Electrically scanning microwave radiometers

The electrically scanning microwave radiometer (ESMR) developed for and currently used onboard the Nimbus 5 meteorological satellite is described, along with the ESMR developed for the Nimbus F satellite. They serve for synoptic mapping of microwave emissions from the earth's surface, the instrument on Nimbus 5 measuring these emissions at a wavelength of 1.55 cm (19.35 GHz) and the instrument on Nimbus F, at a wavelength of 0.81 cm (37 GHz). Radiative transfer characteristics measured at these wavelengths are sufficiently different from IR measurements to permit derivation and interpretation of unique meteorological, geomorphological, and oceanographic data.