Direct Broadcast
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The NPP (NPOESS Preparatory Project) system (http://jointmission.gsfc.nasa.gov/) will provide NASA with a continuation of global change observations after EOS. NPP should be launched in late 2011. NASA is developing the NPP In-situ Ground System (NISGS) which will provide a prototype testbed system to acquire NPP direct broadcast data and to generate instrument–specific Level0, Level1 and higher level example data products. This prototype will be available for distribution to the commercial sector and broad user community. For more details: http://directreadout.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.cfm?section=missions&page=nppMission
First launch of the NPOESS system “National Polar-orbiting Operational Environment Satellite System” is scheduled for 2015. See http://www.npoess.noaa.gov/. NOAA will take primary responsibility for the afternoon orbit and the Department of Defense will take primary responsibility for the early morning orbit. NPOESS will broadcast real-time High Rate Data (HRD) and Low Rate Data (LRD). The Integrated Program Office is working to develop and test prototype terminals for the direct broadcasts and will distribute the Interface Data Processing Segment software. For more details on the instruments: http://www.ipo.noaa.gov/index.php?pg=instr&tab=2
Also a key feature is the NPOESS Safety Net: 15 ground stations, globally distributed, should collect up to four times much faster than the current global dissemination of the polar weather systems, for their processing in Numerical Weather Prediction models in fewer than 30 minutes.
NASA organises regular workshops on topics relevant to direct readout for EOS and NPP. For the latest information, and for presentations given at recent meetings, see http://dbmeeting.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/.