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Platforms > Space-based Platforms > Earth Observation Satellites > Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) > ESSA-4

Preferred term

ESSA-4  

Definition

  • The ESSA-4 satellite replaced ESSA-2 and provided direct readout cloud-cover photography to ground stations worldwide using APT. The spacecraft was an 18-sided polygon, 42 inches in diameter, 22 inches high and weighed 290 pounds; it was made of aluminum alloy and stainless steel, then covered with 9100 solar cells. The solar cells served to charge the 63 nickel-cadmium batteries. The two cameras were mounted 180-degrees opposite each other along the side of the cylindrical craft. The "cartwheel" configuration of the TIROS-9 was selected as the orbital configuration of the ESSA satellites. Therefore, a camera could be pointed at some point on Earth every time the satellite rotated along its axis. The spacecraft operating system was the same as on the TIROS-9. The craft was placed in its planned Sun-synchronous 101-degree inclination retrograde orbit. The APT system was designed to transmit an image every 352 seconds, each photo covering a 2000-square mile area with 2-mile resolution. ESSA-4 was able to transmit two to three images daily to individual ground stations regardless of their location. ESSA-4 Stats: Launch Date: January 26, 1967 Operational Period: 465 days until deactivated by NASA on May 5, 1968 Launch Vehicle: Thrust Augmented Three-Stage Delta Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA Type: Weather Satellite (en)

Broader concept

Entry terms

  • TOS-B (en)

Change note

  • 2018-10-30 11:44:06.0 [sritz] Insert Concept add broader relation (ESSA-4 [50992afe-f79e-47fc-a1a2-126dc2c42c9a,368199] - ESSA [65cb3e7c-d4d8-46df-a5fc-aec63e58e8df,345109]);
  • 2018-10-30 13:02:05.0 [sritz] insert Definition (id: null text: The ESSA-4 satellite replaced ESSA-2 and provided direct readout cloud-cover photography to ground stations worldwide using APT. The spacecraft was an 18-sided polygon, 42 inches in diameter, 22 inches high and weighed 290 pounds; it was made of aluminum alloy and stainless steel, then covered with 9100 solar cells. The solar cells served to charge the 63 nickel-cadmium batteries. The two cameras were mounted 180-degrees opposite each other along the side of the cylindrical craft. The "cartwheel" configuration of the TIROS-9 was selected as the orbital configuration of the ESSA satellites. Therefore, a camera could be pointed at some point on Earth every time the satellite rotated along its axis. The spacecraft operating system was the same as on the TIROS-9. The craft was placed in its planned Sun-synchronous 101-degree inclination retrograde orbit. The APT system was designed to transmit an image every 352 seconds, each photo covering a 2000-square mile area with 2-mile resolution. ESSA-4 was able to transmit two to three images daily to individual ground stations regardless of their location. ESSA-4 Stats: Launch Date: January 26, 1967 Operational Period: 465 days until deactivated by NASA on May 5, 1968 Launch Vehicle: Thrust Augmented Three-Stage Delta Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA Type: Weather Satellite language code: en);
  • 2018-11-14 10:37:44.0 [sritz] insert AltLabel (id: null category: primary text: Environmental Science Services Administration 4 language code: en);
  • 2018-11-14 10:38:47.0 [sritz] update AltLabel (Environmental Science Services Administration Satellite 4);
  • 2018-11-14 10:41:57.0 [sritz] insert AltLabel (id: null category: null text: TOS-B language code: en);

URI

https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/50992afe-f79e-47fc-a1a2-126dc2c42c9a

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