SATELLITES-------
NIMBUS-N III--------
NIMBUS-N III--------
SATELLITE DESCRIPTION:
The spacecraft was designed and configured the same as the NIMBUS I and II crafts. Seven new experiments were on board this craft (identical to those on the aborted NIMBUS B) making the total weight of the spacecraft the largest ever for a meteorological satellite-1269 pounds.
The craft contained an Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) to measure atmospheric temperature, water vapor, and ozone in the vertical. A Satellite Infrared Spectrophotometer (SIRS) was used to take similar temperature readings as the IRIS for comparison purposes. An Interrogation Recording and Location System (IRLS) was used to locate, identify and relay transmissions from data gathering buoys on the surface of the Earth. A Monitor of Ultraviolet Solar Energy (MUSE) was used to measure the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching the atmosphere from the sun. The Image Dissector Camera (IDC) replaced the old vidicon cameras which had been used to provide APT to surface ground stations. A High Resolution and Medium Resolution Infrared radiometer (HRIR and MRIR) were used to provide infrared images at night as on the previous NIMBUS series satellites. The craft was powered by 10,500 solar cells and two SNAP-19 nuclear powered generators.
The spacecraft was designed and configured the same as the NIMBUS I and II crafts. Seven new experiments were on board this craft (identical to those on the aborted NIMBUS B) making the total weight of the spacecraft the largest ever for a meteorological satellite-1269 pounds.
The craft contained an Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) to measure atmospheric temperature, water vapor, and ozone in the vertical. A Satellite Infrared Spectrophotometer (SIRS) was used to take similar temperature readings as the IRIS for comparison purposes. An Interrogation Recording and Location System (IRLS) was used to locate, identify and relay transmissions from data gathering buoys on the surface of the Earth. A Monitor of Ultraviolet Solar Energy (MUSE) was used to measure the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching the atmosphere from the sun. The Image Dissector Camera (IDC) replaced the old vidicon cameras which had been used to provide APT to surface ground stations. A High Resolution and Medium Resolution Infrared radiometer (HRIR and MRIR) were used to provide infrared images at night as on the previous NIMBUS series satellites. The craft was powered by 10,500 solar cells and two SNAP-19 nuclear powered generators.
|
||
|
||