Measurements and Applications
Measures atmospheric temperature, concentrations of ozone, water vapour, methane, NOx, N2O, CFCs and other minor species, aerosol concentration, location of polar stratospheric clouds and cloud tops. Filter radiometer, 20 channels (including one VIS). Evolution of HIRS flown on Nimbus-6. HIRS/2 is part of the TOVS sounding instrument suite (TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder).
Full Name
High Resolution Infra-red Sounder/2
Status
No longer operational
Instrument Agencies
Maturity
Instrument Type
Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders 
Geometry
Cross-track scanning
Instrument Technology
Narrow-band channel IR radiometer
Sampling
Sounding
Resolution
20.3 km
[Best Resolution: 20300m]
Swath
2240 km
[Max Swath: 2240 km]
Waveband
VIS - TIR: 0.69 - 14.95 µm (20 channels)
| VIS (~0.40 µm - ~0.75 µm) |
| NIR (~0.75 µm - ~1.3 µm) |
| SWIR (~1.3 µm - ~3.0 µm) |
| MWIR (~3.0 µm - ~6.0 µm) |
| TIR (~6.0 µm - ~15.0 µm) |
TIROS N - Television Infrared Observation Satellite (1978 - 1981) |
| NOAA-6 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 6 (1979 - 1987) |
| NOAA-7 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 7 (1981 - 1986) |
| NOAA-8 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 8 (1983 - 1985) |
| NOAA-9 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 9 (1984 - 1998) |
| NOAA-10 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 10 (1986 - 2001) |
| NOAA-11 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 11 (1988 - 2004) |
| NOAA-12 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 12 (1991 - 2005) |
| NOAA-13 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 13 (1993 - 1993) |
| NOAA-14 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 14 (1994 - 2005) |