Earth's Ocean Topography Experiment Click for a larger image
Objectives Six-year global view of Earth's oceans improved understanding of ocean currents Improved forecasting of global environment Highlights U.S. - France (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales - CNES) program Launched August 10, 1992, on Ariane 42P launch vehicle Sensors: Altimeters (NASA, CNES) Microwave radiometer (NASA) Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver (NASA) Laser retroreflector (NASA) Doppler tracking receiver (CNES) Orbits Earth at 1336-km altitude, 66-degree inclination 10-day repeat of ground tracks (+- 1-km accuracy) Covers 95% of the ice-free oceans every 10 days Unprecedented accuracy: sea-level measurements to within 5 cm Has measured sea levels, mapped basin-wide current variations, monitored effects of currents on global climate change; studied El Niño phenomenon

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Backside panel 2 from the poster "Rise and Fall of the '97-'98 El Niño As Tracked By TOPEX/POSEIDON"