SATELLITE PLATFORMS AND ORBITAL COVERAGE

Relevant Resources:

1. Kidder and VonderHaar - Ch2 and Ch4
2. GOES assessment results, presented by Tony Mostek
3. University of Wisconsin GOES Home Page

Index of Topics

• Geostationary Orbits:
  • Introduction to geostationary satellites
  • Introduction to geostationary orbits
  • why 35,800 km?
  • advantages and disadvantages of geostationary orbits
  • GOES 8 coverage
  • GOES 10 coverage
  • GMS coverage
  • Meteosat coverage
  • ELEKTRO coverage
  • Fengyun coverage
  • total coverage
  • scanning strategies
• Polar Satellites:
  • mission of the polar orbiting satellites
  • general information on the polar orbiting satellites
  • advantages and disadvantages of the polar orbiters
  • swath of the polar orbiters
  • orbits for entire day
  • scanning strategies
• Factors affecting data resolution
• Parallax
• Summary of concepts on Satellite orbits and areas of coverage

last updated: 04/09/04