NASA Logo, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Space Science Data Center Header

Scanning Multispectral Microwave Radiometer (SMMR)

NSSDC ID: 1978-098A-08
Mission Name: Nimbus 7
Principal Investigator: Dr. Per Gloersen

Description

The primary purpose of the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) was to obtain sea surface temperature and near-surface winds under all-weather conditions for developing and testing global ocean circulation models and other aspects of ocean dynamics. Winds, water vapor, liquid-water content, mean cloud droplet size, rainfall rate and sea ice parameters were also determined. Microwave brightness temperatures were observed with a 10-channel (five-frequency dual polarized) scanning radiometer operating at frequencies of 37, 21, 18, 10.69, and 6.6 GHz. Six Dicke-type radiometers were utilized. Those operating at the four longest wavelengths measured alternate polarizations during successive scans of the antenna; the others operated continuously for each polarization. The antenna was a parabolic reflector offset from the nadir by 42 deg. Motion of the antenna reflector provided observations from within a conical volume along the ground track of the spacecraft. The same instrument was flown on SEASAT 1. For a complete description, see Section 8 in "The Nimbus 7 Users' Guide" (TRF B30045), available from NSSDC.

Facts in Brief

Mass: 52.3 kg
Power (avg): 60.0 W
Bit rate (avg): 25.0 bps

Funding Agency

  • NASA-Office of Space Science (United States)

Disciplines

  • Earth Science: Atmospheric Dynamics
  • Earth Science: Physical Oceanography

Additional Information

Questions or comments about this experiment can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office.

 

Personnel

Name Role Original Affiliation E-mail
Dr. Per Gloersen Team Leader NASA Goddard Space Flight Center per@icesat2.gsfc.nasa.gov
Mr. Frank T. Barath Team Member NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory ftbarath@mail3.jpl.nasa.gov
Mr. John C. Alishouse Team Member NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service  
Prof. David H. Staelin Team Member Massachusetts Institute of Technology staelin@ll.mit.edu
Dr. Alfred T. C. Chang Team Member NASA Goddard Space Flight Center achang@rainfall.gsfc.nasa.gov
Dr. Thomas T. Wilheit, Jr. Team Member NASA Goddard Space Flight Center wilheit@tamu.edu
Dr. D. B. Ross Team Member NOAA Environmental Research Laboratories  
Dr. William J. Campbell Team Member US Geological Survey  
Dr. Preben E. Gudmandsen Team Member Technical University of Denmark  
Dr. Rene O. Ramseier Team Member Surveillance Satellite Project  
Dr. Donald J. Cavalieri Team Member NASA Goddard Space Flight Center don@cavalieri.gsfc.nasa.gov
Dr. Ola M. Johannessen Team Member US Naval Postgraduate School  
Mr. E. J. Langham Team Member Canadian Space Agency-Radarsat Project Office  
Prof. Kristina B. Katsaros Team Member University of Washington katsaros@aoml.noaa.gov
Prof. Klaus F. Kunzi Team Member Universitat Bern kunzi@iup.physik.uni-bremen.de
Mr. E. P.L. Windsor Team Member British Air Corporation, Ltd  

Selected References

Gloersen, P., and F. T. Barath, Scanning multichannel microwave radiometer for Nimbus-G and SEASAT-A, IEEE J. Oceanic Eng., OE-2, No. 2, 172-178, Apr. 1977.

Gloersen, P., et al., Summary of results from the first Nimbus 7 SMMR observations, J. Geophys. Res., 89, No. D4, 5335-5344, June 1984.

Gloerson, P., and L. Hardis, The scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) experiment, In--The Nimbus 7 Users' Guide, edited by C.R. Madrid, Management and Technical Services Company, Beltsville, MD, The Landsat/Nimbus Project, NASA/GSFC, p. 213, Aug. 1978.

[USA.gov] NASA Logo - nasa.gov