Caltech Seatrak
From Wiki
| Northern Hemisphere | Southern Hemisphere |
|---|---|
| Base Plate | |
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| Orbits/Day | |
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| SAR | |
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| SASS | |
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| SMMR | |
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| VIRR | |
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| USB AZ-EL | |
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| EL LOCI | |
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| Sun Rise/Set/Shadow | |
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California Institute of Technology Seatrak Satellite Tracking Calculator
- Type: Circular Custom
- Size: 10 x 10 inches / 25 x 25 cm
- Material: Polyvinyl
SEASAT 1 (also known as SEASAT A) was launched in 1978 and was the first satellite dedicated to oceanographic research. It lasted 105 days in orbit before a power failure shut it down. As it had no internal storage, data were only available for the times the satellite was in view of an earth station. Despite these obstacles, SEASAT 1 collected more data than had been collected in a century of shipboard research.
The present device was used to predict satellite passes and to relate collected data to the planetary positions the data were collected from.
SEASAT 1 had a number of sensors, each of which has a plate dedicated to it:
- SAR: Synthetic Aperature Radar; measured surface waves, internal waves, currents, upwelling, shoals, sea ice, wind, and rainfall, and provided a first global view of ocean circulation. (Plate 2)
- SASS: SEASAT A Scatterometer System; used a radar backscatter technique to measure winds at the sea surface. (Plate 3)
- SMMR: Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer; used reflected microwave radiation to measure sea surface temperatures, wind speeds, rain rate, atmospheric water content and ice conditions. (Plate 4)
- VIRR: Visible and Infrared Radiometer; measured visual reflection and thermal infrared emission from oceanic, coastal, and atmospheric features by way of calibrating the readings of the other sensors. (Plate 5)
The northern and southern hemispheres has their own sets of plates. The base chart plate for each hemisphere is labelled "POLAR ICE FIELD LIMITS" but no such markings are apparent on the plates. Plate 1 was a daily orbit pass diagram. Plate 6 depicts the locations of the earth stations, and provides a schematic of the areas of ocean that data were received from. Plate 7 depicts elevation loci for a pass, showing the portion of Earth that was covered by the pass, and allowing estimates of the satellite's maximum altitude at a given location. Plate 8 is used to predict sunrise and sunset and the times the satellite would be in shadow. Missing southern hemisphere plate 6 and any instructions. In soft vinyl case, 12 x 12 inches (30 x 30 cm):
