SATELLITE DESCRIPTION:
The spacecraft was designed and configured the same as all
previous NIMBUS satellites. The total weight of the spacecraft was
the largest ever for a meteorological satellite-1823 pounds.
NIMBUS VI carried nine instruments. They were an Earth Radiation
Budget experiment, an Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer, a
High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder, a Limb Radiance
Inversion Radiometer, a Pressure Modulated Radiometer, a Scanning
Microwave Spectrometer, a Tracking and Data Relay experiment, a
Temperature, Humidity Infrared Radiometer and a Tropical Wind,
Energy Conversion and Reference Level experiment The craft was
powered by 10,500 solar cells and two SNAP-19 nuclear powered
generators.
The craft was placed in sun synchronous orbit and transmission of
data from all of the experiments was completed as scheduled. NIMBUS
VI remained operational until it was deactivated along with NIMBUS
V on March 29, 1983.