Environmental objectives for the Russian American Observational Satellites (RAMOS)

摘要

The RAMOS program embodies a new direction for cooperative space-based research and development between the Russian Federation and the United States. The planned system configuration is a constellation of two satellite orbiting in approximately the same plane at an altitude of about 500 km. These satellites, equipped with passive electro-optical sensors operating from infrared (IR) to ultraviolet (UV), are designed for near-simultaneous stereo-optical measurement capability. The projected launch date is 2007 with an on-orbit lifetime of two years minimum and five years possible. The environmental objectives are: 1. Measuring cyclones to predict their future strengths and paths, 2. Measuring fires and winds to demonstrate location and assessment capability, 3. Measuring volcanic plumes in three dimensions to assess aircraft hazards, 4. Measuring global three-dimensional wind velocities, 5. Measuring water vapor profiles at the 100-meter scale, 6. Obtaining a three-dimensional multi-spectral background data base in the mid-wave infrared, visible and ultraviolet wavelength regions and making infrared and visible polarization measurements of solar scattered backgrounds.