Inquiry into the Feasibility of Weather Reconnaissance from a Satellite Vehicle.

摘要

It is assumed that, in the event of armed conflict, aerial weather reconnaissance over enemy territory, similar to that obtained in World War II, will be difficult if not impossible. An alternative method of obtaining this information, however, is thought to lie in the use of the proposed satellite vehicle. For the purpose of the present study, however, only the 350-mi altitude was considered to any extent. At this altitude, a vehicle would have an orbital velocity of about 24,870 ft/sec and would make one complete circuit of its orbit in 1.6 hr. Assuming that any regressive motion of the satellite's orbit owing to the spatial motion and oblate shape of the earth is corrected for, and that the area it is desired to observe is in daylight during the vehicle passage for an extended period, this area will be covered and televised in a grid fashion once every 24 hr. It is visualized that, by means of mechanical scanning transverse to the path of the satellite, a continuous strip whose width is equal in order of magnitude to the altitude of the vehicle will be viewed.