Model of Envisat

The Envisat (Environmental Satellite) satellite is an Earth-observing satellite built by the European Space Agency. It was launched on March 1, 2002 aboard an Ariane 5 into a Sun synchronous polar orbit at a height of 790 km (±10 km). It orbits the Earth in about 101 minutes with a repeat cycle of 35 days. It is the largest European satellite to date (late 2006), with total mass 8211kg. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... An Earth observation satellite, ERS 2 In the context of spaceflight, satellites are objects which have been placed into orbit by human endeavor. ... Earth observation satellites are satellites specifically designed to observe Earth from orbit, similar to reconnaissance satellites but intended for non-military uses such as environmental monitoring, meteorology, map making etc. ... Established: 1974 Administrator: Jean-Jacques Dordain Budget: €2. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Ariane 5 mock-up Ariane 5 is a European expendable launch system designed to deliver satellites into geostationary transfer orbit and to send payloads to Low Earth orbit. ... By analogy with the geosynchronous orbit, a heliosynchronous orbit is a heliocentric orbit of radius 24. ... A satellite in a polar orbit passes above or nearly above both poles of the planet (or other celestial body) on each revolution. ... Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... Bold text:This article is about the written record of a meeting. ... A day is any of several different units of time. ...

Envisat carries an array of nine Earth-observation instruments that gather information about the earth (land, water, ice, and atmosphere) using a variety of measurement principles.

Several of the instruments are advanced versions of instruments that were flown on the earlier ERS-1 and ERS-2 missions and other satellites. European Remote-Sensing satellite (ERS) was the European Space Agencys first Earth-observing satellite. ...

• ASAR (Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar) operating in C band can detect changes in surface heights with sub-millimeter precision.
• MERIS (MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) measures the reflectance of the Earth (surface and atmosphere) in the solar spectral range (390 to 1040 nm) and transmits some 15 spectral bands back to the ground segment.
• AATSR (Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer) can measure the temperature of the sea surface
• RA-2 (Radar Altimeter 2) is a dual-frequency Nadir pointing Radar operating in the K_u band and S bands, it is used for measuring ocean topography, map/monitor sea ice and measure land heights.
• MWR (Microwave Radiometer) for measuring water vapour in the atmosphere and give estimate the tropospheric delay for the Altimeter
• DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite) for orbit determination to within 10 cm or less
• GOMOS (Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars) looks to stars as they descend through the Earth's atmosphere and change color, which also tells a lot about the presence of gases such as O₃ (ozone), and allows for the first time a space-based measurement of the vertical distribution of these trace gases.
• MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) is a spectrometer
• SCIAMACHY (SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY) compares light coming from the sun to light reflected by the Earth, which provides information on the atmosphere through which the earth-reflected light has passed.

The surface of Venus, as imaged by the Magellan probe using SAR Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar in which sophisticated post-processing of radar data is used to produce a very narrow effective beam. ... C band (compromise band) is a portion of electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 4 to 6 GHz. ... MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) is one of the main instruments on-board the European Space Agency (ESA)s Envisat platform. ... A spectrometer is an optical instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. ... A radiometer is a device used to measure the radiant flux or power in electromagnetic radiation. ... For the three letter acronym, see SEA. For the ancient Jewish unit of volume, see Seah (unit). ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll. ... Diagram showing the face of a three-pointer sensitive aircraft altimeter displaying altitude in feet. ... The nadir (from Arabic نظير nazir, opposite) is the astronomical term for the point in the sky directly below the observer, or more precisely, the point in the sky with an inclination of −90°. In simple terms, if you are standing on the earth, it is the direction down toward your... The Ku band (kay-yoo kurz-under band) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 11 to 18 GHz. ... The S band ranges from 2 to 4 GHz. ... Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ... For discussion of land surfaces themselves, see Terrain. ... An icebreaker navigates through young (1 year old) sea ice Sea ice is formed from ocean water that freezes. ... Microwaves are electromagnetic waves with wavelengths longer than those of terahertz (THz) frequencies, but relatively short for radio waves. ... A radiometer is a device used to measure the radiant flux or power in electromagnetic radiation. ... Boundaries: Phase, Pressure, Temperature Evaporation/Sublimation Whenever a water molecule leaves a surface, it is said to have evaporated. ... Layers of Atmosphere—not to scale (NOAA) [1] Earths atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth and retained by the Earths gravity. ... Diagram showing the face of a three-pointer sensitive aircraft altimeter displaying altitude in feet. ... Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) is a french satellite system used for the determination of satellite orbis (e. ... A source of waves moving to the left. ... An Earth observation satellite, ERS 2 In the context of spaceflight, satellites are objects which have been placed into orbit by human endeavor. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... It has been suggested that Ozone generator be merged into this article or section. ... STAR is an acronym for: Organizations Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers], the self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticket industry in the UK. Society for Telescopy, Astronomy, and Radio, a non-profit New Jersey astronomy club. ... It has been suggested that Ozone generator be merged into this article or section. ... Interferometry is the applied science of combining two or more input points of a particular data type, such as optical measurements, to form a greater picture based on the combination of the two sources. ... An atmospheric sounding is a measurement of vertical distribution of physical properties of the atmospheric column such as pressure, temperature, wind speed and wind direction (thus deriving wind shear), liquid water content, ozone concentration, pollution, and other properties. ... A spectrometer is an optical instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. ... SCIAMACHY (Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric CHartographY; greek: σκιάμάχη: analogously: Fighting shadows) is one of ten instruments aboard of ESAs ENVIronmental SATellite, ENVISAT. SCIAMACHY is a satellite spectrometer designed to measure sunlight, transmitted, reflected and scattered by the earth atmosphere or surface in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared...

External links

• Envisat-homepage at ESA