Abstract
The principal finding of an International Council of Scientific Unions ICSU)/Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) ad hoc group on Remote Sensing for Global Change [Rasool, 1987] was that “The current international operational satellite system, augmented with the technology developed by research missions and supported by validation experiments and a comprehensive data system, could provide the basis for a global change observing system.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's environmental satellites represent a significant part of the international system.NOAA manages a NOAA series of polar orbiters and a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) series of geostationary satellites. A NOAA satellite can view each point on the Earth's surface every 12 hours, at approximately the same local time each overpass. An attempt is made to maintain two NOAA satellites in orbit at all times, a so‐called afternoon “bird” with nominal observing times of 2 P.M. and 2 A.M. and a morning bird with observations at 7 A.M. and 7 P.M. A GOES satellite hovering over the equator views continuously the surface of the Earth within 60° Earth central angle of the subsatellite point. NOAA operates a two‐GOES system, one nominally stationed at 75°W and the other at 135°W.
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