Nimbus 6

Nimbus 6 (also called Nimbus F) was a meteorological satellite. It was the sixth in a series of the Nimbus program.

Nimbus 6

Artist rendering of the Nimbus 6
Names	Nimbus F
Mission type	Weather satellite
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1975-052A
SATCAT no.	07924
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	RCA Astrospace
Launch mass	827 kg (1,823 lb)
Dry mass	585 kg (1,290 lb)
Dimensions	3.04 m × 1.52 m × 3.96 m (10.0 ft × 5.0 ft × 13.0 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date	12 June 1975, 08:12:01 (1975-06-12UTC08:12:01) UTC[1]
Rocket	Delta 2910 (577/D93)
Launch site	Vandenberg, SLC-2W
Contractor	McDonnell Douglas
End of mission
Last contact	29 March 1983 (1983-03-30)[2]
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	1,093 kilometers (679 mi)
Apogee altitude	1,101 kilometers (684 mi)
Inclination	100,00°
Period	107,30 minutes
Nimbus program ← Nimbus 5 Nimbus 7 →

Launch

Nimbus 6 was launched on 12 June 1975, by a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United States. The satellite orbited the Earth once every 107,30 minutes, at an inclination of 100,00°. Its perigee was 1,093 kilometers (679 mi) and its apogee was 1,101 km (684 mi).^[3]

Instruments

• Earth Radiation Budget (ERB);
• Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR);
• High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS);
• Limb Radiance Inversion Radiometer (LRIR);
• Pressure Modulated Radiometer (PMR);
• Scanning Microwave Spectrometer (SCAMS);
• Temperature-Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR);
• Tracking and Data Relay Experiment (T+DRE);
• Tropical Wind Energy Conversion and Reference Level Experiment (TWERLE).

See also

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)