TRMM - Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall.

TRMM, one of the first spacecraft in NASA’s EOS (Earth Observing System), returns long-term data on rainfall and energy budget measurements which will be used to better understand global climate changes and their mechanisms
First ever satellite to find the intensity of hurricane, finds out where it would rain most and the intensity.

This helps the scientist to predict accurate results.
Its used for monitoring atmospheric changes in ocean, not for the daily rain measurement. It helps to study the intensity of Rainfall, how the rainfall occurs, which produced the most rain.

The TRMM orbit is circular and is at an altitude of 218 nautical miles (350 km) and an inclination of 35 degrees to the Equator.

The spacecraft takes about 91 minutes to complete one orbit around the Earth. This orbit allows for as much coverage of the tropics and extraction of rainfall data over the 24-hour day (16 orbits) as possible.

The Precipitation Radar is the first spaceborne instrument designed to provide three-dimensional maps of storm

The TRMM Microwave Imager to provide quantitative rainfall information over a wide swath under the TRMM satellite

The Visible and Infrared Scanner is one of the three instruments in the rain-measuring package and serves as a very indirect indicator of rainfall

Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System as well as estimates energy levels within the atmosphere and at the Earth's surface

The Lightning Imaging Sensor is a small, highly sophisticated instrument that detects and locates Lightning over the tropical region of globe

TRMM Presentation

Rion-Antirion Bridge - Greece

Greece had the great dream of a bridge crossing the 3 km Corinth Gulf strait. Bridge built in such a way it could withstand extreme weather conditions.

The Rion- Antirion bridge will be the longest cable stayed bridge in the world with a continuous deck of 2,250 meters.


The bridge will facilitate communication between Greece and Italy (and thus Western Europe) through the harbors of Patras and Igoumenitsa.

The Rion-Antirion bridge is connecting two major roads:

• the Patras - Athens - Thessaloniki motorway which links the three most important cities of Greece and forms part of the European motorway network,
• the Kalamata - Patras - Igoumenitsa Western axis.

The bridge environment presents an exceptional combination of adverse physical conditions:

• water depth up to 65 m
• weak sea bed - Sea bed reinforcement ( by 65 meter water dep
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• th), 90 meters diameter piers & a 2,252 m fully suspended deck (a world record).
  
• strong seismic activity and possible tectonic movements
  

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The Rion-Antirion bridge is built to withstand a collision of a 180.000 tons tanker, wind speed of 250 km per hour and over 7 Richter scale earthquake.

Totally EURO 800 million spent for Construction

• 10% Share capital
• 45% State financial contribution
• 45% Loan from European Investment Bank guaranteed by a pool of commercial banks.
  
  Interactive Bridge