SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company's second
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) entered Earth's orbit on
May 4 onboard the Aqua spacecraft, the next satellite in NASA's Earth
Observing System (EOS).
Raytheon also provided a MODIS sensor for Aqua's companion satellite
Terra, launched in December 1999. The Aqua MODIS instrument will work in
conjunction with Terra MODIS to gather information at different equatorial
crossing times, 10:30 for Terra and 13:30 for Aqua.
The primary role of the Aqua spacecraft is to gather information about
water in the Earth's system. During the five-year mission, Aqua will gather
information on changes in ocean circulation and how clouds and surface water
processes affect our climate. Scientists from around the world will use this
information to understand how global ecosystems are changing, and how they
respond to and affect the Earth's environment.
Raytheon's MODIS instruments will collect detailed information about cloud
cover, sea-surface temperature, chlorophyll levels, land-cover changes, land-
surface temperature, and vegetation properties. The sensors will make major
contributions to the understanding of the global Earth system, including
interactions between land, ocean, and atmospheric processes.
"Since it's launch in December 1999, Terra MODIS has proven to be an
excellent instrument, giving the world an unprecedented view of our
environments and oceans through the data and imagery that MODIS collects,"
said Dominick DellaValle, business development manager for Raytheon's Santa
Barbara Remote Sensing. "With the launch of Aqua MODIS, we are very excited
there will be two MODIS instruments working together to help continue and
complete the EOS mission."
The MODIS sensor employs a sophisticated imaging-spectroradiometer,
consisting of a cross-track scan mirror and collecting optics, and a set of
linear detector arrays with spectral filters that will provide imagery in 36
discrete bands selected by the science community for diagnostic significance
in Earth science. MODIS will provide daylight reflection and day/night
emission spectral imaging of any point on the Earth at least every two days.
MODIS was built by Raytheon's Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, under contract
with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
With headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is a
global technology leader in defense, government and commercial electronics,
and business and special mission aircraft.
For more information go to the following websites: http://www.raytheon.com or
http://aqua.nasa.gov
Contact:
Pennington Way IV
310-647-3911
SOURCE Raytheon Company
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Related links:
http://www.raytheon.com
CONTACT:
Pennington Way IV of Raytheon Company,
+1-310-647-3911
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