Title:
MicroNimbus: A CubeSat Mission for Millimeter-Wave Atmospheric Temperature Profiling

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Author(s)
Himani, Tanish
Lightsey, E. Glenn
Frounchi, Milad
Cressler, John D.
Coen, Christopher
Williams, Wyman
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Abstract
MicroNimbus is a small satellite mission being developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech Research Institute that will utilize a frequency-agile mmwave radiometer to measure and update the temperature profile of the atmosphere from a 3U CubeSat platform. The on-board radiometer instrument will provide atmospheric temperature profile data at an altitude resolution of 10 km, a geographic resolution of 0.5°, and a temperature resolution of 2K RMS. The mission strongly aligns with the goals set forth in NASA’s Science Plan and will generate data valuable to researchers in the fields of weather forecasting, LIDAR, and laser communications. MicroNimbus has passed its Preliminary Design Review (PDR) phase and is moving towards the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the mission. If successful, MicroNimbus will serve as a first step towards the creation of a constellation of satellites designed to perform near real-time temperature profiling of the atmosphere.
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Date Issued
2018-01
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Paper
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