Satellites helping in preserving our cultural heritage

By R Anil Kumar

New York, October 9. Space archaeology needs to mix new and old missions to protect ancient sites, Scientists urged at a recent, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), conference.

Our Ancient sites are under threat and protecting them can start from the above (Space), by initiating various missions, Scientists said.

Studying our planet (Earth) from space means integrating modern with historic missions, they said.

Appreciating the forthcoming NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission – A joint effort by NASA & ISRO – as one effort archaeologists around the world looking forward to, when it is launched sometime in 2025, they (Scientists) feel that Radars can chart changes to archaeological sites, and even the coastlines and other aspects of Earth’s surface, providing context for archaeology sites on a wider scale.

Stating that few missions in this regard had happened earlier, Scientists cited the example of Landsat, a mission undertaken by NASA and America’s Geological Survey, in 1972, where the half-century archive charts is in a way helping archaeologists, in land use and monitor sites from afar, especially those prone to threats from human induced climate change or Urban expansion.

Mapping growing cities with satellite tech like space-based radars help protect not only the exposed archaeology, but also the harder-to-spot remains, buried underground, they opined.

Once sites are mapped from space, many measures can be brought in for their protection. Among them is Ethnographic work, alongside local communities, whose ancestors built the sites and who would have generations of knowledge about the archaeology’s significance.