Sep 4 1980
From The Space Library
NASA issued a prelaunch summary of the GOES-D mission, sixth of a series designed for continuous cloud-cover observation from synchronous orbit. The program had two prototypes (Sms 1 and Sms 2) developed by NASA and follow-on craft (GOES-A through GOES-F), funded by NOAA of the DOC. The NOAA-Funded craft were designated Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES).
Since the Sms 1 launch in May 1974, the satellites had continuously viewed Western Hemisphere weather patterns and relayed video scenes from orbit as part of everyday television weather reports. The reports five were produced by Ford Aerospace; GOES-D, GOES-E, and GOES-F would be from Hughes Aerospace.
The primary instrument on previous craft was a visible/infrared spin-scan radiometer with one visible and one infrared channel. GOES-D would be the first of three carrying a modified VISSR sounding the atmosphere in 12 infrared bands, acquiring temperature and moisture data profiles at various levels.
NOAA's National Environmental Satellite Service (NESS) program required two operating satellites at all times to cover Atlantic and Pacific ocean approaches, as well as the American landmass. Sms 2 launched in 1975 and Goes 3 launched in June 1978 were covering east and west stations, respectively; Sms 1 and Goes 1 and Goes 2, none fully functional, were on operational standby. GOES-D, initially located at 90°W for a demonstration of the atmospheric sounder, would later be located either east or west depending on operating need. Should one of the operating craft fail before the demonstration ended, NASA would configure a time-sharing operating mode to continue coverage. (NASA MOR E-612-80-02 [prelaunch summary], Sept 4180)
NASA announced that JPL's Dr. Stephen P. Synnott, the Voyager project navigator who discovered a 15th moon of Jupiter [see May 6], had done it again: searching through Voyager photographs taken in 1979 to confirm discovery of a 14th satellite, he discovered a 16th. The new find was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) in diameter and circled the planet every 7 hours, 4 minutes, 30 seconds. the same process had located the 15th satellite, found by Synnott in March 1980; at that time, he thought he was confirming an earlier sighting of a 14th moon because they had similar sizes and orbits. But, upon comparing data from Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, Synnott found that "the object I was looking at was on the opposite side of the planet-it couldn't be J14, so it had to be a new one." Before Voyager 1 reached Saturn the planet was believed to have 13 moons; a 14th (the one Synnott was trying to confirm) had been seen in October 1979. (NASA Release 90-139)
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