METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITE PROGRAMS

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METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITE PROGRAMS

• BY
• DARYL MCCORMICK

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OVERVIEW

• METEROLOGICAL SATELLITES IN GENERAL
• NOAA SATELLITES
• GOES SATELLITES
• NPOES

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METEROLOGICAL SATELLITES IN GENERAL

• Weather satellites have progressed a great deal
  in recent decades
• First weather satellite was Television Infrared
  Observation Satellite known as (TIROS I),
  Launched on April 1, 1960
• TIROS I used television cameras to record cloud
  formations, it could not function in the dark

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METEROLOGICAL SATELLITES IN GENERAL CONT

• Todays weather satellites benefit from
  sophisticated sensor and computer systems
  enabling users to track large-scale events such
  as hurricanes, as well as smaller and more
  rapidly changing events such as tornadoes
• Weather satellites of today have saved countless
  lives

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NOAA SATELLITES

• NOAA satellites are in sun-synchronous, polar
  orbits, and circle the Earth every 100 minutes at
  an altitude of approximately 450-528 miles
• Operated by U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
  Administration
• Satellites have ozone measuring capability,
  microwave sounders, Synthetic Aperture Radar
  (SAR) tracking capability, and can also measure
  cloud cover and surface temperatures

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GOES SATELLITES

• GOES, or Geostationary Operational Environmental
  Satellites are weather satellites in
  geostationary orbit
• Operated by an agency of NOAA known as National
  Environmental Satellites Data and Information
  Services (NESDIS)
• Currently four satellites in GOES constellation

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GOES SATELLITES CONT

• Capability to provide weather, imaging, and
  sounding data, as well as relay environmental
  data from remote platforms such as ships,
  automated stations, aircraft, and weather
  balloons to a variety of users
• Follow-On program will provide further capability
  with MSI, low light visible imagery, improved
  water vapor detection, and timely fog detection

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NPOES

• May 5 1994, Then President Clinton directed
  convergence of NOAA and the DoDs DMSP (Defense
  Meteorological Satellite Program)
• NOAA and DMSP will become National Polar-orbiting
  Operational Environmental Satellite System
  (NPOES)
• Cooperative effort between the DoD, DoC, and NASA

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SUMMARY

• Meteorological Satellites in General
• NOAA Satellites
• GOES Satellites
• NPOES

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SOURCES

• Air Force Publication V3OQR13S1 000-IV-3
• www.noaa.com