Nimbus 6
Former U.S. meteorological satellite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nimbus 6 (also called Nimbus F) was a meteorological satellite. It was the sixth in a series of the Nimbus program.
 Artist rendering of the Nimbus 6 | |
| Names | Nimbus F |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Weather satellite |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1975-052A |
| SATCAT no. | 07924 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | RCA Astrospace |
| Launch mass | 827 kg (1,823 lb) |
| Dry mass | 585 kg (1,290 lb) |
| Dimensions | 3.04 m × 1.52 m × 3.96 m (10.0 ft × 5.0 ft × 13.0 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 12 June 1975, 08:12:01 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Delta 2910 (577/D93) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-2W |
| Contractor | McDonnell Douglas |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 29 March 1983[2] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 1,093 kilometers (679 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,101 kilometers (684 mi) |
| Inclination | 100,00° |
| Period | 107,30 minutes |
Launch
Nimbus 6 was launched on 12 June 1975, by a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United States. The satellite orbited the Earth once every 107,30 minutes, at an inclination of 100,00°. Its perigee was 1,093 kilometers (679 mi) and its apogee was 1,101 km (684 mi).[3]
Instruments
- Earth Radiation Budget (ERB);
- Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR);
- High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS);
- Limb Radiance Inversion Radiometer (LRIR);
- Pressure Modulated Radiometer (PMR);
- Scanning Microwave Spectrometer (SCAMS);
- Temperature-Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR);
- Tracking and Data Relay Experiment (T+DRE);
- Tropical Wind Energy Conversion and Reference Level Experiment (TWERLE).
