Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

184
OBSERVING THE EARTH FROM SPACE
Inquiry into the Feasibility of Weather Reconnaissance
from a Satellite Vehicle
S. M. Greenfield and W. W. Kellogg
August, 1960
NOTE
Originally published as classified Report R-218
of the same title, dated April, 1951. Amended
and released for open publication, August, 1960.
[v] SUMMARY
The value of observing the weather over inaccessible areas by aerial weather reconnaissance
has been recognized for many years. An alternative method of obtaining broad
coverage of the weather, however, is thought to lie in the use of a special satellite vehicle
which could observe cloud patterns. It is obvious that any meteorological reconnaissance
utilizing only observations from such a high-altitude “eye” cannot provide quantitative values
for the parameters normally associated with standard weather observation and forecasting
techniques. In determining the feasibility of such a system, therefore, the
questions that must be answered are (1) What extent of coverage can be expected from a
satellite viewing system? (2) In terms of resolution and contrast, what can be seen from
the satellite? (3) Given proper coverage and resolution, what can actually be determined
regarding the synoptic weather situation from this information?
General considerations of ease of satellite launching and photographic coverage suggest
an orbiting altitude of 350 to 500 mi. 1 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. As an example
of the sort of coverage which could be provided at middle latitudes, with a satellite at a
354.6-mi altitude the fraction of the area between 45˚ and 50˚ latitude which can be covered
grid-fashion with a 100-mi wide scanning path in 24 hr is one-third, and if the width
of the path is increased to 450 mi, the 24-hr coverage is complete.
Utilizing photographs from recent vertically fired rockets (V-2), an estimate of the
dimensions of the smallest increment necessary for proper cloud identification was made.
This was found to be approximately 500 ft and is termed the “usable resolution” in this
report: Entering Tables 1, 2, and 3, which give resolution versus contrast for various values
of frame speed, aperture size, and various types of illumination, showed that it was possible
to obtain this value of resolution in sunlight illumination with contrast between
1. Additional information concerning the problems of satellite operation is given in the RAND Report
R-217, April 1951 (out of print).