Tiny Ionospheric Photometer
The tiny ionospheric photometer (TIP) is a small space-based photometer that observes the Earth's ionosphere[1][2] at 135.6 nm. The TIP instruments were designed and built by the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and are a part of the COSMIC program.
Operation
Although each TIP instrument is fairly simple in design and operation, the value of this instrument is that six of them were launched at once, and they observe the earth simultaneously from three orbital planes spaced equally apart around the earth. The data of this instrument when combined with the data from the other COSMIC payloads allows a 3D tomographic analysis of the Earth's ionosphere to be performed.
gollark: It does, actually.
gollark: PotatOS uses SMT!
gollark: PotatOS is now also a sonic weapon!
gollark: So, PotatOS?
gollark: PotatOS now automatically copies onto *tapes* too! Yay, more potatoes for everyone!
References
- "COSMIC - Radio Occultation". Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- "CDAAC: COSMIC Data Analysis and Archive Center - Data Status". Retrieved 25 February 2016.
External links
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