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OAS platform Detail for TOPEX Poseidon
<< previous |revision: 4
platforms_id: 12387
Title:
Name: TOPEX Poseidon
ICES Code: 335X
Callsign:
Countries: FRANCE, UNITED STATES
Comments: Updated information from ICES for the
Code 335X
Name TOPEX Poseidon
Synonyms TOPEX/Poseidon
Country(s) FR: FRANCE; US: UNITED STATES
Platform Class 65: Orbiting satellite
Commissioned Date 1992-08-10
Decommissioned Date 2005-10-09
Current Length(m) 5.5
Notes
- TOPEX/Poseidon (or simply T/P) is a cooperative Earth observation mission of the USA and France (NASA/JPL and CNES as partners) with the overall objective to provide high-accuracy global sea level (ocean height) measurements in coordinates relative to the center of the Earth. From this information, ocean circulation patterns can be mapped. NASA provided the satellite bus, five instruments, and is responsible for spacecraft operations.
Information Source (URL)
- http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/OceanSurfaceTopography/TOPEX-POSEIDON

OTHER INFORMATION:
Description: Sea level observation satellite
Country *: USA and France
Platform Class *: 65-Orbiting satellite
Operations/Responsible organization: NASA and Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).
Previous Name: N/A
Commissioned Date: 1992-08-10
Decommissioned Date: 2005-10-09
Current Length (m): 5.5 m x 6.6 m x 2.8 m (span = 11.5 m)
Built Date (YYYY-MM-DD): unknown
GCMD Platform Keyword: "Earth Observation Satellites","","TOPEX/POSEIDON","Ocean Topography Experiment"

Notes +: TOPEX/Poseidon (or simply T/P) is a cooperative Earth observation mission of the USA and France (NASA/JPL and CNES as partners) with the overall objective to provide high-accuracy global sea level (ocean height) measurements in coordinates relative to the center of the Earth. From this information, ocean circulation patterns can be mapped. The T/P data analysis helps to understand how the oceans interact with the atmosphere, and improve our ability to predict the global climate. NASA provided the satellite bus, five instruments, and is responsible for spacecraft operations. CNES furnished two of the spacecraft's instruments and the mission's Ariane launch vehicle.

Background: Poseidon was originally a separate CNES mission in planning, but was later combined with TOPEX (agreement in 1987). TOPEX/Poseidon is the heart of the WOCE (World Ocean Circulation Experiment) program; it was also used for the campaigns of TOGA/COARE (Tropical Oceans and Global Atmosphere Experiment / Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment). The T/P satellite is regarded the successor mission of the following US altimetry missions: GEOS-3 (Geodynamics Experimental Ocean Satellite-3, launch 1975), SEASAT (launch 1978) and GEOSAT (Geodetic Satellite, launch 1985).

TOPEX/Poseidon was capable of measuring significant wave height, sigma0, dry and wet troposphere and ionosphere, which can be used to calculate sea surface height and anomalies and total electron content.

Info Source: http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/OceanSurfaceTopography/TOPEX-POSEIDON
http://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/en/missions/past-missions/topexposeidon.html
https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/t/topex-poseidon

Submitted to ICES 2014-09-24
Confirmed by NOAA on 2018-08-08.
Deprecated: false
Metadata version: 4
Keydate: 2014-09-24 11:15:52+00
Editdate: 2018-08-29 19:03:32+00