Source: LG-1998(03)-002-GSFC
Click on image to see the full size (53K jpg) picture.
NOAA Satellites
Since 1978, NASA has developed polar-orbiting environmental observation satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NOAA satellites carry instruments that observe our Earth and provide global data for NOAA's operational user requirements including short and long-range weather forecasts.
These spacecraft monitor the entire Earth, providing atmospheric measurements of temperature, humidity, ozone and cloud images as they track weather patterns that affect the global weather and climate. The satellites send millions of global measurements daily to NOAA's Command and Data Acquisition station and data processing center, adding valuable information to forecasting models, especially for ocean areas, where conventional ground based data are lacking.
The NASA-NOAA Partnership
NASA and NOAA are actively engaged in a cooperative program to develop and launch the NOAA Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. is responsible for the construction, integration, launch and verification testing of the spacecraft, instruments and unique ground equipment. NASA turns operational control of the spacecraft over to NOAA after a comprehensive on-orbit verification period, which is expected to last approximately 60 days.
NOAA is responsible for program requirements funding and the on-orbit operation of the multi-satellite system. NOAA also determines the need for satellite replacement. NOAA designs and develops the ground system needed to acquire, process and disseminate the satellite data.
The NOAA-K Spacecraft and Instruments
NOAA-K will be launched in 1998. NOAA-K, the latest in the spacecraft series, will send data directly to thousands of users around the world. The spacecraft will continue the provision of a polar orbiting platform to support the environmental monitoring instruments for imaging and measuring the Earth's complex coupled systems - its atmosphere, its surface and cloud cover. Observations include information about Earth radiation; sea and land surface temperature; and atmospheric vertical temperature, water vapor, and ozone profiles in the troposphere and stratosphere. Measurement of proton and electron flux at orbit altitude, remote platform data collection and the Search and Rescue Satellite-aided Tracking system (SARSAT) are also supported. NOAA-K will carry a new generation of microwave instruments to generate improved temperature and moisture profiles, and surface and hydrological products in cloudy regions where visible and infrared instruments have decreased capability.
NOAA-K, like the other POES satellites, consists of an imaging system, the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR-3), and a sounding suite of instruments consisting of the High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS-3), and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Units (AMSU-A for temperature profiles and AMSU-13 for moisture profiles). It also has a Space Environment Monitor-2 which provides measurements to determine the intensity of the Earth's radiation belts and the flux of charged particles at the satellite altitude. The monitor provides warnings of solar wind occurrences that may impair long-range communication or high-altitude manned operations, damage satellite circuits and polar panels, or cause change in drag and magnetic torque on satellites.
The NOAA POES System in Weather Forecasting
The POES spacecraft serve as complementary satellites to the geosynchronous Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) system. Where the GOES satellites provide near-term data from the continental U.S. and Hawaii to NOAA's forecasters, the polar-orbiting spacecraft provide full global data for short and long-range forecast models, climate modeling, and various other secondary missions.
For the Classroom
One of the most vital tools scientists use to study the atmosphere is remote sensing. In this "long distance seeing" that will be performed by NOAA-K researchers will use infrared, microwave, and radiometer data to trace weather patterns and to image cloud cover. To be effective, remote sensing must be performed over a long period of time to provide the most accurate results. NOAA-K will collect data for at least two years and probably longer.
Why must these investigations be so comprehensive and continue for a long period of time? Try this investigation to find out.
Materials Needed:
notebooks
graph paper
pencil
paper
if available, an instant camera or video
camera, with film or videotape
Procedure:
Photograph the cafeteria or gym at your school at various times during one day such as before, during and after school. If a camera is not available, choose a central location within the cafeteria or gym and try to count the number of students there for a 1 minute period several times a day.
Construct a graph with the times shown on the horizontal axis and the numbers of students on the vertical axis.
Questions:
1. Is there a noticeable difference in numbers of students at various times?
2. Could you make accurate statements about how many students use the cafeteria or gym by looking at the results of one observation?
3. What does this tell you about the need for long-term observations from space?
More information on the POES program can be found on the
Internet at
http://poes2.gsfc.nasa.gov/
and at http://www2.ncdc.noaa.gov/