TECHNOLOGY - Instrument Description
OSTM/Jason-2 will follow on from Jason-1 and TOPEX/Poseidon and
continue to provide sea surface height data of the same quality, if not better. The design for OSTM/Jason-2
and Jason-1 is based on the concept successfully validated by TOPEX/Poseidon. The three main instruments on
Jason-2, the Poseidon-3 altimeter, the Advanced Microwave Radiometer, and the Global Positioning System
Payload, all trace their heritage to TOPEX/Poseidon.
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OSTM/Jason-2
510 kg
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Jason-1
500 kg
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TOPEX/Poseidon
2400 kg
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TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, and OSTM/Jason-2 all have the same suite of instruments. They are:
Altimeter(s) - measures
range (the distance from the
satellite to the Earth's surface),
wave height
and wind speed.
Radiometer - measures
water vapor content in
the atmosphere so that we can determine how it impacts
radar
signal propagation. Its measurements also can be used directly for
studying other atmospheric phenomena, particularly rain.
DORIS - locates the satellite
on orbit in real time. This information is essential for providing
altimetry data in real
time or near-real time.
Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) -
used to calibrate the other location systems on the satellite (DORIS,
TRSR) with a very high degree of precision.
GPS/Turbo Rogue Space Receiver (TRSR) - supports
precise orbit determination
by the DORIS system. It also helps to improve gravity
field models and provides data for satellite positioning accurate to about 50 meters and 50 nanoseconds.
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