NOAA-8

Weather satellite

NOAA-8
An Atlas-E Star-37S-ISS launch vehicle (s/n 73E) lifts off with the NOAA-8 weather satellite.
NamesNOAA-E
Mission typeWeather
OperatorNOAA
COSPAR ID1983-022A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.13923
Mission duration2 years (planned)
2.75 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeTIROS
BusAdvanced Tiros-N
ManufacturerGE Aerospace
Launch mass1,420 kg (3,130 lb) [1]
Dry mass740 kg (1,630 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date28 March 1983, 15:52:00 UTC
RocketAtlas-E Star-37S-ISS
(Atlas S/N 73E)
Launch siteVandenberg, SLC-3W
ContractorConvair
End of mission
DisposalDecommissioned
Last contact9 January 1986 [2]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[3]
RegimeSun-synchronous orbit
Perigee altitude806.0 km (500.8 mi)
Apogee altitude829.0 km (515.1 mi)
Inclination98.80°
Period101.2 minutes
Instruments
AVHRR/2Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
TOVSTIROS Operational Vertical Sounder
SEMSpace Environment Monitor
DCPLS (Argos)Data Collection and Platform Location System
SARSATSearch and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System
← NOAA-7
NOAA-9 →
 

NOAA-8, known as NOAA-E before launch, was an American weather satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for use in the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS). It was first of the Advanced TIROS-N series of satellites. The satellite design provided an economical and stable Sun-synchronous platform for advanced operational instruments to measure the atmosphere of Earth, its surface and cloud cover, and the near-space environment.[4]

Launch

NOAA-8 was launched on an Atlas E launch vehicle on 28 March 1983 from Vandenberg Air Force Base at Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 3 (SLW-3W).[2]

Spacecraft

The NOAA-8 satellite had a mass of 1,420 kg (3,130 lb). The satellite was based upon the DMSP Block 5D satellite bus developed for the U.S. Air Force, and it was capable of maintaining an Earth-pointing accuracy of better than ± 0.1° with a motion rate of less than 0.035 degrees/second.[4]

Instruments

Primary sensors included the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/2) for global cloud cover observations, and the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) suite for atmospheric temperature and water profiling. Secondary experiments consisted of a Space Environment Monitor (SEM) measuring proton and electron fluxes, and the Data Collection and Platform Location System (DCPLS) for relaying data from balloons and ocean buoys for the Argos system. A search and rescue satellite aided tracking (SARSAT) system was also included on NOAA-8. The TOVS suite consists of three subsystems: the High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder 2 (HIRS/2), the Stratospheric Sounding Unit (SSU), and the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU).[4]

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/2)

The NOAA-8 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/2) was a four-channel scanning radiometer capable of providing global daytime and nighttime sea-surface temperature and information about ice, snow, and clouds. These data were obtained on a daily basis for use in weather analysis and forecasting. The multispectral radiometer operated in the scanning mode and measured emitted and reflected radiation in the following spectral intervals: channel 1 (visible), 0.55 to 0.90 micrometer (μm); channel 2 (near infrared), 0.725 μm to detector cutoff around 1.1 μm; channel 3 (IR window), 3.55 to 3.93 μm; and channel 4 (IR window), 10.5 to 11.5 μm. All four channels had a spatial resolution of 1.1 km, and the two IR-window channels had a thermal resolution of 0.12 Kelvin at 300 Kelvin. The AVHRR was capable of operating in both real-time or recorded modes. Real-time or direct readout data were transmitted to ground stations both at low (4 km) resolution via automatic picture transmission (APT) and at high (1 km) resolution via high-resolution picture transmission (HRPT). Data recorded on board were available for processing in the NOAA central computer facility. They included global area coverage (GAC) data, with a resolution of 4 km, and local area coverage (LAC), that contained data from selected portions of each orbit with a 1-km resolution. Identical experiments were flown on other spacecraft in the TIROS-N/NOAA series.[5]

TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS)

The TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) consisted of three instruments: the High-resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder modification 2 (HIRS/2), the Stratospheric Sounding Unit (SSU), and the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU). All three instruments were designed to determine radiances needed to calculate temperature and humidity profiles of the atmosphere from the surface to the stratosphere (approximately 1 mb). The HIRS/2 instrument had 20 channels in the following spectral intervals: channels 1 through 5, the 15-micrometer (μm) CO2 bands (15.0, 14.7, 14.5, 14.2, and 14.0 μm); channels 6 and 7, the 13.7- and 13.4-μm CO2/H2O bands; channel 8, the 11.1-μm window region; channel 9, the 9.7-μm ozone band; channels 10, 11, and 12, the 6-μm water vapor bands (8.3, 7.3, and 6.7 μm); channels 13 and 14, the 4.57- and 4.52-μm N2O bands; channels 15 and 16, the 4.46- and 4.40-μm CO2/N2O bands; channel 17, the 4.24-μm CO2 band; channels 18 and 19, the 4.0- and 3.7-μm window bands; and channel 20, the 0.70-μm visible region. The SSU instrument was provided by the British Meteorological Office (United Kingdom). It was similar to the Pressure-Modulated Radiometer (PMR) flown on Nimbus 6. The SSU operated at three 15.0-μm channels using selective absorption, passing the incoming radiation through three pressure-modulated cells containing CO2. The MSU instrument was similar to the Scanning Microwave Spectrometer (SCAMS) flown on Nimbus 6. The MSU had one channel in the 50.31-GHz window region and three channels in the 55-GHz oxygen band (53.73, 54.96, and 57.95 GHz) to obtain temperature profiles which were free of cloud interference. The HIRS/2 had a field of view (FOV) 30 km in diameter at nadir, whereas the MSU had a FOV of 110 km in diameter. The HIRS/2 sampled 56 FOVs in each scan line about 2250 km wide, and the MSU sampled 11 FOVs along the swath with the same width. Each SSU scan line had 8 FOVs with a width of 1500 km. This experiment was also flown on other TIROS-N/NOAA series spacecraft.[6]

Data Collection and Platform Location System (DCPLS-Argos)

The Data Collection and Platform Location System (DCPLS) on NOAA-8, also known as Argos, was designed and built in France to meet the meteorological data needs of the United States and to support the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP). The system received low-duty-cycle transmissions of meteorological observations from free-floating balloons, ocean buoys, other satellites, and fixed ground-based sensor platforms distributed around the globe. These observations were organized on board the spacecraft and retransmitted when the spacecraft came within range of a Command and Data Acquisition (CDA) station. For free-moving balloons, the Doppler frequency shift of the transmitted signal was observed to calculate the location of the balloons. The DCPLS was expected, for a moving sensor platform, to have a location accuracy of 3 to 5 km, and a velocity accuracy of 1.0 to 1.6 m/s. This system had the capability of acquiring data from up to 4000 platforms per day. Identical experiments were flown on other spacecraft in the TIROS-N/NOAA series. Processing and dissemination of data were handled by CNES in Toulouse, France.[7]

Space Environment Monitor (SEM)

The Space Environmental Monitor (SEM) was an extension of the solar proton monitoring experiment flown on the ITOS spacecraft series. The object was to measure proton flux, electron flux density, and energy spectrum in the upper atmosphere. The experiment package consisted of three detector systems and a data processing unit. The Medium Energy Proton and Electron Detector (MEPED) measured protons in five energy ranges from 30 keV to >2.5 MeV; electrons above 30, 100, and 300 keV; protons and electrons (inseparable) above 6 MeV; and omni-directional protons above 16, 36, and 80 MeV. The High-Energy Proton Alpha Telescope (HEPAT), which had a 48° viewing cone, viewed in the anti-Earth direction and measured protons in four energy ranges above 370 MeV and alpha particles in two energy ranges above 850 MeV/nucleon. The Total Energy Detector (TED) measured electrons and protons between 300 eV and 20 keV.[8]

Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT)

The Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) instruments had the capability of detecting and locating existing emergency transmitters in a manner independent of the environmental data. Data from the 121.5-MHz Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT), the 243-MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), and experimental 406-MHz ELTs/EPIRBs were received by the Search and Rescue Repeater (SARR) and broadcast in real time on an L-band frequency (1544.5 MHz). Real-time data were monitored by local user terminals operated in the United States, Canada, and France. The 406-MHz data were also processed by the Search and Rescue Processor (SARP) and retransmitted in real time and stored on the spacecraft for later transmittal to the CDA stations in Alaska and Virginia, thus providing full global coverage. The distress signals were forwarded to Mission Control Centers located in each country for subsequent relay to the appropriate Rescue Coordination Center.[9]

Science objectives

  • Day and night observation of global cloud cover.
  • Observation of atmospheric water/temperature profile.
  • Monitoring particle flux in the near-Earth environment.

Mission

Although designed for a 2-year life span, NOAA 8 experienced a premature failure in June 1984, 9 months after its launch.[4] This led to debris being released; some of this debris is large enough to track.[10] As of 2023, NOAA 8 continues to orbit the Earth every 100 minutes at a height of about 800 km.[11]

The last contact occurred on 9 January 1986,[2] following a power failure caused by failure of its battery system caused by thermal runaway.[12]

References

  • Spaceflight portal
  1. ^ "Satellite: NOAA-8". World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 28 July 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Herbert J. Kramer (2002). Observation of the Earth and Its Environment: Survey of Missions and Sensors. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 739. ISBN 978-3-540-42388-1.
  3. ^ "Trajectory: NOAA-8 1983-022A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ a b c d "Display: NOAA-8 1983-022A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ "AVHRR/2 1983-022A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ "TOVS 1983-022A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ^ "DCPLS 1983-022A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ "SEM 1983-022A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ "SARSAT 1983-022A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  10. ^ Phillips, Charles D. (23 January 2017). "Satellite breakups and related events: a quick analysis". The Space Review. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Technical details for satellite NOAA 8". N2YO.com - Real Time Satellite Tracking and Predictions. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  12. ^ Bill Sweetman; Kimberley Ebner (1 June 2007). Jane's Space Systems and Industry. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2813-8.

External links

  • NOAA-8 Satellite Position
  • NOAA 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 (NOAA E, F, G, H, D, I, J) Gunter's Space Page
  • v
  • t
  • e
Orbital launches in 1983
January
  • Kosmos 1437
  • Unnamed
February
  • OPS 0252
  • OPS 0252 SSU-1
  • OPS 0252 SSU-2
  • OPS 0252 SSU-3
March
April
May
June
July
  • OPS 7304
August
September
October
November
Unknown
month
  • Kosmos 1428
  • Kosmos 1429
  • Kosmos 1430
  • Kosmos 1431
  • Kosmos 1432
  • Kosmos 1433
  • Kosmos 1434
  • Kosmos 1435
  • Kosmos 1436
  • IRAS
  • PIX-2
  • Kosmos 1438
  • Sakura 2a
  • Kosmos 1439
  • LIPS-2
  • Kosmos 1440
  • Kosmos 1441
  • Tenma
  • Kosmos 1442
  • Kosmos 1444
  • Molniya-3 No.34
  • Ekran No.18L
  • Kosmos 1445
  • Kosmos 1446
  • Molniya-1-56
  • Astron
  • Kosmos 1447
  • Kosmos 1448
  • Kosmos 1449
  • Molniya-1 No.68
  • Kosmos 1450
  • Gran' No.23L
  • Kosmos 1451
  • Satcom 1R
  • Kosmos 1452
  • Rohini RS-D2
  • Kosmos 1453
  • Kosmos 1454
  • Kosmos 1455
  • Kosmos 1456
  • Kosmos 1457
  • Kosmos 1458
  • GOES 6
  • Kosmos 1459
  • Kosmos 1460
  • Kosmos 1461
  • Kosmos 1462
  • Kosmos 1463
  • Kosmos 1464
  • Kosmos 1465
  • Kosmos 1466
  • EXOSAT
  • Kosmos 1467
  • Venera 15
  • Venera 16
  • Kosmos 1468
  • Kosmos 1469
  • Kosmos 1470
  • HILAT
  • Kosmos 1471
  • Galaxy 1
  • Gorizont No.17L
  • Prognoz 9
  • Kosmos 1472
  • Kosmos 1473
  • Kosmos 1474
  • Kosmos 1475
  • Kosmos 1476
  • Kosmos 1477
  • Kosmos 1478
  • Kosmos 1479
  • Kosmos 1480
  • Kosmos 1481
  • Kosmos 1482
  • OPS 7994
  • Molniya-1 No.66
  • Kosmos 1483
  • Kosmos 1484
  • Kosmos 1485
  • Telstar 301
  • Kosmos 1486
  • Kosmos 1487
  • Sakura 2b
  • Kosmos 1488
  • Kosmos 1489
  • Kosmos 1490
  • Kosmos 1491
  • Kosmos 1492
  • Fanhui Shi Weixing 6
  • Kosmos 1493
  • Gran' No.24L
  • Molniya-3 No.32
  • Kosmos 1494
  • Kosmos 1495
  • Kosmos 1496
  • Satcom 2R
  • Kosmos 1497
  • Kosmos 1498
  • Kosmos 1499
  • Galaxy-2
  • Soyuz 7K-ST No. 16L
  • Kosmos 1500
  • Ekran No.25L
  • Kosmos 1501
  • Kosmos 1502
  • Kosmos 1503
  • Kosmos 1504
  • Kosmos 1505
  • Kosmos 1506
  • Meteor-2 No.10
  • Kosmos 1507
  • Kosmos 1508
  • Kosmos 1509
  • OPS 1294
  • Molniya-1 No.48
  • Kosmos 1510
  • Kosmos 1511
  • Gorizont No.18L
  • Kosmos 1512
  • Kosmos 1513
  • Kosmos 1514
  • Kosmos 1515
  • Molniya-3 No.35
  • Kosmos 1516
  • Kosmos 1517
  • Kosmos 1518
  • Kosmos 1519
  • Kosmos 1520
  • Kosmos 1521
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).
Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).