Terra (satellite)

For other uses, see Terra (disambiguation).
Terra

Terra (EOS AM-1)
Mission type Climate research
Operator NASA
COSPAR ID 1999-068A
SATCAT № 25994
Website terra.nasa.gov
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer NASA
Launch mass 4,864 kilograms (10,723 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date December 18, 1999, 18:57:39 (1999-12-18UTC18:57:39Z) UTC
Rocket Atlas IIAS AC-141
Launch site Vandenberg SLC-3E
Contractor ILS
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime LEO
Semi-major axis 7,077.7 kilometers (4,397.9 mi)
Eccentricity 0.0001463
Perigee 705 kilometers (438 mi)
Apogee 725 kilometers (450 mi)
Inclination 98.1991°
Period 98.8 minutes
RAAN 347.8576 degrees
Argument of perigee 94.9883 degrees
Mean anomaly 265.1483 degrees
Mean motion 14.57127432
Epoch 01 October 2013 11:49:00 UTC

Terra (EOS AM-1) is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit around the Earth.[1] It is the flagship of the Earth Observing System (EOS). The name "Terra" comes from the Latin word for Earth.

Launch

The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 18, 1999, aboard an Atlas IIAS vehicle and began collecting data on February 24, 2000. It was placed into a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705km, with a 10:30am descending node.

Mission

Terra carries a payload of five remote sensors designed to monitor the state of Earth's environment and ongoing changes in its climate system:[2]

Data from the satellite helps scientists better understand the spread of pollution around the globe. Studies have used instruments on Terra to examine trends in global carbon monoxide and aerosol pollution.[6] The data collected by Terra will ultimately become a new, 15-year global data set.

Malicious Cyber Activities

In June and October 2008 the spacecraft was targeted by hackers who gained unauthorized access to its command and control systems but did not issue any commands.[7]

Gallery of images by Terra

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Terra (satellite).

References

  1. "NASA: TERRA (EOS AM-1)". nasa.gov. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  2. Maurer, John (November 2001). "Overview of NASA's Terra satellite". hawaii.edu (University of Hawai'i). Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  3. Stevens, Nicki F.; Garbeil, Harold; Mouginis-Mark, Peter J. (2004-01-22). "NASA EOS Terra ASTER: Volcanic topographic mapping and capability" (PDF). Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  4. "MODIS Terra Satellite Images". ucar.edu(National Center for Atmospheric Research: Earth Observatory Laboratory). Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  5. "MEASUREMENTS OF POLLUTION IN THE TROPOSPHERE (MOPITT)". acd.ucar.edu (NESL's Atmospheric Chemistry Division). Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  6. "NASA's Terra Satellite Tracks Global Pollution". gsfc.nasa.gov (Goddard Space Flight Center). 2004-05-18. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  7. "2011 REPORT TO CONGRESS of the U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION, page 216" (PDF). uscc.gov. Retrieved 2012-10-09.

External links

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