The TSIS Sensors: Current SORCE Results and Progress Toward NPOESS
Abstract
The Total and Spectral Irradiance Sensor (TSIS) on the NPOESS is a combination of two solar irradiance instruments to monitor the solar energy incident at the top of the Earth's atmosphere. The first versions of these instruments are currently operating on NASA's SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE). The Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) measures total solar irradiance (TSI) with high accuracy and precision, continuing a data record that has been uninterrupted since 1978. This TSI record is used both to determine solar forcing on the Earth's climate and to establish correlations with long duration proxies of solar activity, allowing estimates of past solar influences on the Earth. The Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) measures the solar spectral irradiance from 0.2 to 2.7 microns. SIM data provide spectral resolution useful in determining the response of different layers in the Earth's atmosphere to solar variations and in diagnosing the solar causes of irradiance variations. A common pointing platform allows the two instruments to monitor the Sun almost continually without interfering with other NPOESS spacecraft operations. We present an overview of the TSIS requirements and sensors, status of the current SORCE measurements, progress on the NASA/Glory TIM (which continues the TSI data record from SORCE to TSIS), and current progress on TSIS.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2005
- Bibcode:
- 2005AGUFMSM51C..04K
- Keywords:
-
- 1650 Solar variability (7537);
- 3305 Climate change and variability (1616;
- 1635;
- 3309;
- 4215;
- 4513);
- 7538 Solar irradiance;
- 7594 Instruments and techniques;
- 7974 Solar effects