(PhysOrg.com) -- This artist's rendering shows a "family portrait" of Jason-1, Topex/Poseidon, and OSTM/Jason-2, all NASA satellites that collect data about sea surface heights around the world. Sea surface heights are one component helpful to hurricane forecasters, as higher seas indicate warmer waters (that power storms) while lower seas indicate cooler waters (such as those in La Nina events in the eastern Pacific).