NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
GEO Sounding Using Microwave InstrumentsThere are several microwave instruments in low Earth orbit (LEO) that are used for atmospheric temperature and humidity sounding in conjunction with companion IR sounders as well as by themselves. These instruments have achieved a certain degree of maturity and undergoing a redesign to minimize their size, mass, and power from the previous generation instruments. An example of these instruments is the AMSU-A series, now flying on POES and AQUA spacecraft with the IR sounders HIRS and AIRS. These older microwave instruments are going to be replaced by the ATMS instruments that will fly on NPP and NPOESS satellites with the CrIS sounder. A number of techniques learned from the ATMS project in instrument hardware design and data processing are directly applicable to a similar microwave sounder on a geosynchronous platform. These techniques can significantly simplify the design of a Geostationary orbit (GEO) microwave instrument, avoiding costly development and minimizing the risk of not being able to meet the scientific requirements. In fact, some of the 'enabling' technology, such as the use of MMIC microwave components (which is the basis for the ATMS' much reduced volume) can be directly applied to a GEO sounder. The benefits of microwave sounders are well known; for example, they penetrate non-precipitating cloud cover and allow for use of colocated IR observations in up to 80% cloud cover. The key advantages of a microwave instrument in GEO will be the ability to provide high temporal resolution as well as uniform spatial resolution and extend the utility of a colocated advanced IR sounder to cases in which partial cloud cover exists. A footprint of the order of 100 km by 100 km resolution with hemispherical coverage within one hour can be easily achieved for sounding channels in the 50 to 59 GHz range. A GEO microwave sounder will also allow mesoscale sampling of select regions.
Document ID
20040171583
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Shiue, James
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Krimchansky, Sergey
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Susskind, Joel
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Krimchansky, Alexander
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Chu, Donald
(Swales Aerospace Beltsville, MD, United States)
Davis, Martin
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 22, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Subject Category
Instrumentation And Photography
Meeting Information
Meeting: 11th SPIE International Symposium on Remote Sensing
Location: Maspalomas, Gran Canaria
Country: Spain
Start Date: September 13, 2004
End Date: September 17, 2004
Sponsors: International Society for Optical Engineering
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available