BEST: New Satellite Mission Dedicated to Tropical System Energy Budget
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 5, Issue 1
Abstract
The energy budget of the global atmosphere is dominated by tropical energy sources. To accurately estimate the energy balance requires the simultaneous measurement of its various components: sources (radiation budget and surface fluxes), conversions (convection and precipitations), and transports. These terms are related to the primary variables: temperature, pressure, water vapor, and wind, the observation of which is generally poor and irregularly distributed. Assimilation of available data in general circulation models should then present a more coherent space and time description to emerge. BEST (Bilan Energetique du Systeme Tropical—Tropical System Energy Budget) is a satellite project designed to provide the required simultaneous measurement of wind and precipitation fields in the tropical zone. The project‐sponsored satellite would be placed in a 400–600 km altitude 28.5° inclination orbit with a three‐year lifetime. It is scheduled to carry a rain radar, a wind Doppler lidar with four fixed telescopes, and a microwave scanning radiometer. The possible addition of a differential absorption lidar is also considered. The BEST project is currently under phase A study at Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) in conjunction with several French scientific laboratories. This project is expected to involve international cooperation in view of a possible launch in 1998–2000 time frame. The BEST mission will contribute to the global energy and water cycle experiment (GEWEX) and global change international programs.
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Copyright © 1992 ASCE.
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Published online: Jan 1, 1992
Published in print: Jan 1992
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