Water satellite returns first data

BBC News reports that Europe's latest Earth observation satellite to be put into orbit has returned its first data. Smos (which stands for soil moisture ocean salinity) was launched at the begining on November with a hope that it would help scientists understand better how water is cycled around the Earth. It is planned that the spacecraft will according to the article " make the first global maps of the amount of moisture held in soils and of the quantity of salts dissolved in the oceans. The data will have wide uses but should improve weather forecasts and warnings of extreme events, such as floods". Check out the article in full as this is a really exciting scientific development.