Nimbus 7 (or Nimbus-G) was a meteorology and research satellite launched by NASA into a Sun-synchronous near-polar orbit on October 24, 1978. It was the last in a series of second-generation meteorological satellites in the Nimbus program.
Nimbus 7 was designed to collect observations for studies of oceanography, meteorology, and atmospheric chemistry. The spacecraft carried nine instruments capable of observing parameters at and below the mesospheric levels:
- Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS)
- Earth Radiation Budget (ERB)
- Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS)
- Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (SAM II)
- Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (SAMS)
- Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV)
- Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR)
- Temperature Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR)
- Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS)
Nimbus 7 operated successfully for more than 16 years. The last data were collected in October 1994.
Data
Type
Objective
Launch
Data Center
Instruments Aboard Nimbus-7
| Instrument Name | Operational Date(s) | Spectral Resolution | Type of Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Zone Color Scanner Experiment (CZCS) | Oct. 30, 1978 to June 22, 1986 | 443, 520, 550, and 670 nanometers |
Spectrometer/Radiometer |
| Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (SAM) II (SAM II) | Jan. 1978 - Aug. 1994 | Single channel, wavelength: 0.98-1.02 µm |
Spectrometers/Radiometers |
| Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) | 1978-1987 | 10-channel (five-frequency dual polarized) scanning radiometer operating at 0.8-, 1.4-, 1.7-, 2.8-, and 4.6-cm wavelengths (37, 21, 18, 10.7, and 6.6 GHz) |
Spectrometers/Radiometers |
| Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) | 310 and 380 nm |
Spectrometers/Radiometers |
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