04 February 2002
Text: NOAA Satellites Help Save Lives Around the World
(2002 marks 20th anniversary of search and rescue system) (770)
Using a constellation of environmental satellites to detect and locate
emergency beacons, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) and the Russian government saved 166 people last
year from U.S. waters, the Alaska wilderness, and downed aircraft in
states around the country.
According to a February 1 press release, the NOAA polar-orbiting
satellites, which are part of an international Search and Rescue
Satellite-Aided Tracking Program known as Cospas-Sarsat, have saved
more than 13,000 lives worldwide since the system became operational
in 1982. September of this year will mark the 20th anniversary of the
first Sarsat rescue. There are currently 35 countries participating in
the system.
The satellites can instantly detect emergency signals, which are sent
to the U.S. Mission Control Center in Suitland, Maryland, and then
automatically sent to rescue forces around the world. One of the most
unusual rescues occurred last year when a helicopter retrieved two
people from a downed private plane that was being circled by a bear in
Alaska.
Following is the text of the press release:
(begin text)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
February 1, 2002
NOAA SATELLITES HELP RESCUE 166 PEOPLE IN U.S. IN 2001
February 1, 2002 - Thanks to environmental satellites with rescue
tracking capability, NOAA and the Russian government saved 166 lives
in U.S. waters and wilderness in 2001. The NOAA satellites are part of
an international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking Program
known as Cospas-Sarsat. The system uses a constellation of satellites
in geostationary and polar orbits to detect and locate emergency
beacons on vessels and aircraft in distress.
Of the 166 rescues last year, 112 people were saved on the seas; 39 in
the Alaska wilderness, and 15 on downed aircraft in states around the
country. A variety of rescues took place on the seas. Engine fires,
flooding, rough seas and water spouts all caused emergencies resulting
in distress calls and rescues. In Alaska, stranded hunters and lost
persons were among those rescued. Downed aircraft incidents included
those making emergency landings and those that crashed in bad weather.
"Our business is saving lives," said Ajay Mehta, manager of NOAA's
Sarsat program. "We are an international humanitarian program whose
goals and rewards are saving lives. More than 13,000 lives have been
saved worldwide since the system became operational in 1982 and more
than 4,500 in the United States alone. September of this year marks
the 20th anniversary of the first Sarsat rescue."
NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
operates the U.S. Mission Control Center in Suitland, Md., and
represents the United States in this program by providing satellites
and ground equipment.
"We had an unusual rescue last year with a bear circling a private
plane that had crashed in Alaska with two people on board," said
Mehta. "These folks were in a dangerous predicament. Yet, because
there was an emergency locator transmitter on board the aircraft that
activated upon impact, rescue authorities were able to respond to the
distress quickly. On arrival the search and rescue aircraft saw the
situation unfolding and dispatched a helicopter to retrieve the
occupants and bring them to safety.
"NOAA expects the number of worldwide rescues for 2001 will total
about 1,100-1,200. Numbers will be available this spring, as countries
around the world report their rescues to the international
Cospas-Sarsat organization. "The average number of distress alerts
continues to rise internationally as more countries sign on to use the
advantages and benefits of the Cospas-Sarsat system," said Mehta.
NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) can
instantly detect emergency signals. The polar-orbiting satellites in
the system detect emergency signals as they circle the Earth from pole
to pole. Emergency signals are sent to the U.S. Mission Control Center
in Suitland, Md., then automatically sent to rescue forces around the
world. Today there are 35 countries participating in the system.
NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
(NOAA Satellite and Data Service) is the nation's primary source of
operational space-based meteorological and climate data. In addition
to search and rescue, NOAA's environmental satellites are used for
weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and other environmental
applications such as volcanic eruptions, ozone monitoring, sea surface
temperature measurements, and wild fire detection. NOAA Satellite and
Data Service also operates three data centers, which house global data
bases in climatology, oceanography, solid earth geophysics, marine
geology and geophysics, solar-terrestrial physics, and
paleoclimatology.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov
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