Research at the earth's edge

The Space Shuttle Orbiter-deployed Tethered Satellite System (TSS) could allow an Orbiter at a 200 km orbital altitude to reach down to atmospheric altitudes of 90 km, in order to study weather phenomena, pollutant transport, 'nuclear winter' smoke transport, atmospheric physics and dynamics, sun-earth interactions, ecosystem interactions, and radio communications. The TSS satellite, a 1.5-m diameter sphere, would carry scientific instrumentation which could initially be dedicated to the investigation of energy and momentum transfer between a tethered system and the upper atmosphere.