The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Missions primary focus is monitoring and studying rain in the tropics, but has also been tasked with looking inside natures most deadly storms hurricanes.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a busier than usual season based on the ongoing La Niña pattern with its atmospheric and rainfall activity.

"The neat thing weve discovered is we can actually see inside a hurricane," said Marshall Shepherd, Ph.D, of Goddard Space Flight Center. "Were doing something thats akin to a CAT scan or X-ray"

Researchers hope to use the data to learn more about one of the mysteries of meteorology -- the inner mechanics of hurricanes.

Shepherd said data collected by TRMMs microwave imager and visible and infrared scanner may provide some input to develop better computer models of predicting what hurricanes will do.

A series of three-dimensional images from Hurricane Mitch which struck Central America in 1998 show towering clouds up to 59,000 feet and mapping of the storms build up.

Though it will take several years to analyze the data of the mission running through 2001, Shepherd said he hopes the technology and information will lead to practical applications in hurricane prediction and tracking.

TRMM is a joint project of NASA and the National Space Development Agency of Japan.