Contact: Patricia Viets FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOAA NESDIS 3/24/95
(301) 457-5005
The nation's newest environmental satellite used for weather forecasting and atmospheric research is expected to be in operation by mid-April, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.
The satellite, NOAA-14, was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Dec. 30, 1994. Since then, it has been in polar orbit, circling the Earth from pole to pole every 102 minutes.
NOAA-14 will provide information about the Earth's oceans and atmosphere, including location and size of severe storms, temperatures of the atmosphere, sea and land, the size of the ozone hole, and the location and amount of dust from volcanoes, which can cause hazards to airplanes.
"Polar-orbiting environmental satellites are vital to the nation's economy," said Greg Mandt, NOAA's polar program manager. "Millions of dollars are saved each year by the industries who use the data such as construction, agriculture, utilities and aviation."
"Countless lives and properties have been saved also by monitoring severe storm movement and forecasting national disasters. From monitoring ozone levels and animal migration patterns to forecasting and detecting forest fires, these satellites are a vital tool of environmental research and protection," Mandt added.
In addition to a data collection system, NOAA-14 is carrying the following instruments that are working well: the advanced very high resolution radiometer, which is used to determine cloud cover and surface temperatures; the solar backscatter ultraviolet spectral radiometer, which enables scientists to study ozone concentrations; the stratospheric sounding unit, which takes temperature measurements in the upper stratosphere; the high resolution infrared radiation sounder, which takes vertical temperature profiles from the Earth's surface to an altitude of 40 kilometers; and the space environment monitor, which measures the population of the Earth's radiation belts.
Two of the instruments are not working properly: the microwave sounding unit and the search and rescue processor.
The microwave sounding unit, which measures the vertical temperature of the atmosphere to an altitude of about 20 kilometers, wasn't working properly. Project managers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center requested NOAA to shut down the apparatus until more is known about the problem and appropriate safeguards can be put in place to secure the unit if the problem recurs. An investigative board has been formed at Goddard to study the problem. Goddard is responsible for the construction, integration, launch, and checkout of the satellite. NOAA is responsible for operating the satellite after it is checked out in orbit.
The search and rescue processor on NOAA-14 is experiencing a problem with its 12 volt power supply that affects the satellite only when it is not within view of a ground station. If the satellite is within view of a ground station, it will send data to the ground station, as it should.
NOAA typically operates two polar-orbiting satellites. Currently NOAA-11 and NOAA-12 are operational. Once NOAA-14 becomes operational, it will be used with NOAA-12 to provide the data to meet global forecasting and research needs. NOAA will still take some data from NOAA-9 and NOAA-11 and will cross- calibrate ozone measurements from NOAA-9 and -14.
NOAA-14 was built by Martin Marietta/Astro Space, Princeton, N.J.