In the summer of 1986, the Marine Observation Satellite MOS-1 was to be the first in a series of satellites deployed by Japan for marine and land observation. The primary objectives of the mission were to develop the basic technologies of Earth observation satellites, to collect data on the Earth and its atmosphere via a select group of radiometers, and to test and improve data collection techniques.
Japan faces many challenges with limited land, overpopulation, and high industrialization. Environmental concerns coupled with effective use of the land is an obvious concern for the Japanese. With the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west, Japan has also come to depend upon those natural resources derived from their surroundings. The Marine Observation Satellite program was developed in hopes of advancing the understanding of Japan's environment to help deal with or predict certain situations.
There are many examples encourage this program. Phenomena such as water temperature, changes in ocean currents, and abnormal growth of plankton or red tide help local fisheries become more efficient by localizing fish populations. Monitoring of the Kurile and Japan currents, cold water fronts, and the drift of ice will help to forecast unusual or abnormal weather in Japan. Pollution monitoring is accomplished through observations of the mouth's of rivers, bays and water fronts. Also, with volcanic activity and earthquakes an ever present threat, steady monitoring of the them from orbit could help detect early warning signs.
Mission Overview
MOS-1 was to be launched by a N-II launch vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center. A sun-synchronous recurrent orbit was chosen to enable effective radiometer use and easy ground operations (the satellite passes over the same sight at the same time every day). This required the satellite to sit at an altitude of about 909 km with and orbit inclination of 99.1¡. The satellite would orbit the Earth about every 103 minutes completing fourteen orbits per day. This provided a systematic coverage of the entire Earth every seventeen days. The major orbital parameters are shown in Table 1.
Sunday, 01-Aug-2004 00:36:47 CDT
CSR/TSGC Team Web
