NSSDCA ID: 1975-052A-12
Mission Name: Nimbus 6The Nimbus 6 Temperature-Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR) detected emitted thermal radiation in both the 10.5- to 12.5-micrometer region (IR window) and the 6.5- to 7.0-micrometer region (water vapor). The window channel provided an image of cloud cover and temperatures of the cloud tops, land, and ocean surfaces. The other channel mapped the water vapor distribution in the upper troposphere and the stratosphere. The ground resolution at nadir was 8.2 km for the window channel and 22.5 km for the water vapor channel. Both channels provided day and night global coverage. Sensory data from these two channels were used primarily to support other more sophisticated meteorological experiments onboard Nimbus 6. The instrument consisted of a 12.7-cm Cassegrain system and scanning mirror common to both channels, a beam splitter, filters, and two germanium-immersed thermistor bolometers. In contrast to TV, no image was formed within the radiometer. Incoming radiant energy was collected by a flat scanning mirror inclined at 45 deg to the optical axis. The mirror rotated through 360 deg at 48 rpm and scanned in a plane normal to the spacecraft velocity. The energy was then focused on a dichromatic beam splitter which divided the energy spectrally and spatially into the two channels. Both channels of the THIR sensor transformed the received radiation into electric outputs (voltages), which were recorded on magnetic tape for subsequent playback to a ground acquisition station. For more detailed information, see Section 2 in "The Nimbus 6 User's Guide" (TRF B23261). Daily world montages of the THIR were presented in "The Nimbus 6 Data Catalog" (TRF 26731). Both documents are available from NSSDC. A similar instrument was flown on Nimbus 4, 5 and 7.
Mass: 7.6 kg
Power (avg): 8.2 W
Questions and comments about this experiment can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Mr. Andrew W. McCulloch | Principal Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |