RARR Mission Profile

The wide variety of NASA’s scientific space research is indicated by a selection of the satellites supported by Carnarvon RARR.

Looking at Earth

GEOS (Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite) 

- locating geographic points and the location and magnitude of gravitational anomalies

NIMBUS 

- meteorology and oceanic phytoplankton and particulates

SMS (Synchronous Meteorological Satellite) 

the first of the GOES series

ERTS (Earth Resources Technology Satellite) renamed Landsat 

– monitoring the Earth’s surface, land cover, land use & natural resources

Looking at the near-Earth environment

AE (Atmosphere Explorer) 

– studying processes within the thermosphere and ionosphere and capable of dipping into the lower atmosphere

OGO (Orbiting Geophysical Observatory) 

- with very high apogees and very low perigees, studying geophysical and solar phenomena in the magnetosphere and interplanetary space

IMP (Interplanetary Monitoring Platform) 

– a number of IMPs in a variety of orbits provided simultaneous measurement to obtain the spatial and temporal relationship of geophysical and interplanetary phenomena

Pegasus & MTS (Meteoroid Technology Satellite) 

– study of meteoroid impacts in near-earth orbit

Looking out from Earth

HEOS (Highly Eccentric Orbiting Satellite) 

– examining magnetic fields outside the Earth’s magnetosphere

OSO (Orbiting Solar Observatory) 

– observing the Sun’s ultraviolet and x-ray radiation unfiltered by the Earth’s atmosphere

OAO (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory) 

– measuring stars (pulsars & x-ray binaries) with UV telescopes & x-ray instrumentation.