1. SOLCON Solar Constant Observations from the ATLAS Missions
- Author
-
Alain Fichot, V. Domingo, Robert Benjamin Lee, and D. Crommelynck
- Subjects
Solar constant ,Measurement method ,Geophysics ,Atlas (topology) ,Data continuity ,Physics::Space Physics ,ATLAS experiment ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,Environmental science ,Space Shuttle ,Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics ,Solar physics ,Remote sensing - Abstract
The solar constant observations obtained by the SOLCON/ATLAS experiment during the three successive missions are presented based on the Space Absolute Radiometric Reference (SARR) defined during the ATLAS-2 mission. The objectives of SOLCON, namely to obtain accurate measurements of the solar constant and to compare them with the observations obtained from free flyers in the hope of establishing a baseline and strategy for monitoring the solar constant at climate scale, have been achieved successfully with the three ATLAS missions. The long range objective of insuring the solar constant data continuity will, however, require that an alternative approach than that of the ATLAS program be found to fly and retrieve SOLCON.
- Published
- 1996