Microwave atmospheric sounder for Shuttle application

MAS (Microwave Atmospheric Sounder) is a remote sensing experiment for Shuttle application. It shall measure the microwave radiation in the range of 60 to 204 GHz originating from the atmospheric region between 20 and 100 km with a height resolution of better than 4 km. The radiation from Earth Limb received by the MAS Off-Set Cassegrain Antenna is focused onto the receiving electronics. The signals are down converted into the intermediate frequency range of 0.9 to 5.56 GHz (5 Channels), then fed to a spectral processing data electronics and transmitted via Shuttle to ground. The antenna can scan very accurately about one axis in a 10 degree range or can be positioned to a fixed angle. The composition, pressure and temperature of the earth's atmosphere in the above mentioned height range can be derived from the MAS measurements.