| NEAR
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 | Launch Date: 02/17/1996
The Near Earth Astroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft, managed and operated by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab will enter orbit around the asteroid Eros in February 2000. The NEAR mission is the first of NASA's Discovery missions and the first mission ever to go into orbit around an asteroid. The spacecraft is equipped with an X-ray/gamma ray spectrometer, a near-infrared imaging spectrograph, a multispectral camera fitted with a CCD imaging detector, a laser altimeter, and a magnetometer. A radio science experiment will also be performed using the NEAR tracking system to estimate the gravity field of the asteroid. The ultimate goal of the mission was to rendezvous with and achieve orbit around the near Earth asteroid 433 Eros in January, 1999, and study the asteroid for approximately one year. A problem caused an abort of the first encounter burn and the mission had to be rescoped for a 23 December 1998 flyby of Eros and a later encounter and orbit on 14 February 2000. Eros is an S-class asteroid about 13 x 13 x 33 km in size. Studies will be made of the asteroid's size, shape, mass, magnetic field, composition, and surface and internal structure. Periapsis of the orbit will be as low as 24 km above the surface of the asteroid. Prior to its encounter with Eros, NEAR flew within 1200 km of the C-class asteroid 253 Mathilde on 27 June 1997. It then flew by the Earth on 23 January 1998. The spacecraft has the shape of an octagonal prism, approximately 1.7 m on a side, with four solar panels and a fixed 1.5 m X-band high-gain radio antenna.
Other Name(s): Near Earth Asteriod Rendezvous, Discover 2, NEAR Shoemaker
| GSFC Link | NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | Additional URL 2 | Image Gallery | |
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| Nimbus B
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 | Launch Date: 05/08/1968
Experimental meteorological satellite.
Other Name(s): Nimbus-B1
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| Nimbus D
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 | Launch Date: 04/08/1970
Stabilized, Earth-oriented platform to test advanced systems for collecting meteorological and geological data.
Other Name(s): Nimbus 4
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| Nimbus E
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 | Launch Date: 12/11/1972
Stabilized, Earth-oriented platform to test advanced systems for collecting meteorological and geological data.
Other Name(s): Nimbus 5
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| Nimbus F
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 | Launch Date: 06/12/1975
To collect meteorological and geological data.
Other Name(s): Nimbus 6
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| Nimbus I
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 | Launch Date: 08/28/1964
Test of atmospheric sensors and data processing techniques. Satellite entered elliptical instead of planned circular orbit due to launch vehicle underperformance.
Other Name(s): Nimbus 1, Nimbus-A
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| Nimbus II
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 | Launch Date: 05/14/1966
Provided global weather photography for meterological research and operational use.
Other Name(s): Nimbus 2, Nimbus-C
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| Nimbus III
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 | Launch Date: 04/14/1969
Provided night and day global meteological measurements from space. Secor(DOD) provided geodetic position determination measurements.
Other Name(s): Nimbus 3, Nimbus-B2
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| Nimbus-G
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 | Launch Date: 10/24/1978
To conduct experiments in pollution monitoring, oceanography, and meteorology.
Other Name(s): Nimbus 7
| GSFC Link | NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | Image Gallery | |
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| NOAA 17
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 | Launch Date: 6/24/2002
This is the latest in a series of weather satellites developed and built by NASA/Goddard and its contractor Locheed Martin Space Systems Compnay. Following testing and commissioning, NOAA M was renamed NOAA 17 and is operated on orbit by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Other Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-M, NOAA M, Advanced TIROS-N (ATN)
| GSFC Link | NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | Image Gallery | |
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| NOAA N
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| Launch Date: 05/20/2005
NOAA-N is the latest polar-orbiting satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA-N will collect information about Earth's atmosphere and environment to improve weather prediction and climate research across the globe.
Other Name(s): NOAA 18
| GSFC Link | NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | Image Gallery | |
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| NOAA B
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 | Launch Date: 05/29/1980
A companion to TIROS N to provide continuous coverage of the Earth and provide high-accuracy worldwide meteorological data. The satellite was renamed NOAA 7 after being declared operational.
Other Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite-B
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| NOAA F
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| Launch Date: 12/12/1984
To provide continupus coverage of the Earth and provide high-accuracy world-wide meteorological data.
Other Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite 9, NOAA 9
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| NOAA E
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| Launch Date: 03/28/1983
This satellite was renamed NOAA 8 after it was declared operational. Was to provide worldwide meteorilogical data
Other Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite 8, NOAA 8
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| NOAA H
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 | Launch Date: 9/24/1988
NOAA-H was launched September 24, 1988. The AVHRR, a primary mission sensor, failed September 13, 1994. Currently, it is in a standby operational mode transmitting global and real-time SAR data directly to local users around the world. The NOAA-H (11) was modified from a 0 degree to 80 degree Sun angle and includes fixed and deployable sunshades on the Instrument Mounting Platform (IMP). It also had the capability to mount a deployable Medium Energy Proton and Electron Dector (MEPED), although that instrument is not aboard. The increase of maximum Sun angle from 68 degree to 80 degree allows an afternoon nodal crossing closer to noon to enhance data collection. The HIRS/2, MSU, and SSU instruments and the power subsystems operate satisfactorily. In September 1994, the AVHRR scan motor failed, leaving the instrument inoperative. In October 1994 the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer/2 (SBUV/2) diffuser failed, however, the instrument continues to collect global ozone data. In April 1995, DTRs 1B and 5A/B failed to operate. Two gyros have failed, and attitude control is being maintained through the use of new reduced gyro flight software. In addition, before the NOAA-D launch, a gyroless flight software package was installed on NOAA-11 which will provide attitude control, at expected reduced accuracy, should the X gyro fail. The satellite was placed in standby mode in March 1995 and was reactivated to provide soundings after a NOAA-12 HIRS filter wheel anomaly in May 1997. The MSU science data is no longer usable, so the instrument was powered off in March 1999.
Other Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite 11, NOAA 11
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| NOAA-14
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| Launch Date: 12/30/1994
To acquire daily global information for short and long term forcasting. Its objectives are to continue the Advanced TIROS-N program by working as a companion with NOAA-10, 11 and 12 in order to provide continuous coverage of the Earth and to provide high-resolution global meteorological data. The spacecraft was rectangularly shaped (166
Other Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite-J, NOAA J, Advanced TIROS-N (ATN), POES
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| NOAA-6
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| Launch Date: 06/27/1979
To provide continuous coverage of the Earth and high-accuracy world-wide meteorological data.
Other Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite-A, NOAA-A
| Project Information | NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| NOAA-C
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| Launch Date: 06/23/1981
To provide continuous coverage of the Earth and provide high-accuracy world wide meteorological data. Renamed NOAA 7 after launch.
Other Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite 7, NOAA 7
| NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| NOAA-G
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| Launch Date: 09/17/1986
NOAA-G was launched September 17, 1986, at 15:52 Z into a 450-nmi morning orbit, and it is currently in a standby operational mode with all of its data transmitters turned off. The HIRS instrument, the real-time SAR, and other subsystems are performing satisfactorily. The ERBE-Scanner exhibited a scan sticking anomaly that is apparently generic to the instrument. The SAR Processor (SARP) 406 MHz receiver has also failed. The SARP was used to provide global SAR data before its failure. In December 1994, the AVHRR IR channels were damaged and remain severely degraded from a satellite tumble caused by an overflow of the satellite's ephemeris clock. NOAA-10 was placed in standby on September 17, 1991 (the date NOAA-12 became fully operational). In January 1997, the MSU scanner displayed anomalous readings. The telemetry indicates that the digital encoder failed. The MSU scanner motor was commanded off in February 1997. A MIRP-related missing minor frame anomaly occurred in August 1998. The HRPT data is unusable due to an unstable MIRP and faulty AVHRR.
Other Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite 10, NOAA 10
| Project Information | NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | |
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| Nozomi
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 | Launch Date: 07/03/1998
This Japanese spacecraft is scheduled to enter orbit around Mars in 2003. GSFC provided the neutral mass spectrometer. Nozomi is designed to precisely measure the martian magnetic field for the first time. Nozomi will investigate the composition and the structure of the atmosphere by using ultraviolet remote-sensing detectors. Also by using a small mass-analyzer, it will be able to show the ionospheric composition. Nozomi investigates the components, the structure, the temperature and plasma waves within the ionosphere with the newly developed detectors. We expect to see a new face of Mars in these particular unobserved regions. A very small on-board camera will be taking pictures of the martian weather and its two companions - Phobos and Dimos. It will show how sandstorms and clouds are generated and also the growth and the decay of the polar icecaps.
Other Name(s): Planet-b
| GSFC Link | NSSDC Link | Additional URL 1 | Image Gallery | |
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