No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveNASA Expedition Lands in Costa Rica

NASA Expedition Lands in Costa Rica

AN international team of NASA scientists arrived in Costa Rica Wednesday during the third day of an expedition to unearth archeological secrets in Central America.

The scientists are traveling aboard a DC-8 equipped with the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), which can “see” beneath treetops, through thin sand and below dry snow pack. This technology will provide aerial visuals of what lies below the forests of Central America, possibly providing evidence of ancient roads and Pre-Columbian human existence in the region.

In addition to cultural research, the scientists are studying biological diversity in collaboration with the NationalCenter for High Technology (CENAT).

Although the DC-8 is equipped as a flying laboratory, the mission used the National Hanger of Aerotransportation Investigations at JuanSantamaríaAirport as a temporary base for the afternoon.

Welcoming the flight were NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe, Minister of Science and Technology Fernando Gutiérrez, CENAT director Dr. Pedro León, and U.S. Ambassador John Danilovich.

NASA has embarked on the journey in an effort to accurately inventory Central America’s environment and archeology before they are destroyed by current human activity, officials said.

AirSAR is able to detect features such as fortifications, causeways, walls and other evidence of advanced human civilizations not discovered in ground data collection because of difficulties penetrating the forest terrain. This information will be used to understand how humans have interacted with their landscape in the past and present, NASA officials said.

After studying Central America, NASA scientists will go to the ice fields of South America’s Patagonia region and Antarctica to study the effects of climate change.

 

Trending Now

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly Vacation in Costa Rica with Baby

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly touched down in Costa Rica for a family getaway with their three-month-old daughter, Saga Blade Fox-Baker. Photographers caught...

Costa Rica Tops Latin America in Attracting Foreign Millionaires

Costa Rica is a country that attracts millionaires. Projections indicate that by the end of 2025, a total of 350 foreign millionaires will have...

El Salvador at Center of Controversial U.S.-Venezuela Detainee Exchange

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele received the 10 Americans exchanged on Friday between Washington and Caracas for 252 Venezuelans who had spent four months in...

Chiquita Executives Convicted in Colombia for Financing Death Squads

Colombian justice on Wednesday sentenced seven former executives of the multinational banana company Chiquita Brands to more than 11 years in prison and a...

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Drowning in Costa Rica Ruled Accidental

The death of American actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been confirmed as accidental drowning, according to Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ). Warner, 54, was...

Can Costa Rica’s Blue Zone Preserve Its Longevity Legacy?

The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is recognized worldwide as one of the five blue zones, where people live beyond the age of 90...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica