Power Supply, Microwave Sounding Unit

Object Details

Summary: This is a flight spare of the power supply for a Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU), an instrument flown on Tiros meteorological satellites beginning with Tiros-N in 1978.; 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. MSU, manufactured at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 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: Aluminum, plastic, copper
Dimensions: Overall: 8 3/4 in high x 8 1/2 wide in x 13 in. long (22.23 x 21.59 x 33.02 cm); Battery (without fixture): 6 1/2 in high x 7 1/4 in. wide x 10 1/2 in. long (16.51 x 18.42 x 26.67 cm)

National Air and Space Museum

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv939623c6b-8848-4a71-a3ac-8c7d7dcaee24