{"id":7255,"date":"2010-02-01T08:46:00","date_gmt":"2010-02-01T08:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/euvolution.com\/futurist-transhuman-news-blog\/next-generation-weatherenvironmental-satellite-marks-major-milestone\/"},"modified":"2010-02-01T08:46:00","modified_gmt":"2010-02-01T08:46:00","slug":"next-generation-weatherenvironmental-satellite-marks-major-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.euvolution.com\/futurist-transhuman-news-blog\/space-station\/next-generation-weatherenvironmental-satellite-marks-major-milestone.php","title":{"rendered":"Next Generation Weather\/Environmental Satellite Marks Major Milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>The development of a new series of weather and environmental monitoring satellites has marked a significant milestone with the delivery and the beginning of <\/span>spacecraft integration<\/span> efforts for a key science instrument.
<\/span><\/div>

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite<\/span> (VIIRS<\/span>) will be one of five instruments to fly on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System<\/span> (NPOESS<\/span>) Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft<\/span>. VIIRS <\/span>is regarded as a key component in NPP<\/span>’s suite of instruments because it will provide highly detailed imagery of clouds, vegetation, snow cover, dust storms, sea surface temperature and other environmental phenomena.

NPP <\/span>is a joint mission to extend the time series environmental data records initiated with NASA’s Earth Observing System<\/span>, including measurements made by the Terra, Aqua, and Aura satellites, and to provide risk reduction for NPOESS <\/span>instruments, algorithms, ground data processing, archive, and distribution prior to the launch of the first NPOESS spacecraft<\/span>.<\/p>

\"The delivery of the VIIRS <\/span>instrument marks a long awaited and huge step towards completing the integration of the NPP mission<\/span>. VIIRS <\/span>will be the fourth flight instrument integrated onto the NPP spacecraft,<\/span> only the CrIS instrument remains,\" said Ken Schwer<\/span>, NPP Project Manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center <\/span>in Greenbelt, Md.<\/p>

The Raytheon Corporation<\/span>, El Segundo, Calif. built VIIRS <\/span>under contract to the NPOESS prime contractor<\/span>, Northrop Grumman. The ITT Corporation, Fort Wayne, IN is building CrIS <\/span>also under contract to the NPOESS prime contractor, Northrop Grumman. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. under contract to the NASA<\/a> Goddard Space Flight Center <\/span>built the NPP spacecraft and is performing the integration and checkout of the NPP spacecraft<\/span>.<\/p>

NPP <\/span>is scheduled for launch in Fall 2011 aboard a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.<\/p>

The NPP Project<\/span> is a joint effort of the NPOESS Integrated Program Office<\/span> (IPO<\/span>), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/span> (NOAA<\/span>) and NASA<\/span>. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center <\/span>manages the NPP mission on behalf of the Earth Science<\/span> Division of the Science Mission<\/span> Directorate at NASA Headquarters<\/span>.<\/p>

NPOESS <\/span>represents the next-generation low-Earth orbiting weather and climate monitoring satellites that will provide operational and long-term weather and climate data for both military and civilian use for the next two decades.<\/p>

The NPOESS <\/span>will collect a massive amount of very precise earth surface<\/span>, atmospheric <\/span>and space environmental<\/span> measurements from a variety of on-board sensors. This volume of data will allow scientists and forecasters to monitor and predict weather patterns with greater speed and accuracy.<\/p>

Related Links:<\/b><\/p>

› More information about NPOESS<\/a>
› NOAA's NPOESS site<\/a><\/p>

<\/p><\/span> <\/div>

View my blog's last three great articles....<\/span><\/span><\/div>