NASA plans to bring science down to Earth with satellite images that will show vintnersswherestheir best grapes are located.

　　NASA is still developing the technology, which it hopes to make available on a widespread basis in several years.

　　The photos shot 400 miles above Earth have already been used to monitor everything from leaf sizes to water irrigation patterns, said Lee Johnson, a senior researcher at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

　　California's .2 billion wine industry has used infrared airplane photos for field mapping for at least a decade. Satellite imaging joined the mix when NASA developed new mapping technology last year.

　　To see the technology bear fruit, the agency partnered with Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley for field tests.

　　“We're trying to figure out why vineyards that are right next to each other (produce grapes) that taste differently,”said Daniel Bosch, the vineyard's technical manager.

　　The imaging is a shortcut for gaining a detailed understanding of fields that could otherwise take vintners generations to develop, said Bosch, who is using the technology to map Mondavi's 1,300-acre vineyard.

　　Bosch admits that the mapping technology cannot replace human know-how and actual tasting in creating high-quality wine. But it's easier.

　　“It doesn't really help you save time or money,”he said.“What it can do is help you make better quality wine.” 美国酿酒商用上卫星技术 　　美国航空航天局计划使用卫星照相技术帮助酿酒商找出他们地里最好的葡萄。这一技术目前仍在研发中，NASA希望它能在几年内得到广泛的使用。

　　加利福尼亚州的葡萄酒酿造业利用红外线航拍技术绘制葡萄园地图的历史已经超过十年了，去年，自从NASA研发出新的测绘技术后，卫星照片技术也被运用到这一范畴中。

　　为了验证这项技术的作用，NASA目前正与一家葡萄酒厂进行技术合作。该酒厂的葡萄园技术总监说，他们希望利用卫星技术弄明白为什么相邻的葡萄地产出的葡萄味道会不同。这位技术总监还说，这项技术并不能让酿酒商节约时间和金钱，但可以帮助他们酿出品质更好的葡萄酒。