TOPEX/POSEIDON Mission Early Results

The joint U.S./France TOPEX/Poseidon satellite was launched on August 10, 1992. Orbiting at an altitude of 1336 km with an inclination of 66 degrees, the satellite has been measuring the global sea surface height using a radar altimeter system along the same tracks on Earth every 10 days since late September, 1992. The major goal of the mission is to make precise measurements of the height of the sea surface for the study of the dynamics of large-scale ocean circulation. Additionally, the data will be used for studying ocean tides and marine geophysics. The radar altimeter also measures wave height and wind speed. The mission is being conducted to optimize the sea surface height measurements for a minimum of three years. The primary objective of the first six months of the mission was to calibrate and validate the mission's measurements...