Goddard Projects Directory

The search for I produced 19 results out of 249 records ICESat Launch Date: 01/12/2003 The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) is the benchmark of the Earth Observing System mission for measuring ice sheet mass balance, cloud and aerosol heights, as well as land topography and vegetation characteristics. The ICESat mission will provide multi-year elevation data needed to determine ice sheet mass balance as well as cloud property information, especially for stratospheric clouds common over polar areas. It will also provide topography and vegetation data around the globe, in addition to the polar-specific coverage over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. ICESat was successfully launched on a Delta II Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) into a near polar Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It carried a single instrument, GLAS, which enables accurate surface levels of ice sheets. In addition, GLAS provides data on various other Earth surface properties, as well as on clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere. Other Name(s):  Ice, Cloud,and land Elevation Satellite |  GSFC Link  |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |  Additional URL 2  |  Image Gallery  |  Educational Resource  |   IMAGE Launch Date: 03/25/2000 The Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) is a MIDEX class mission to study the global response of the Earth's magnetosphere to changes in the solar wind. IMAGE will provide the first imaging of the neutral atom, ultraviolet and radio environment of near-Earth space. In order to fulfill its science goals, IMAGE will utilize these imaging techniques to identify the dominant mechanisms for injecting plasma into the magnetosphere, determine the directly driven response of the magnetosphere to solar wind changes, and discover how and where mangetospheric plasmas are energized, transported, and subsequently lost during sub-storms and magnetic storms. Other Name(s):  Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration, Explorer 78, MIDEX/IMAGE, MIDEX 1 |  GSFC Link  |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |  Additional URL 2  |  Image Gallery  |  Educational Resource  |   INTASAT Launch Date: 11/15/1974 INTASAT, the first Spanish satellite was a small, magnetically oriented, spin stabilized spacecraft carrying a beacon experiment to study the ionosphere. Its primary purpose was to conduct worldwide observations of ionospheric electron counts. About 40 ground observers used the beacon experiment for ionospheric study. INTA was responsible for coordinating all beacon data acquisition and processing. Other Name(s):  INTA Satellite |  NSSDC Link  |   INTEGRAL Launch Date: 10/17/2002 The International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) is a European Space Agency (ESA) mission that is dedicated to the fine spectroscopy and fine imaging of celestial gamma-ray sources with concurrent source monitoring in the X-ray and optical energy ranges. INTEGRAL is providing a new insight into the most violent and exotic objects of the Universe, such as neutron stars, active galactic nuclei and supernovae. INTEGRAL is also helping us to understand processes such as the formation of new chemical elements and the mysterious gamma-ray bursts, the most energetic phenomena in the Universe. Other Name(s):  International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory |  GSFC Link  |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |  Additional URL 2  |  Image Gallery  |  Educational Resource  |   IRAC Launch Date: 08/01/2003 The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) is one of Spitzer's three science instruments for the Infrared Space Infrared Telescope Facility that will provide imaging capabilities at near- and mid-infrared wavelengths. The camera will be used by observers on Spitzer for a wide variety of astronomical research programs. The IRAC instrument will address the four major scientific objectives, which are to study the early universe, to search for and study brown dwarfs and super-planets, to study ultra-luminous galaxies and active galactic nuclei, and to discover and study proto-planetary and planetary debris disks. Other Name(s):  Spitzer Infrared Array Camera |  GSFC Link  |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |  Additional URL 2  |  Educational Resource  |   IRAS Launch Date: 01/25/1983 The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was a mission with joint execution by the United States (NASA), the Netherlands (NIVR), and the United Kingdom (SERC). Its primary objective was to make the first all-sky survey for objects that emit infrared radiation and to provide a catalog of infrared sky map. Other Name(s):  Infrared Astronomical Satellite, IR Astronomy Satellite |  GSFC Link  |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |  Image Gallery  |  Educational Resource  |   ISEE A Launch Date: 10/22/1977 The International Sun-Earth Explorer-A (ISEE A) was part of the mother/daughter/heliocentric mission (ISEE A, ISEE B, and ISEE C). The objective of these missions were: to investigate solar-terrestrial relationships at the outermost boundaries of the Earth's magnetosphere, to examine in detail the structure of the solar wind near the Earth and the shock wave that forms the interface between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere, to investigate motions of and mechanisms operating in the plasma sheets, and to continue the investigation of cosmic rays and solar flare effects in the interplanetary region. These three spacecraft carried a number of complementary instruments for making measurements of plasmas, energetic particles, waves, and fields. The mother/daughter portion of the mission consisted of two spacecraft (ISEE A and ISEE B). During the course of the mission, these two spacecraft maintained a small separation distance, and made simultaneous coordinated measurements to permit separation of spatial from temporal irregularities in the near-Earth solar wind, the bow shock, and inside the magnetosphere. Other Name(s):  International Sun-Earth Explorer-A, ISEE 1, Explorer 56 |  Project Information  |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ISEE B Launch Date: 10/22/1977 The International Sun-Earth Explorer-B (ISEE B) was part of the mother/daughter/heliocentric mission (ISEE A, ISEE B, and ISEE C). The objective of these missions were: to investigate solar-terrestrial relationships at the outermost boundaries of the Earth's magnetosphere, to examine in detail the structure of the solar wind near the Earth and the shock wave that forms the interface between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere, to investigate motions of and mechanisms operating in the plasma sheets, and to continue the investigation of cosmic rays and solar flare effects in the interplanetary region. These three spacecraft carried a number of complementary instruments for making measurements of plasmas, energetic particles, waves, and fields. The mother/daughter portion of the mission consisted of two spacecraft (ISEE A and ISEE B). During the course of the mission, these two spacecraft maintained a small separation distance, and made simultaneous coordinated measurements to permit separation of spatial from temporal irregularities in the near-Earth solar wind, the bow shock, and inside the magnetosphere. Other Name(s):  International Sun-Earth Explorer-B, ISEE 2 |  Project Information  |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ISEE C Launch Date: 08/12/1978 The International Sun-Earth Explorer-C (ISEE C) was the first spacecraft to use the halo orbit and to be part of the mother/daughter/heliocentric mission (ISEE A, ISEE B, and ISEE C). The objective of these missions were: to investigate solar-terrestrial relationships at the outermost boundaries of the Earth's magnetosphere, to examine in detail the structure of the solar wind near the Earth and the shock wave that forms the interface between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere, to investigate motions of and mechanisms operating in the plasma sheets, and to continue the investigation of cosmic rays and solar flare effects in the interplanetary region. These three spacecraft carried a number of complementary instruments for making measurements of plasmas, energetic particles, waves, and fields. In conjunction with the mother and daughter spacecraft, ISEE C explored the coupling and energy transfer processes between the incident solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere. In addition, the heliocentric ISEE C spacecraft also provided a near-Earth baseline for making cosmic-ray and other planetary measurements for comparison with corresponding measurements from deep-space probes. In 1982 ISEE C began the magnetotail and comet encounter phases of its mission. The spacecraft was later renamed International Cometary Explorer (ICE). ICE became the first spacecraft to directly investigate two comets. The primary scientific objective of ICE was to study the interaction between the solar wind and a cometary’s atmosphere. Other Name(s):  International Sun-Earth Explorer-C, International Cometary Explorer, ISEE 3, ICE, Explorer 59 |  Project Information  |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |  Image Gallery  |   ISIS B Launch Date: 03/31/1971 The International Satellite for Ionosphere Studies-B (ISIS B) was an ionospheric observatory that will study electron production and loss, and large scale transport of ionization in the ionosphere. Other Name(s):  International Satellite for Ionosphere Studies 2, ISIS 2 |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ISIS-A Launch Date: 01/30/1969 The International Satellite for Ionosphere Studies-A (ISIS A) was an ionospheric observatory built in Canada that carried ten experiments to study the ionosphere. Other Name(s):  International Satellite for Ionosphere Studies 1, ISIS 1 |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ITOS Launch Date: 01/23/1970 The Improved ITOS Operational Satellite (ITOS) was second generation of meteorological satellites to provide daytime and night-time cloud cover observation in both direct and stored modes. The purpose of ITOS was to provide improved operational infrared and visual observations of earth cloud cover for use in weather analysis and forecasting. In addition, it provided both solar proton and global heat balance data on a regular daily basis. Other Name(s):  Improved ITOS Operational System-1, ITOS 1, Tiros-M |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ITOS A Launch Date: 12/11/1970 The Improved ITOS Operational System-A (ITOS A) sun-synchronous meteorological satellite was designed to provide improved operational infrared and visual observations of Earth cloud cover for use in weather analysis and forecasting. In addition, ITOS A provided solar proton and global heat balance data on a regular daily basis. Other Name(s):  Improved ITOS Operational System-A, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite-1, NOAA 1 |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ITOS B Launch Date: 10/21/1971 The Improved ITOS Operational System-B (ITOS B) meteorological satellite primary objective was to provide improved operational infrared and visual observations of Earth cloud cover for use in weather analysis and forecasting. In addition, ITOS B obtained both solar proton and global heat balance data on a daily basis. Other Name(s):  Improved ITOS Operational System-B |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ITOS E Launch Date: 07/16/1973 Augment NOAA's satellite world-wide weather observation capabilities. Other Name(s):  Improved ITOS Operational System-E |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ITOS F Launch Date: 11/06/1973 To augment NOAA's satellite world-wide weather observation capabilities. Other Name(s):  Improved ITOS Operational System-F, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite-3, NOAA 3 |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ITOS H Launch Date: 07/29/1976 Second generation satellite for NOAA's world-wide weather observations. Other Name(s):  Improved ITOS Operational System-H, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite 5, NOAA 5 |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   ITOS-G Launch Date: 11/15/1974 To augment NOAA's satellite world-wide weather observation capabilities. Other Name(s):  Improved ITOS Operational System-G, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite 4, NOAA 4 |  NSSDC Link  |  Additional URL 1  |   IUE-A Launch Date: 01/26/1978 International Ultraviolet Explorer to obtain high resolution data of stars and planets in the UV region of the spectrum. Other Name(s):  International Ultraviolet Explorer, IUE, Explorer 57 |  Project Information  |  NSSDC Link  |