Aura (satellite)

aura
Country:	United States
Operator:	NASA
COSPAR-ID :	2004-026A
Mission dates
Dimensions:	2967 kg
Size:	4.70 m × 17.37 m × 6.91 m
Begin:	July 15, 2004, 10:02 UTC
Starting place:	Vandenberg Air Force Base , SLC-2W
Launcher:	Delta 2 7920-10L
Status:	in orbit
Orbit data
Rotation time :	98.83 min
Orbit inclination :	98.11 °
Apogee height :	710 km
Perigee height :	709 km

Aura is the name of Earth observation satellites of the US space agency NASA , which on 15 July 2004 with a missile of the type Delta 2 was started. Aura is in a sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 98.2 ° at an altitude of approx. 700 km. The five satellites Aura, Aqua , CloudSat , PARASOL and CALIPSO together form the A-Train .

The main objectives of the mission are to observe the ozone layer , the air quality (ground-level ozone , nitrogen dioxide , aerosols ) and climate change . The satellite began routine data collection on October 14, 2004 after a calibration phase.

The satellite has four instruments on board:

• HIRDLS ( Hi gh R esolution D ynamic L imb S ounder) measures the infrared radiation from ozone , water vapor , chlorofluorocarbons , methane and various nitrogen compounds . HIRDLS is a joint development of the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Oxford .
• MLS ( M icrowave L imb S ounder) measures the microwave radiation emitted by various trace gases .
• OMI ( O zone M onitoring I instrument) operating in the visible and ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum , and supplies high-resolution images of the global distribution of ozone, of other trace gases and aerosols . OMI was developed by the Dutch NVIR .
• TES ( T ropospheric E mission S pectrometer) measures the concentration of ground-level ozone and other trace gases by their infrared emissions.

Web links

• Homepage of Aura (English)
• Homepage of the Earth Observing System (English)
• Homepage of Earth Science Enterprise (English)
• Aura: In Envisat's footsteps
• ESA: Aura (English)