09 December 2009
Here are the very first images acquired by the SMOS satellite since reaching its orbital position. Even though these images cannot yet be used for scientific purposes, they clearly show the perfect operation of the instrument and satellite.
My first voyage in the polar regions of the northern hemisphere dates from 1979. Because of climate warming, a lot of things have changed. For instance, in Greenland, fishermen only used to catch halibut in summer.
Our space radars, called SAR, rely on large antennas made of hundreds of electronic modules set in rows within blocks called tiles. Even if the modules are carefully selected and installed, each tile needs its own electrical and thermal “identity card”.
IASI (the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) is one of the most complex instruments that we have ever had to develop. Indeed, it would be true to say that it gave us a really hard time. Its principle is simple...
