Terra (satellite)

TITLE:TERRA Satellite(Terra Polar-Orbiting Satellite)

Terra (satellite)

Terra is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit around the Earth. It is the flagship of the Earth Observing System (EOS). The name "Terra" comes from the Latin word for Earth.Orbit height:713kmMax speed:27,010km/hSpeed on orbit:7.503km/s

Terra (Satellite):

Focused on measurements identified as important by U.S. and international scientists, Terra enables research into how Earth's lands, oceans, air, ice and life function together as an environmental system.

Terra spacecraft: Terra, formerly known as EOS AM-1 is the size of a small school bus. Size: the spacecraft bus is 6.8 m long and 3.5 m across.Weight: 5,190 kg (11,442 lbs.) at launch. It carries a payload of five sensors that study interactions among Earth's atmosphere, lands, oceans, life and radiant energy (heat and light). Each sensor is designed to meet a wide range of science objectives. Two of the instruments were supplied by Canada and Japan.

The first image taken by Terra:

Launch:The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 18, 1999, aboard an Atlas IIAS vehicle and began collecting data on February 24, 2000. It was placed into a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705km, with a 10:30am descending node

Mission:Mission type Climate researchOperator NASA

Terra carries a payload of five remote sensors designed to monitor the state of Earth'senvironmentand ongoing changes in itsclimatesystem:ASTER (Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer)CERES(Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System)MISR (Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer)MODIS(Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)MOPITT (Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere)

1.ASTER (Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer):It was provided for Terra by the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and was built to provide high-resolution images of the land surface, water, ice, and clouds.

New York City, September 8, 2002.

2. CERES:

Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System. Its purpose is to measure Earth's radiation budget and atmospheric radiation from the top of the atmosphere to the surface and to provide cloud property estimates. It consists of two broadband scanning radiometers one cross-track mode and one rotating plane (biaxial scanning).

Earth's heat, September 30, 2001.

3.MISR:

Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer. MISR was created to take multiple-angle observations to help assess the amount of sunlight scattered in different directions. These multidirectional measurements will help provide top-of-atmosphere, cloud, and surface reflectance measurements as well as global maps of surface albedo, aerosol and vegetation properties.

Cloud heights of Hurricane Juliette, September 26, 2001.

4. MODIS:Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. It is a multispectral cross-track scanning radiometer that operates in the visible through the thermal infrared. MODIS was designed to measure high-priority atmospheric, oceanic, land surface, and cryospheric features on a global basis every 1-to-2 days, measuring a wider array of parameters than any other Terra instrument.

.Snow over Colorado, September 20, 2002

5. MOPITT:MOPITTstands forMeasurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere. It was provided for Terra by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The purpose of the sensor is to measure methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the troposphere for determining sinks and sources of these harmful pollutions as well as their abundance and distribution over time.

Global carbon monoxide concentrations, October 30, 2000

Spacecraft propertiesManufacturerNASALaunch mass4,864 kilograms (10,723lb)Start of missionLaunch dateDecember 18, 1999Mission typeClimate researchOperatorNASA

Spatial Resolution13.5kmSpectral Resolution36 bands ,of which 9 is being used for ocean studies(405-877nm)Radiometric Resolution12 bits

Resolution

Orbital parametersReference systemGeocentricSemi-major axis7,080.0 kilometers (4,399.3mi)Eccentricity0.0001392Period98.8minutesRevolution number8786

Terra and Hottest Year on Record2015 was the hottest year ever recorded*, but what does Terra have to do with it?On January 20th, 2016, scientists from NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their analysis based on data gathered on Earths surface temperatures.The length and quality of the Terra data record makes it well suited as a check of the global temperature results and can help guide choices on ways to process the surface data,

Primary Structure

Communications Equipment Module

The Instruments

ASTER InstrumentMETI and ERSDAC, Japan

MISR InstrumentJet Propulsion Laboratory, California

MODIS InstrumentGoddard Space Flight Center, Maryland

Spacecraft on Transporter with Frame

Terra Launch December 18, 1999

11/18/2016GSFC25Terra Today

Uses includeForest fire detectionCoastal and fisheries studies and researchNatural resources and environmental researchAgricultural studies and researchEnvironmental hazard monitoringMeteorological research and monitoringTerra Uses