| Instrument: SSM/T : Special Sensor Microwave/Temperature |
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Associated Platforms DMSP 5D-3/F16 DMSP 5D-3/F15 DMSP 5D-2/F14 DMSP 5D-2/F13 DMSP 5D-2/F12 DMSP 5D-2/F11 DMSP 5D-2/F10 DMSP 5D-2/F8 DMSP 5D-2/F7 DMSP 5D-1/F4 Spectral/Frequency Information Wavelength Keyword: Microwave Spectral/Frequency Coverage/Range: 50.5, 53.2, 54.35, 54.9, 58.4, 58.825, and 59.4 GHz Related Data Sets View all records related to this instrument Description [Source: National Space Science Data Center, http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/experimentDisplay.do?id=1990-105A-02 ] The microwave temperature sounder, SSM/T, is a seven-channel scanning radiometer which measures radiation in the 5- to 6-mm wavelength (50- to 60-GHz) region (specifically 50.5, 53.2, 54.35, 54.9, 58.4, 58.825, and 59.4 GHz) to provide data on vertical temperatures from the earth's surface to above 30 km. The SSM/T operates in the absorption band of molecular oxygen. By choosing frequencies with different absorption coefficients on the wing of the oxygen absorption band, a series of weighting functions peaking at preselected altitudes is obtained. The radiometer scans across the nadir track on seven scan positions and two calibration positions (cold sky and 300 deg K). The dwell time for the crosstrack and calibration positions is 2.7 s each. The total scan period is 32 s. The instrument has an instantaneous field of view of 12 deg and scans plus or minus 36 deg from nadir. Online Resources http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp/sensors/ssmt.html Instrument Logistics Instrument Owner: Department of Defense-Department of the Air Force (United States) |
