The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite or GOSAT, also known as Ibuki (いぶき, Ibuki?, meaning "breath"[3] or "Vitality"[4][unreliable source?] in Japanese), is an Earth observation satellite and the world's first satellite dedicated to greenhouse-gas-monitoring.[5] It measures densities of carbon dioxide and methane from 56,000 locations on the Earth's atmosphere.[4] The GOSAT was developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and launched on January 23, 2009, from the Tanegashima Space Center.[4] Japan's Ministry of the Environment, and National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) [6] use the data to track gases causing the greenhouse effect, and share the data with NASA and other international scientific organizations.[5]
[edit] Launch
GOSAT was launched along with seven other piggyback probes using the H-IIA, Japan's primary large-scale expendable launch system, at 3:54 am on January 23, 2009 UTC on Tanegashima, a small island in southern Japan, after a two-day delay due to unfavourable weather.[4][5] At approximately 16 minutes after liftoff, the separation of Ibuki from the launch rocket was confirmed.[7]
[edit] Instruments
According to JAXA, the Ibuki satellite is equipped with a greenhouse gas observation sensor (TANSO-FTS) and a cloud/aerosol sensor (TANSO-CAI) that supplements TANSO-FTS. The greenhouse gas observation sensor of Ibuki observes a wide range of wavelengths (near-infrared region–thermal infrared region) within the infrared band to enhance observation accuracy.[7] The satellite uses a spectrometer to measure different elements and compounds based on their response to certain types of light. This technology allows the satellite to measure "the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a super-high resolution."[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Outlines of GOSAT and TANSO Sensor". Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ "Orbit Insertion of the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite "IBUKI" (GOSAT)" (Press release). JAXA. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ "'IBUKI' Chosen as Nickname of the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT)" (Press release). JAXA. October 15, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ a b c d Fujioka, Chisa (Jan 23, 2009). "Japan launches satellite to monitor greenhouse gases". Reuters. Retrieved Jan 23, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Japan launches rocket with greenhouse-gas probe". The Associated Press. Jan 23, 2009. Retrieved Jan 23, 2009.
- ^ http://www.nies.go.jp/
- ^ a b "Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite "IBUKI"(GOSAT)". Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Retrieved Jan 23, 2009.
- ^ Gerein, Keith (January 21, 2009). "Alta. scientists to track greenhouse gases from space". Calgary Herald. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
[edit] External links
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Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets.
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