Weather Satellites: NIMBUS VI

NIMBUS VI

Launch date: June 12, 1975

Launch site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Launch vehicle: Two-stage Delta 2910

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE:

Continuation of research, development and testing of new meteorological sensors, systems and systems configurations to measure atmospheric temperature, water vapor and ozone. Those sensors which could be used in operational weather analysis and prediction were to be added to the NOAA operational weather satellite program.

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.

PARTICIPANTS:

NASA, NCAR, General Electric, NOAA, US Weather Bureau, MIT, Jet Propulsion Lab, Oxford University.