Its design might have evolved over time, but the bicycle remains one of the most efficient ways to turn human energy into motion. This two-wheeled device, which is propelled by pedals and steered with handlebars, can move at speeds up to 20 mph or more and is used by millions of people around the world for recreation, fitness, transport, and work. Unlike cars and motorcycles, which require extensive engineering and licensing to operate, most bikes are inexpensive, simple, and easy to maintain. Bicycles are a popular form of transportation and have helped revolutionize the way people live.

In the 1860s, the first bicycle was invented by Karl von Drais. His clunky wooden prototype didn’t include a chain, brakes, or pedals. But he did manage to demonstrate that humans could ride a bicycle without falling off. This prompted other designers to make improvements, including the crankset that allows riders to power the bike with their feet and a lever-operated gearshift. The resulting machine was called the velocipede de pedale, or “bicycle-wheel carriage,” and was very successful.

Other types of bicycles include road, mountain, electric, and racing bikes. They differ in their technical characteristics, movement specifications, formal specifications, and performance, as well as the uses they are intended for.

Regardless of the type of bicycle, most share similar features, including an elongated, diamond-shaped frame, front and rear wheels that are positioned close together, and handlebars. Generally, a bicycle has a rigid or semi-rigid frame that is made of steel, aluminum alloy, or carbon fiber, with an axle at the center that holds both wheels. It has a chain with two or more gears that provide varying levels of resistance when the cyclist pedals. It also has tyres that are inflated with air, which helps to absorb some of the vibration created by riding on rough roads.

Although cycling can be dangerous, it has many benefits. It can help to improve the health of a person’s heart and lungs, strengthen muscles, burn calories, and reduce stress and depression. Furthermore, it can also increase a person’s confidence and self-esteem. In addition, cycling can be a great way to explore local neighborhoods and meet new friends.

However, it is important to wear a helmet when biking, practice good bike maintenance, and follow traffic laws. It is also important to be aware of the dangers of cycling in poor lighting conditions.

Moreover, it is recommended to ride a bike with a helmet when you are going to travel long distances. Also, make sure to wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Lastly, it is essential to practice proper hand signals when riding on public roads.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R Series (GOES-R) is a four-satellite system that NOAA uses to monitor the United States, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, as well as the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The satellites, operated in GOES East and GOES West positions, deliver a continuous stream of meteorological data that help support weather forecasting and severe storm tracking activities for the National Weather Service. Scientific researchers use GOES-R and its data to better understand the dynamics of Earth’s atmosphere, land, ocean and climate.

GOES-R’s Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) can be used to detect the presence of atmospheric carbon dioxide, a key global climate indicator. The ABI instrument has a wide range of spectral bands to provide high-resolution imagery of the surface, which can be analyzed for observable evidence of carbon dioxide exchange. This data can then be linked to eddy covariance time series that are available to estimate terrestrial carbon dioxide flux.

ABI provides a number of unique features to characterize the intensity of convective storms, including total lightning flash rate and duration and cloud-to-ground lightning. Recent product demonstrations at NOAA’s Aviation Weather Center, Weather Prediction Center and Ocean Prediction Center suggest that the ABI-derived products offer the potential to improve weather forecasting accuracy and increase warning lead time.

The ABI instruments employ a servo-driven, two-axis gimballed mirror system with flexible scan control, allowing the instrument to provide spatial resolutions from a very small region to a full global scene (Earth’s full disk). This flexibility is critical for capturing convective events and their impacts across the full range of meteorological conditions and for providing real-time observations that can be rapidly analyzed by forecasters.

The GOES-R ABI instrument team is dedicated to improving the reliability of the system and increasing its capability to address critical operational needs. This work is accomplished through the efforts of many individuals in NOAA, NASA and industry. They include, but are not limited to: the GOES-R Program Office (ground, program systems engineering and flight); NOAA/NESDIS cooperative institutes, such as CIMSS and CIRA; GOES-R science teams, such as the aforementioned lightning working group; a number of GOES-R product development groups; and the GOES-R Imager and Sounder hardware vendors — Harris Corporation and Lockheed Martin. Fig. 11’s creator, Kaba Bah of CIMSS, is thanked for creating the animation. In addition, NOAA/NESDIS is grateful for the many contributions of the GOES-R ABI Imager and Sounder team members throughout the nation and internationally.