Meteorological Satellite, Microwave Sounding Unit, Tiros N

Object Details

Summary: This is a flight spare of the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU), an instrument flown on Tiros meteorological satellites beginning with Tiros-N in 1978. This MSU (designated Flight Model 8) was built in 1984 by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, but never flew.; The MSU's purpose was to measure the temperature profile of the Earth's atmosphere from the planet's surface to a height of 20 km (12.4 miles). The MSU and other instruments on the Tiros series of satellites data are part of on-going program to gather a range of data on the characteristics of and changes to the Earth's atmosphere over a period of years. MSU data on atmospheric temperatures has contributed to scientific discussions of whether the Earth is experiencing a warming trend.; The last MSU flown in space, launched on the NOAA-14 satellite (part of the Tiros program), in 1994, is still gathering data as of 2007.; The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration transferred this artifact to the Museum in 2004.

Materials: HAZ MAT: Thoriated Magnesium; Aluminum Alloy; Fiberglass or other Reinforced Resin; Adhesive; Uncharacterized Coatings and Metals; Plastics and Epoxy Resin; Electrical Wiring; Copper Alloys; Synthetic Fabrics
Dimensions: 3-D: 72.4 × 54 × 40.3cm (2 ft. 4 1/2 in. × 1 ft. 9 1/4 in. × 1 ft. 3 7/8 in.)

National Air and Space Museum

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv96e29e291-5ada-4894-8138-0e4aa8262fd3