|
Overview: Introduction to Mission Operations
The reason that the extraordinary TOPEX/Poseidon mission was designed and
implemented was to gather information about the world's oceans, and
especially about ocean currents, over an extended period of time. To do
this, the instruments on the satellite take extremely precise measurements
of the height of the ocean surface above the center of the Earth -
commonly called sea level - on a 10-day repeat cycle. This information
has significant practical applications in such areas as the study of
worldwide weather patterns, the monitoring of shoreline evolution, and the
protection of our great ocean fisheries.
The story of how the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite takes its measurements and
how these measurements are turned into usable scientific data products is
a fascinating one. It involves ground-based verification of the satellite
measurements, an elaborate telecommunications system for commanding the
satellite and receiving the data from its instruments, and a complex data
processing effort involving two NASA centers and the French space agency
CNES. But the real key to the success of TOPEX/Poseidon, and the thing
that may have the biggest long-term impact of all, has been the
international cooperation between two great space agencies. A follow-on
mission called Jason-1, also a joint effort between NASA and CNES, is
already in development as this is being written.
The story goes on...!
|
