NPP Satellite in Cleanroom (image: noaa.gov)
NASA’s NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite, will blast off from Vendenberg Air Force Base, Friday, Oct 28. 2011. Naturally, the only reason anyone would put a sophisticated instrument like this into orbit is to improve the fidelity of snowfall forecast modeling for local skicentric meteorologists. (The best: tahoeweatherdiscussion.com)
Even so, the new satellite will have a few other data customers as well.
NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) operates the satellites and manages the processing and distribution of the millions of bits of data and images theses satellites produce daily. The primary customer is NOAA’s National Weather Service, which uses satellite data to create forecasts for the public, television, radio, and weather advisory services. Satellite information is also shared with various Federal agencies, such as the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Defense, and Transportation; with other countries, such as Japan, India, and Russia, and members of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the United Kingdom Meteorological Office; and with the private sector.
NOAA Satelite Information Service
The NPP satellite will be packed into the nose of a Delta II rocket and launched into orbit around the earth.
Successful Delta II Rocket Launch from Vandenburg AFB (image wn.com)
Delta II Launch from Vandenberg; showing rocket trajectory (image: air_and_space.com)
The NPP Satellite carries significant advances in instrumentation.
Five primary sensors:
- Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS)
- Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS)
- Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES)
- Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS); and the
- Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS)
In addition to its core mission of weather and climate observations, the NPP satellite will be able to track ash plumes from volcanic eruptions, help emergency responders fight wildfires, monitor changes in arctic sea ice, monitor changes in Ozone levels, track changes in the abundance and productivity of phytoplankton, monitor water quality, and aid bloggers in forecasting powder days.
(NPP program description)
In general, there are two types of satellites. Those that orbit around the Earth’s poles in a longitudinal path (polar-orbit), and those that orbit around the equator. (The NPP Satellite will follow a polar-orbit)
Polar-orbiting satellites allow the earth to rotate beneath them while they do laps, imaging sectional slices of the earth.
Satellites orbiting on an equatorial path do so at much higher altitudes, usually matching the sidereal rotation of the Earth, allowing them to remain focused on one position below. These are known as geostationary orbits. Satellites at such an altitude have a full disc view of the planet. A satellite may also travel a non-equatorial geosynchronous path.
(Example of a polar orbit similar to that of the NPP Satellite)
At an altitude of 512 miles high, the NPP satellite will orbit the earth once every 102 minutes. Think about that. If you’re 512 miles up you’ve got a circumnavigational flight path with a radius of ≈4471 mi. Which gives you a distance per Earth lap of 28,092 miles.
C = 2πr = 2(3.14)(4471 mi) = 28,092 miles
If you cover that in 102 minutes you get 28,092 mi/102 min = 275 miles per minute or 16,525 mph! That’s fast!
(Delta II Rocket launch from Cape Canaveral)
The “N” in NPP stands for NPOESS. NPOESS stands for “National Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite System.” The NPOESS was intended as a replacement for both the DOD’s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and the NOAA Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) series.
The NPP or (NPOESS Preparatory Project) program, which was intended to bridge the gap between old and new satellite monitoring systems, was originally scheduled to launch back in 2005. The NPP program encountered a number of problems and was reviewed (postponed). The new date for launch is now this Friday, Oct. 28th, just in time for it to serve its function as a transitional data source in preparation for the launch of the first NPOESS satellite “C1″ or “Charlie 1″ sometime in 2013.
However, the White House announced on February 1, 2010 that the NPOESS satellite partnership was to be dissolved. (Yes, this is all accurate, don’t ask me why they kept the acronym “NPP” for the satellite launching this Friday). Instead, two separate lines of polar-orbiting satellites to serve military and civilian users are being pursued.
- The NOAA/NASA portion is called the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS).
- The Defense department’s portion is called DWSS (Defense Weather Satellite System)
…I know right? WTF!?
GOD I LOVE NASA
GILN2 (the “N” in GILN2 stands for “NASA”)
It’s a NOAA satellite
Wake me up when they launch a satellite that can “create” weather
Silver nitrate launched into the clouds over utah, thats how vail does it.
Saw one of those rockets launched from Lompoc blow up over Goleta once. The thing lit up and then created this very bright light that glowed in the sky for at least a minute. everyone on the beach just starred and waited for the world to end or for aliens to land or something.
That’s only a couple hour boat ride away… maybe I’ll go watch the launch! (Especially if it might self destructs over Goleta!)
I’m pretty sure it happened in 2003. One of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. Plasma ball in the sky.
This article kind of made my brain hurt. What new information does this satellite have to offer? How will it help in forecasting powder days, exactly?
Haha, made my brain hurt too, I was poking fun at that in the last few sentences. I’ll see if I can find some specifics for you but I think the most important thing to note with a satellite like this is that it will provide continued information even if it is not providing “new” forms of info (although I believe this Sat is). Whenever you are trying to evaluate trends and generate forecasting models, the best thing you can have is a record of the past. I’ve done some work as a hydrologic modeler and the worst thing you ever encounter is a period in the data record when people stopped recording due to financing, equipment failure, or other reasons. Equipment has a lifespan and technology continues to improve. The sensor/image resolution on this satellite will be higher, the processing power, energy efficiency, software etc… will all have improved. I’m sure the quality of the data will be much better, but more importantly, we’ll have another source for a continuing data record.
A satellite like this will generally improve meteorological models. Who knows if it will directly assist in powder day forecasts. Honestly, I hope the powder day forecasts remain a little vague on occasion. The days when nobody expects it to be good, and it is good, are still usually the best days.
By the way, I totally agree that ski movies need more story.
John,
Thanks for your response to my comment. Your answer makes sense. We need to continually upgrade the weather forecasting systems available to us. I live near Seattle, and we just got a dual-pol radar that will help to fill a shadow in tracking precip. That shadow just happened to surround Crystal Mountain, where I work and play. Now, it will be easier to see when the storm is going to hit. But most importantly, I can watch the snowy Doppler specks headed my way.
Granted, I hear you about predicting snow days. Still, skiers are stuck in the “old model”–wait for the storm to blow through, then go skiing the next day, when the weather settles out and hope for bluebird. That’s great until you realize that everyone else has the same plan. Better to be there in the midst of the storm, bury your chin in your collar and let it rage. Best days ever.
Now this is great investigative blogging. I love weather geeky stuff and skiing. Bring it on – makes my brain happy! Acronynms rock.
Plus, pacific weather forecasting is still kind of a joke. You only know for real when it shows up! Hope this technology will help.