Weather Satellites: NOAA 6

NOAA 6 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite 6

Launch date: June 27, 1979

Launch site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Launch vehicle: Atlas E/F

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE:

Work as a companion to TIROS-N to provide continuous coverage of the Earth and to provide high-resolution global meteorological data.

SATELLITE DESCRIPTION:

The spacecraft was rectangularly shaped (146" long by 74" high) with one large solar panel attached. The satellite was Earth oriented, three-axis stabilized and weighed 1594 pounds.

NOAA-6 was the first operational satellite in the TIROS-N series. The satellite carried an Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) to provide day and night cloud top and sea surface temperatures, as well as ice and snow conditions; an atmospheric sounding system (TOVS - TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder) to provide vertical profiles of temperature and water vapor from the Earth's surface to the top of the atmosphere; and a solar proton monitor to detect the arrival of energetic particles for use in solar storm prediction. This satellite also carried a data collection platform used to receive, process and store information from free floating balloons and buoys world-wide for transmission to one central processing facility.

NOAA-6 was placed in a near circular, (450nm) polar orbit. The craft and its systems operated successfully, providing high resolution scanned images and vertical temperature and moisture profiles to both operational meteorologists and private interests with APT and HRPT capability. NOAA-6 set the record for the longest duration of any polar orbiting meteorological satellite to date, remaining operational for 2834 days until deactivated by NOAA on March 31, 1987.

PARTICIPANTS:

NASA, RCA AstroElectronics, NOAA, US Weather Bureau.