ADEOS I

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ADEOS I
H-ii adeos.gif
Launch of ADEOS I aboard an H-II rocket
Names Advanced Earth Observing Satellite
Midori
Mission type Earth observation
Environmental monitoring
Operator NASDA
COSPAR ID 1996-046A
SATCAT № 24277
Mission duration Final: 10 months, 13 days
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass 3,500 kg (7,700 lb)
Dimensions 4 × 4 × 5 m (13 × 13 × 16 ft)
Power 5,000 watts
Start of mission
Launch date 17 August 1996, 01:53:00 (1996-08-17UTC01:53) UTC[1]
Rocket H-II
Launch site Tanegashima Yoshinobu 1
End of mission
Disposal Spacecraft failure
Last contact 30 June 1997, 07:21 (1997-06-30UTC07:22) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Sun-synchronous[2]
Eccentricity 0.0002193
Perigee 792 km (492 mi)
Apogee 795 km (494 mi)
Inclination 98.7 degrees
Period 101 minutes
Mean motion 14.29 rev/day
Epoch 26 December 2016, 19:33:18 UTC[3]

ADEOS I (Advanced Earth Observing Satellite 1) was an Earth observation satellite[4] launched by NASDA in 1996.[5][6] The mission's Japanese name, Midori, means "green".[7]

The mission ended in July 1997 after the satellite sustained structural damage to the solar panel array.[5] Its successor, ADEOS II, was launched in 2002. Like the first mission, it ended after less than a year[7] – also following solar panel malfunctions.[8]

Purpose[edit]

ADEOS was designed to observe Earth's environmental changes, focusing on global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, and deforestation.[7]

On board the satellite are eight instruments developed by NASDA, NASA, and CNES. The Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) is a whisk broom radiometer developed by NASDA.[4] The Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer (AVNIR), an optoelectronic scanning radiometer with CCD detectors, was also produced by NASDA.[4] The NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT), developed with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, used fan-beam Doppler signals to measure wind speeds over bodies of water.[4] The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) was built by CNES to study changes to Earth's ozone layer.[4] The Polarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectance (POLDER) device was also developed by CNES, and was also launched on ADEOS II.[4] The Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS) was developed by NASDA and the Environment Agency of Japan, and used grating spectrometers to measure the properties of trace gases using solar occultation.[4] The Retroreflector in Space (RIS) and Interferometric Monitor for Greenhouse Gases (IMG) were both developed by Japan, and studied atmospheric trace gases and greenhouse gases respectively.[4]

Mission[edit]

Failure[edit]

On 28 August 1996, the satellite adjusted its attitude to control its orbit. As a result of this maneuver, the solar panel received sunlight from the rear. This caused the solar paddle mast to expand and the panel blanket to contract, placing tension on a soldered joint on the paddle, which eventually broke.[5]

The final communication from the satellite was received at 07:21 UTC on 30 June 1997,[5] 9 months after launch.[7]

Footnotes[edit]

Sources[edit]