NSSDCA ID: 1990-090A-01
Mission Name: STS 41/SSBUV02The objective of the second Shuttle SBUV experiment (SSBUV) was to permit in-space calibration procedures in order to assess the degree of calibration drift with coincident SBUV/2 measurements on-board the NOAA polar orbiters and to obtain correlative measurements of ozone parameters. The instrument measured solar irradiance and radiation backscattered from the Earth's atmosphere in twelve discrete ultraviolet wavelength channels. These measurements were used to determine the vertical distribution of ozone in the atmosphere. The instrument is similar to the SBUV/2 with the exception of the following: (1) a transmission diffuser to transmit sunlight to the sensor module, (2) solar and nadir aspect sensors to measure the instrument inclination toward the Sun and Earth during observations, and (3) an in-flight calibration system to perform instrument calibration checks and account for calibration drift. The instrument consists of two cannisters: (1) an instrument cannister to hold the aspect sensors and in-flight calibration system, and (2) a support cannister which contains the power system, data storage, and command decoders. The in-flight calibration system consists of an array of halogen, deuterium, and mercury lamps to provide a stable UV light source and perform on-board wavelength and radiometric calibration checks.
Questions and comments about this experiment can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Mr. Ernest Hilsenrath | Principal Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | hilsen@ssbuv.gsfc.nasa.gov |