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Instrument details
Acronym
VCS-MA
Full name
Vidicon Camera System - Medium Angle
Purpose
Cloud imagery
Short description
Television camera, single VIS channel, 76° field of view
Background
New development
Scanning Technique
Fixed pointing from a spin-stabilised satellite viewing the Earth at appropriate times. Frame: 720x720 km2 when pointing normal to the Earth surface
Resolution
2.5 km at image center when pointing normal to the Earth surface
Coverage / Cycle
Discontinue, in average in one week for latitudes < 60°
Mass
Power
Data Rate
Providing Agency
NASA
Instrument Maturity
Demonstrated by simulations
Utilization Period:
1962 to 1962-07-19
Last update:
2017-03-27
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on
Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a
green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates
future satellites
Instrument classification
Earth observation instrument Passive optical radiometer or spectrometer Moderate resolution optical imager
WIGOS Subcomponents
No WIGOS subcomponents have been defined.
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
Secondary mission objectives
Opportunity objectives Show all Show fewer
Tentative Evaluation of Measurements
The following list indicates which measurements can typically be
retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable,
click on the respective variable.
Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Variable Relevance for measuring this variable Operational limitations Explanation
Cloud cover 5 - marginal Daylight only.. Dense cloud only. VIS channel(s)
Fire fractional cover 5 - marginal Cloud sensitive.. Coarse spatial resolution.. Daylight only. VIS channels
Sea-ice cover 5 - marginal Cloud sensitive.. Daylight only. VIS channel(s)
Snow cover 5 - marginal Cloud sensitive.. Daylight only. VIS channel(s)
Instrument: VCS-MA