SP-4012 NASA HISTORICAL DATA BOOK: VOLUME III
PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 1969-1978

 

Table 4-160. Earth Observation Sensors Carried by NASA Satellites, 1960-1978

 

Name

Launched

Master Sensors

.

TIROS I

01 Apr 60

1 Wide and I narrow camera

TIROS II

23 Nov 60

2 TV, passive & active IR scan

TIROS III

12 Jul 61

2 wide-angle cameras, HB, 2 IR

TIROS IV

08 Feb 62

2 TV, 2 IR, HB

TIROS V

19 Jun 62

2 TV

TIROS VI

18 Sep 62

2 TV

TIROS VII

19 Jun 63

2 TV, IR, ion probe, HB

TIROS VIII

21 Dec 63

1st APT TV direct readout & I TV

Nimbus 1

28 Aug 64

3 AVCS, I APT, HRIR 3-axis stabil.

TIROS IX

22 Jan 65

First "wheel"; 2 TV global coverage

TIROS X

01 Jul 65

Sun synchronous, 2 TV

ESSA 1

03 Feb 66

1st operational system, 2 TV, FPR

ESSA 2

28 Feb 66

2 APT, global TV coverage

Nimbus 2

15 May 66

3 AVCS, HRIR, MRIR

ESSA 3

02 Oct 66

2 AVCS, FPR

ATS I

06 Dec 66

Spin scan camera

ESSA 4

26 Jan 67

2 APT

ESSA 5

20 Apr 67

2 AVCS FPR

ATS III

05 Nov 67

Color spin scan camera

ESSA 6

10 Nov 67

1 APT TV

ESSA 7

16 Aug 68

2 AVCS, FPR, S-Band

ESSA 8

15 Dec 68

2 APT TV

ESSA 9

26 Feb 69

2 AVCS, FPR, S-Band

Nimbus 3

14 Apr 69

SIRS A, IRIS, MRIR, IDCS, MUSE, IRLS

ITOS 1

23 Jan 70

2 APT, 2 AVCS, 2 SR, FPR, 3-axis stabil.

Nimbus 4

15 Apr 70

SIRS B, IRIS, SCR, THIR, BUV, FWS, IDCS, IRLS, MUSE

NOAA I

11 Dec 70

2 APT, 2 AVCS, 2 SR, FPR

Landsat 1

23 July 72

MSS, 3 RBVs

NOAA 2

15 Oct 72

2 VHRR, 2 VTPR, 2 SR, SPM

Nimbus 5

11 Dec 72

SCMR, ITPR, NEMS, ESMR, THIR

NOAA 3

06 Nov 73

2 VHRR, 2 VTPR, 2 SR, SPM

SMS 1

17 May 74

VISSR, DCS, WEFAX, SEM

NOAA 4

15 Nov 74

2 VHRR, 2 VTPR, 2 SR, SPM

Landsat 2

22 Jan 75

MSS, 3 RBV's

SMS 2

06 Feb 75

VISSR, DCS, WEFAX, SEM

Nimbus 6

12 Jun 75

ERB, ESMR, HIRS, LRIR, T&DR, SCAMS,TWERLE, PMR

GOES 1

16 Oct 75

VISSR, DCS, WEFAX, SEM

NOAA 5

29 Jul 76

2 VHRR, 2 VTPR, 2 SR, SPM

GOES 2

16 Jun 77

VISSR, DCS, WEFAX SEM

Landsat 3

05 Mar 78

MSS, 2 RBVs

HCMM

25 Apr 78

HCMR

GOES 3

16 Jun 78

VISSR, SEM, WEFAX

Seasat

27 Jun 78

SMMR, VIRR, SAR, Radar altimeter, microwave scatterometer

TIROS-N

13 Oct 78

TOVS, AVHRR

Nimbus-7

23 Oct 78

CZCS, ERB, LIMS, SBUV/TOMS, SAM-II, SAMS, SMMR

a Key to sensor acronyms:

APT - Automatic Picture Transmission TV
AVCS - Advanced Vidicon Camera System
AVHRR - Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
BUV - Backscatter Ultraviolet Spectrometer
CZCS - Coastal Zone Color Scanner
DCS - Data Collection System
ERB - Earth Radiation Budget
ESMR - Electronic Scanning Mircrowave Radiometer
FPR - Flat Plate Radiometer
FWS - Filter Wedge Spectrometer
HB - Heat Budget Instrument
HCMR - Heat Capacity Mapping Radiometer Radiometer
HRIS - High Resolution Infrared Sounder
HRIR - High Resolution Infrared Radiometer
IDCS - Image Dissector Camera System
IRIS - Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer Radiometer
IRLS - Interrogation, Recording and Location Subsystem
ITPR - Infrared Temperature Profile Radiometer
LIMS - Limb Infrared Monitoring of the Experiment Atmosphere
LRIR - Limb Radiance Infrared Radiometer
MRIR - Medium Resolution Infrared Radiometer
MSS - Multispectral Scanner
MUSE - Monitor of Ultraviolet Solar Energy
NEMS - Nimbus E Microwave Spectrometer
PMR - Pressure Modulated Radiometer
RBV - Return Beam Vidicon Camera
SAM II - Stratosphere Aerosol Measurement
SAMS - Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder
SAR - Seasat Synthetic Aperture Radar
SBUV/TOMS - Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer
SCAMS - Scanning Microwave Spectrometer
SCMR - Surface Composition Mapping Radiometer
SCR - Selective Chopper Radiometer
SEM - Space Environmental Monitor
SIRS - Satellite Infrared Spectometer
SMMR - Scanning Multichannel Microwave
SPM - Solar Proton Monitor
SR - Scanning Radiometer
THIR - Temperature Humidity Infrared
T&DR - Tracking and Data Relay
TOVS - TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder
TWERLE - Tropical Wind Energy Reference
VHRR - Very High Resolution Radiometer
VIRR - Visible Infrared Radiometer
VISSR - Visible Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer
VTPR - Vertical Temperature Profile Radiometer
WEFAX - Weather Facsimile
TV - Television Cameras
 
Source: Daniel J. Fink, Earth Observation Issues and Perspectives, AIAA 16th Annual Meeting and Technical Display, May 6-11, 1980, Theodore von Karman Lecture (New York: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1980), pp. 16-17.


-
Back -