute short animation, a brave photon of light named Pho must travel from a NASA spacecraft down to Earth and back again to help complete a crucial science mission. The animation was created by the ICESat-2/SCAD Collaborative Student Project involving students and faculty from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Video Credit: NASA/GSFC
Download high resolution video here

Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign
The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign is a multi-year campaign for students and educators from around the world. This campaign highlights measurements of tree height and focuses on the scientific, cultural, and personal foundation of trees. After students take and collect data, their goal is to make sense of their data and develop presentations, posters, and research projects based on their data and data analysis. Students can also visualize and retrieve additional GLOBE Program data for use in these research projects. Click HERE to learn more.

ICESat-2 Deployment and Laser Pulses
The Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, is a laser altimeter that will measure the heights of Earth’s surfaces. This animation shows deployment of ICESat-2's solar panels, door, and laser pulses.
Video Credit: NASA/GSFC
Download high resolution video here

Studying vegetation canopy with ICESAT-2
This visualization depicts how ICESat-2 data is being used to study vegetation canopy.
For high resolution and different versions, visit the SVS Gallery.

ICESat-2 By the Numbers: Beam Spacing
ICESat-2 is an incredibly precise space laser that features the latest in NASA technology To measure ice heights, engineers have to take ICESat-2’s instrument ATLAS to the extreme – sometimes going big, sometimes going small, but always keeping it precise.
Download high resolution video here.
Video Credit: NASA/GSFC
Gentoo Penguins
Hear the sounds of Gentoo Penguins

ICESat-2 By the Numbers: Orbits
ICESat-2 is an incredibly precise space laser that features the latest in NASA technology To measure ice heights, engineers have to take ICESat-2’s instrument ATLAS to the extreme – sometimes going big, sometimes going small, but always keeping it precise.
Download high resolution video here.
Video Credit: NASA/GSFC