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Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 21 2006, 01:51 AM

Cloud Observing Satellites To Launch 21st April 2006

CALIPSO/CloudSat Mated to Rocket Second Stage

user posted image

Image above: With the transport canister removed, NASA's CALIPSO/
CloudSat spacecraft are mated to the Boeing Delta II second stage in the
mobile service tower on Space Launch Complex 2.
Credit: NASA

CALIPSO/CloudSat Spacecraft and Launch Pad Preparations

04.19.06 -- Workers at Space Launch Complex 2 fueled the Delta II second stage Tuesday for flight with storable hypergolic propellants. Officials also conducted a launch countdown dress rehearsal.

No significant issues or concerns were found during the Flight Readiness Review on Monday. Technicians installed the payload fairing around the two spacecraft on April 14 and are conducting a routine state-of-health check today.

Plans call for the RP-1 fuel, highly refined kerosene, to be loaded on the rocket's first stage on Thursday afternoon. Early that evening, the mobile service tower will be retracted from around the rocket. Liquid oxygen will be loaded into the first stage during the terminal countdown sequence that starts at 4 a.m. EDT Friday. There is currently an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather conditions for launch.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 21 2006, 02:00 AM

Calipso - Spacecraft & Instruments

The CALIPSO payload consists of three co-aligned nadir-viewing instruments; the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), the Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR), and the Wide Field Camera (WFC).

These instruments are designed to operate autonomously and continuously, although the WFC acquires data only under daylight conditions. Science Data are downlinked using an X-band transmitter system which is part of the payload.

[attachmentid=25077]
The physical layout of the payload is shown above.

CALIOP is a two-wavelength polarization-sensitive lidar that provides high-resolution vertical profiles of aerosols and clouds.

CALIOP utilizes three receiver channels: one measuring the 1064 nm backscatter intensity and two channels measuring orthogonally polarized components of the 532 nm backscattered signal. Dual 14-bit digitizers on each channel provide an effective 22-bit dynamic range. The receiver telescope is 1 meter in diameter. A redundant laser transmitter is included in the payload.

An active boresight system is employed to maintain co-alignment between the transmitter and the receiver. Ball Aerospace, Corp , developed the instrument.

The WFC is a modified version of the commercial off-the-shelf Ball Aerosopace CT-633 star tracker camera. It is a fixed, nadir-viewing imager with a single spectral channel covering the 620-270 nm region, selected to match band 1 of the MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on Aqua.

A three-channel IIR is provided by CNES with algorithm development performed by the Institute Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) in Paris.

The IIR a nadir-viewing, non-scanning imager having a 64 km by 64 km swath with a pixel size of 1 km. The CALIOP beam is nominally aligned with the center of the IIR image.

The instrument uses a single microbolometer detecter array, with a rotating filter wheel providing measurements at three channels in the thermal infrared window region at 8.7 mm, 10.5 mm, and 12.0 mm. These wavelengths were selected to optimize joint CALIOP/IIR retrievals of cirrus cloud emissivity and particle size.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 21 2006, 02:06 AM

Calipso - Spacecraft & Instruments

The Cloud Profiling Radar

The Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) is a 94-GHz nadir-looking radar which measures the power backscattered by clouds as a function of distance from the radar. The CPR will be developed jointly by NASA/JPL and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The overall design of the CPR is simple, well understood, and has strong heritage from many cloud radars already in operation in ground-based and airborne applications. Most of the design parameters and subsystem configurations are nearly identical to those for the Airborne Cloud Radar, which has been flying on the NASA DC-8 aircraft since 1998.

user posted image

Image above: NASA's CloudSat spacecraft and its Cloud Profiling Radar use microwave energy to observe cloud particles and determine the mass of water and ice within clouds. Image credit: NASA/JPL.
+ Full image and caption

The design of the CPR is driven by the science objectives. The original requirements on CPR were: sensitivity defined by a minimum detectable reflectivity factor of -30 dBZ, along-track sampling of 2 km, a dynamic range of 70 dB, 500 m vertical resolution and calibration accuracy of 1.5 dB. The minimum detectable reflectivity factor requirement was reduced to -26 dBz when the mission was changed to put CloudSat into a higher orbit for formation flying.

To achieve sufficient cloud detection sensitivity, a relatively low frequency (i.e. <94 GHz) radar would require an enormous antenna and high peak power. At frequencies much greater than 100 GHz, a large antenna and high peak power are also needed due to rapid signal attenuation through cloud absorption. Furthermore, technologies at such high frequencies are less well developed. The 94-GHz frequency chosen by CPR offers the best compromise, meeting performance within the spacecraft resources. In fact, most existing airborne cloud radars operate at 94 GHz. These airborne radars provide extensive heritage for CPR on instrument design and technology, data processing, and retrieval algorithms. A primary frequency allocation of 94 GHz for spaceborne cloud radar sensing has been formally approved at the 1997 World Radio Conference.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 21 2006, 12:03 PM

Launch Scrubbed

Today's attempt to launch the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket has been scrubbed. More information will follow soon…

Today's attempt to launch the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites has been scrubbed due to loss of a vital communications between the Calipso spacecraft and a monitoring link in France. The NASA launch manager has directed his team to reset the launch systems and prepare for another opportunity to launch the mission tomorrow.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist. Liftoff of the flight is scheduled for 6:02 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 2.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 23 2006, 01:27 AM

Launch Attempt Sunday Morning

The CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites are set to launch at 6:02 a.m. EDT on missions to study clouds and aerosols, tiny particles in the air.

Friday's launch attempt from Space Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., was scrubbed at T-48 seconds due to loss of the primary and backup phone communications between the Mission Director Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Space Command in Toulouse, France. It was initially rescheduled for Saturday morning, but that was scrubbed late Friday after it was determined that a refueling aircraft for the radar tracking plane was unavailable.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 23 2006, 09:55 AM

Image above: The CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites are set to launch
from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) on missions to study clouds and
aerosols, tiny particles in the air. CALIPSO and CloudSat are set to fly
into orbit aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The Delta II is designed to
boost medium-sized satellites and robotic explorers into space.
Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"

New Launch Date Under Review

The launch of NASA's CloudSat and CALIPSO mission has been postponed for at least an additional 24 hours. The delay was necessary after it was determined that a refueling aircraft for the radar tracking plane was unavailable Sunday morning. Mission managers continue to confer and are expected to release a launch update later today.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 23 2006, 10:05 PM

Image above: The CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites are set to launch
from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) on missions to study clouds and
aerosols, tiny particles in the air. CALIPSO and CloudSat are set to fly
into orbit aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The Delta II is designed to
boost medium-sized satellites and robotic explorers into space.
Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"

New Launch Date - Tueday, April 25

The launch of NASA's CloudSat and CALIPSO mission has been rescheduled until Tuesday morning after a refueling aircraft for the radar tracking plane was unavailable Sunday morning. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:02 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 2.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 25 2006, 08:54 AM

Image above: The CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites are set to launch
from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) on missions to study clouds and
aerosols, tiny particles in the air. CALIPSO and CloudSat are set to fly
into orbit aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The Delta II is designed to
boost medium-sized satellites and robotic explorers into space.
Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"

Launch Countdown Underway

The launch team has begun pumping liquid oxygen into the Delta II rocket. The liquid oxygen is burned in combination with RP-1 kerosene to power the rocket through the atmosphere and into space. Loading of the fluid takes approximately 75 minutes and will be completed at the T-20 minute mark in the countdown. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:02 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 2.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 25 2006, 10:12 AM

Image above: The CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites sit atop a Boeing
Delta II rocket on the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California.
Photo Credit: NASA

Launch Scrubbed

Today's attempt to launch the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites has been scrubbed due to upper level winds exceeding launch weather criteria.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 25 2006, 12:14 PM

Image: NASA's Mission Director Center in California.
Credit: NASA

Launch Scrubbed

Today's attempt to launch the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites has been scrubbed due to upper level winds exceeding launch weather criteria. NASA launch manager Chuck Dovale has directed his team to reset the launch systems and prepare for another opportunity to launch the mission tomorrow.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 26 2006, 10:06 AM

Credit: NASA

Launch Scrubbed Again This Morning

The launch of CALIPSO/CloudSat aboard a Delta II rocket has been scrubbed again this morning due to poor weather conditions in the Vandenberg Air Force Base area. Launch manager Chuck Dovale has directed his team to reset the launch systems and prepare for another launch attempt tomorrow morning. Tomorrow's outlook improves significantly, with only a 20% chance of violating weather constraints.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 27 2006, 04:10 AM

Credit: NASA

Thursday's Launch Attempt Postponed

The Thursday morning launch of the CALIPSO/CloudSat mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has been postponed at least 24 hours, to no earlier than Friday morning, April 28, at 6:02 a.m. EDT. Engineers and mission managers are assessing a suspect temperature sensor on the Boeing Delta II rocket's second stage that may require replacement. A decision is expected later tonight if that replacement work will proceed, and whether it will require more than one day to complete.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 28 2006, 10:09 AM

Image above: The CALIPSO/CloudSat satellites on the launch pad atop
the Delta II rocket at Vandenberg AFB, Cal.
Photo credit: NASA

Launch Team is Ready for Launch

NASA Launch Manager Chuck Dovale polls his team of engineers a final time to see if they're ready to launch CALIPSO and CloudSat. All team members indicated a "go" for launch. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:02 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 2.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 28 2006, 10:11 AM

Image above: The launch of CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites from
Vandenberg AFB, Cal.
Photo credit: NASA

Launch Success!!!

CALIPSO and CloudSat launched! At approx. 6:02 a.m. EDT, the Delta II rocket carrying the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites soared into space from the California coastline.

Deployment of the two satellites into a temporary "parking" orbit 432 miles above Earth is set to begin approximately one hour from liftoff. Sitting in the rocket's forward most position, CALIPSO will be released first at the 62-minute mark. CloudSat's deployment will follow 35 minutes later.

CALIPSO and CloudSat are flying into space aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 28 2006, 11:46 AM

Image above: The launch of CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites from
Vandenberg AFB, Cal.
Photo credit: NASA

Launch Success!!!

CALIPSO and CloudSat launched! At approx. 6:02 a.m. EDT, the Delta II rocket carrying the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites soared into space from the California coastline.

And we have spacecraft separation! The CALIPSO spacecraft has begun its mission to probe the vertical structure and properties of thin clouds and aerosols all over the globe. CloudSat separation is expected in about half an hour.

CALIPSO and CloudSat were launched aboard the swift and dependable Boeing Delta II rocket. With more than 300 successful flights, the dual-stage Delta II is NASA's medium-size payload specialist.

Sources: NASA - Missions - CALIPSO, NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 28 2006, 12:52 PM

NASA Launches Satellites for Weather, Climate, Air-Quality Studies

The press release is reproduced below:

April 28, 2006

Erica Hupp/Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
(202) 358-1237/0668

Alan Buis (CloudSat)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(818) 354-0474

Chris Rink (CALIPSO)
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
(757) 864-6786

RELEASE: 06-190

NASA Launches Satellites for Weather, Climate, Air-Quality Studies

Two NASA satellites were launched today from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on missions to reveal the inner secrets of clouds and aerosols, tiny particles suspended in the air.

CloudSat and CALIPSO ― Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations ― thundered skyward at 6:02 a.m. EDT atop a Boeing Delta II rocket. The two satellites will eventually circle approximately 438 miles above Earth in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, which means they will always cross the equator at the same local time. Their technologies will enable scientists to study how clouds and aerosols form, evolve and interact.

"Clouds are a critical but poorly understood element of our climate," said Graeme Stephens, CloudSat principal investigator and a professor at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo. "They shape the energy distribution of our climate system and our planet's massive water cycle, which delivers the freshwater we drink that sustains all life."

"With the successful launch of CloudSat and CALIPSO we take a giant step forward in our ability to study the global atmosphere," said CALIPSO Principal Investigator David Winker of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. "In the years to come, we expect these missions to spark many new insights into the workings of Earth's climate and improve our abilities to forecast weather and predict climate change."

Each spacecraft will transmit pulses of energy and measure the portion of the pulses scattered back to the satellite. CloudSat's Cloud-Profiling Radar is more than 1,000 times more sensitive than typical weather radar. It can detect clouds and distinguish between cloud particles and precipitation. CALIPSO's polarization lidar can detect aerosol particles and distinguish between aerosol and cloud particles. Lidar, similar in principle to radar, uses reflected light to determine the characteristics of the target area.

Sixty-two minutes after liftoff, CALIPSO separated from the rocket's second stage. CloudSat followed 35 minutes later. Ground controllers successfully acquired signals from both spacecraft, and initial telemetry reports show both to be in excellent health. Over the next six weeks, system and instrument checks will be performed, and the satellites will maneuver into their final orbits.

The satellites will fly in formation as members of NASA's "A-Train" constellation, which also includes NASA's Aqua and Aura satellites and a French satellite known as PARASOL, for Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences coupled with Observations from a Lidar. The satellite data will be more useful when combined, providing insights into the global distribution and evolution of clouds to improve weather forecasting and climate prediction. For more information about CloudSat and CALIPSO, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/cloudsat

and

http://www.nasa.gov/calipso

CloudSat is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. JPL also developed the radar instrument with hardware contributions from the Canadian Space Agency. Colorado State University provides scientific leadership and science data processing and distribution. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo., designed and built the spacecraft. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Department of Energy contributed resources. U.S. and international universities and research centers support the mission science team.

CALIPSO is collaboration between NASA and France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Langley is leading the CALIPSO mission and providing overall project management, systems engineering, and payload mission operations. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., provides support for system engineering, project and program management. CNES is providing a PROTEUS spacecraft developed by Alcatel Space, a radiometer instrument, and spacecraft mission operations. Hampton University, Hampton, Va., is providing scientific contributions and managing the outreach program. Ball Aerospace developed the lidar and on-board visible camera.

NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. procured the mission's launch and provided the management for the mission’s launch service.

- end -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: NASA Press Release 06-190

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 28 2006, 05:45 PM

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. – CloudSat and CALIPSO ¯ Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations ¯ thunders skyward after launch at approximately 6:02 a.m. EDT atop a Boeing Delta II rocket. The two satellites will eventually circle approximately 438 miles above Earth in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, which means they will always cross the equator at the same local time. Their technologies will enable scientists to study how clouds and aerosols form, evolve and interact. CloudSat is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, Calif. JPL developed the radar instrument with hardware contributions from the Canadian Space Agency. CALIPSO is collaboration between NASA and France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Langley Research Center, in Hampton, Va., is leading the CALIPSO mission and providing overall project management, systems engineering, and payload mission operations. Photo credit: Boeing/Thom Baur

Source: Kennedy Space Center - Media Gallery

Waspie_Dwarf

Jun 7 2006, 02:01 AM

First Images From NASA's CloudSat Have Scientists Sky High

The press release is reproduced below:

June 6, 2006

Erica Hupp/Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1237/1726

Alan Buis
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-0474

Emily Wilmsen
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.
970-491-2336

RELEASE: 06-234

First Images From NASA's CloudSat Have Scientists Sky High

The first images from NASA's new CloudSat satellite are already revealing never-before-seen 3-D details about clouds.

Mission managers tested the flight and ground system performance of the satellite's Cloud-Profiling Radar in late May, and found it to be working perfectly. The satellite's first images may be viewed at:

http://www.nasa.gov/cloudsat

"CloudSat's radar performed flawlessly, and although the data are still very preliminary, it provided breathtaking new views of the weather on our planet," said Graeme Stephens, CloudSat principal investigator and a professor at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo. "All major cloud system types were observed, and the radar demonstrated its ability to penetrate through almost all but the heaviest rainfall.

"We have now begun continuous radar operations, and we look forward to releasing our first validated data to the science community within nine months, hopefully sooner," Stephens said.

Just 30 seconds after radar activation, CloudSat obtained its first image - a slice of the atmosphere from the top to the surface of a warm storm front over the North Sea in the North Atlantic approaching Greenland. Unlike other satellite observations, the CloudSat radar image shows the storm's clouds and precipitation simultaneously. The front's warm air can be seen rising over colder air, with precipitation below.

The remaining orbits of the test recorded unique observations of other weather types on a scale never seen before. The radar obtained first-time observations of clouds and snow storms over the Antarctic. Until now, clouds have been hard to observe in polar regions using satellite remote sensing, particularly during the polar night season. The CloudSat observations also provided new views of sloping, frontal clouds and thunderstorms over Africa, both as individual storms and as part of larger tropical storm systems.

"We're seeing the atmosphere as we've never seen it before," said Deborah Vane, CloudSat deputy principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif. "We're no longer looking at clouds like images on a flat piece of paper, but instead we're peering into the clouds and seeing their layered complexity."

The first-ever millimeter wavelength radar, CloudSat's Cloud-Profiling Radar is more than 1,000 times more sensitive than typical weather radar. It can observe clouds and precipitation in a way never before possible, distinguishing between cloud particles and precipitation. Its measurements are expected to offer new insights into how fresh water is created from water vapor and how much of this water falls to the surface as rain and snow.

CloudSat was launched April 28 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., along with NASA's Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations satellite. Both satellites will orbit 438 miles above Earth aboard NASA's "A-Train" constellation of five Earth Observing System satellites. The A-Train satellites will work together to provide new insights into the global distribution and evolution of clouds to improve weather forecasting and climate prediction.

CloudSat is managed by JPL, which developed the radar instrument with hardware contributions from the Canadian Space Agency. Colorado State University provides scientific leadership and science data processing and distribution. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo., designed and built the spacecraft. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Department of Energy contributed resources. U.S. and international universities and research centers support the mission science team.

For more information on CloudSat on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/cloudsat

- end -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: NASA Release 06-234

Waspie_Dwarf

Jun 7 2006, 02:06 AM

Warm Front Storm Over the Norwegian Sea
06.06.06

user posted image

CloudSat's first image, of a warm front storm over the Norwegian Sea, was obtained on May 20, 2006. In this horizontal cross-section of clouds, warm air is seen rising over colder air as the satellite travels from right to left. The red colors are indicative of highly reflective particles such as water droplets (or rain) or larger ice crystals (or snow), while the blue indicates thinner clouds (such as cirrus). The flat green/blue lines across the bottom represent the ground signal. The vertical scale on the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar image is approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles). The blue line below the Cloud Profiling Radar image indicates that the data were taken over water. The inset image shows the CloudSat track relative to a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) infrared image taken at nearly the same time.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), Colorado State University

+ High resolution image

Source: NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Jun 7 2006, 02:08 AM

Tropical Thunderstorms Over Africa
06.06.06

user posted image

CloudSat image of a horizontal cross-section of tropical clouds and thunderstorms over east Africa. The red colors are indicative of highly reflective particles such as water (rain) or ice crystals, which the blue indicates thinner clouds (such as cirrus). The flat green/blue lines across the bottom represent the ground signal. The vertical scale on the CloudS at Cloud Profiling Radar image is approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles). The brown line below the image indicates the relative elevation of the land surface. The inset image shows the CloudSat track relative to a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) visible image taken at nearly the same time.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), Colorado State University

+ High resolution image

Source: NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Jun 7 2006, 02:11 AM

Polar Night Storm Near Antarctica
06.06.06

user posted image

CloudSat image of a horizontal cross-section of a polar night storm near Antarctica. Until now, clouds have been hard to observe in polar regions using remote sensing, particularly during the polar winter or night season. The red colors are indicative of highly reflective particles such as water (rain) or ice crystals, while the blue indicates thinner clouds (such as cirrus). The flat green/blue lines across the bottom represent the ground signal. The vertical scale on the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar image is approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles). The blue line below the Cloud Profiling Radar image indicates that the data were taken over water; the brown line below the image indicates the relative elevation of the land surface. The inset image shows the CloudSat track relative to a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) infrared image taken at nearly the same time.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), Colorado State University

+ High resolution image

Source: NASA - Missions - CloudSat

Waspie_Dwarf

Apr 28 2007, 03:37 AM

CLOUDSAT, WORLD’S MOST SENSITIVE CLOUD-PROFILING RADAR IN ORBIT, CELEBRATES ONE YEAR ABOVE EARTH

The Colorado State University press release is reproduced below:

For Immediate Release
Friday, April 27, 2007

FORT COLLINS - CloudSat, a satellite mission conceived by Colorado State University scientist Graeme Stephens, will celebrate its first anniversary on Saturday as the world's most sensitive cloud-profiling radar in orbit.

Since launching 438 miles above Earth on April 28, 2006, CloudSat has made 5,307 orbits around the Earth, snapped 162 million vertical profiles of clouds and distributed more than 6 terabytes of data to the international science community, according to the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, or CIRA, which is based at Colorado State and is responsible for the satellite's data collection.

In this mission, Stephens, a University Distinguished Professor in atmospheric science, provides the scientific guidance and is responsible for the mission's success while NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages and implements the mission. CloudSat is one of only three principal investigator-led Earth science missions launched or about to be launched by NASA and is one of the very few Earth missions that has had such university leadership.

Other partners include Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., which built the spacecraft for the CloudSat mission, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Air Force and the Canadian Space Agency.

CloudSat is the first radar to look vertically at the characteristics of clouds, particularly water and ice content that could someday help scientists better predict weather patterns and climate changes. Researchers around the world will benefit from the radar's data about cloud processes. In addition to improving weather forecasting, the data will help scientists understand how clouds determine Earth's energy balance, thus increasing the accuracy of severe storm warnings, improving water resource management and developing more advanced radar technology.

During the expected 22-month duration of the mission, CIRA will process and store about 12 terabytes of data. A terabyte is one million megabytes - a megabyte has enough disk storage to hold about 20,000 average-sized e-mail messages.

The CloudSat spacecraft is flying in orbital formation as part of a constellation of satellites, including NASA's Aqua and Aura satellites, the French Space Agency (CNES) PARASOL satellite and the NASA-CNES CALIPSO satellite. This is the first time that five research satellites are flying together in formation.

Source: CSU press release

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