Origin of DMSP 1.9-second flashes
Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Sat, 06 Sep 1997 15:15:42 -0500
Tristan Cools <tcools@nic.INbe.net> asked regarding 1.9-second period
flashes exhibited by more than one DMSP satellite:
>Any idea were those flashes are comming from ?
>
>I have checked the PPAS database and found two other DMSP Block 5D--2
>satellites with the same flash period of 1.9s:
I believe that I have found the answer. This is from the "Defense
Meteorological Satellite Program Technical Review" at:
http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/EBB/pubs/sympos/symp2.html
> "2. DMSP ELECTRO-OPTICAL AND MICROWAVE SENSORS"
>
> "2.2. Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/1) - The SSM/I instrument
> measures the microwave radiation from the earth's atmosphere and
> surface. ...
>
> ... All satellites through S-15 will fly a microwave imager, except
> for F-9. ... The sensor conically scans the earth at a rate of
> 31.9 scans/minute.
>
> ...
>
> The SSMIS has a two point (hot and cold load) calibration, taken once
> each scan of 1.9 seconds in all 24 channels.
The satellites are 3-axis stabilized, so apparently we're seeing
reflections off a rotating scanning mechanism!
Ed Cannon
Austin, Texas, USA
30.3086N, 97.7279W, 165m