Shanghai-Made Orbiter To Improve Forecasts

EARTH OBSERVATION

Fengyun-2C image of Earth.

Beijing (XNA) May 26, 2005
Errors in short-term weather forecasting will be greatly reduced when a new Shanghai-made meteorological satellite is put into formal use next month, a senior engineer said Wednesday.

The Fengyun-2C was launched last October as the country's first international-quality satellite. The weather monitor has been in orbiting on a trial basis over Malaysia since its launch.

"The new satellite will greatly increase the accuracy of short-term weather reporting for Shanghai and other Chinese cities," Zhou Hongmei, a senior engineer at Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, said yesterday.

Scientists explained that some erroneous short-term weather forecasts are caused when satellite-produced cloud maps lack the requisite clarity.

The 1.38-ton satellite, developed by the Shanghai Institute of Space Flight Technology, has an observation range covering one-third of the Earth's surface. It is equipped with five monitoring channels - two more than its predecessor.

"With two new channels added to its scanning array, the new satellite is capable of capturing more detailed environmental changes," Zhou said, noting that it will send back better meteorological maps to improve weather forecasting, especially for the next day.

The newly added infrared observation and visible-light channels will enable the FY2C to calculate the size of water drops atop cloud layers and better monitor the surface temperature of sea water, experts said.

It can also monitor changes in solar and space particle radiation.

China will launch the Fengyun-2D, a more advanced orbiter, in the fall of next year, according to Chen Guilin, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics who participated in the satellite project.

"By that time, the city's weather report will become much more accurate," he said.

In addition to the Fengyun-2D, several other weather satellites will be launched in the coming years.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

EARTH OBSERVATION

Adaptive Array Network Could Improve Access To NASA's EO Satellites

Atlanta GA (SPX) May 26, 2005
Sophisticated signal processing techniques and simple proof-of-principle antenna arrays built from PVC pipe, aluminum foil and copper wire could revolutionize the way NASA obtains data from its Earth observing satellites.

SUPERPOWERS US Warned Not To Ignore Chinese Military Advances	NUKEWARS Russia Holds On To Nuclear Materials Rice Cool To Reports Of Nuclear Compromise With Iran EU, Iran Seek To Cool Nuclear Standoff Iran Nukes Replace Old Military
MISSILE NEWS ATK to Build Canister Gas Generators for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor Indonesia To Cooperate With China On Producing Missiles: Report India Successfully Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Surface Missile Lockheed Martin Conducts Successful Joint Common Missile Rocket Motor Tests	MISSILE DEFENSE Australia Might Buy Theatre Missile Defense System Radome Successfully Installed On Sea-Based X-Band Radar Nobel Winner: Missile Defense Still Decades Away Northrop Grumman Names Craig Staresinich Vice President Of KEI Program
AEROSPACE Analysis: U.S. Warns EU Over Airbus Subsidies Tiny New Control Device Improves Lateral Stability Of Airplane EADS To Get New Leadership, But Franco-German Rift Leaves Airbus Hanging Boeing Procurement Scandal Spawns 48 Air Force Reviews: General	UAV NEWS Cyber Defense Systems Announces Merger with Techsphere Systems International US Army Contracts Raytheon To Provide Multi-Sensor Payload For UAV Cyber Defenses' CyberScout Performs Transition From Hover To Forward Flight Unmanned Aircraft Fires Missile To Kill Al-Qaeda Leader In Pakistan
IRAQ WARS An American In Sparta Iraq Faces Prospect Of Civil War Preliminary Vote Counts In Iraq CIA Correcting Prewar Iraq WMD Assessments With Retrospective Reports	MILTECH US Navy Commissions Northrop Grumman-Built Aegis Destroyer Northrop Grumman Awarded $197 Million Contract For Work On USS Enterprise Airbag Inflators Provide Push For New Surface Vessel Launcher Russian Navy May Sink By 2008: Admiral

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement