GOES EXIS Quadruplets Together in a Cleanroom 'Nursery' (IMAGE)
Caption
Four Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors, or EXIS instruments, that will fly aboard four of NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R, or GOES-R, Series spacecraft were recently lined up like babies in a nursery.
The EXIS Team at NOAA's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, Colorado took a short timeout during the week of Jan. 20, 2014, to take advantage of a rare photo opportunity.
Each EXIS instrument will fly aboard one of the GOES-R series of spacecraft that include GOES-R, S, T, and U. All four EXIS instruments happened to be in the clean room at the same time. It is expected that this will probably be the last time that all four siblings will be in one place together as Flight Model 1 (seen on the left) is being shipped on Feb. 3 to begin integration and testing onto the GOES-R spacecraft at a Lockheed Martin facility in Littleton, Colo. The other instruments have already dispersed to other areas at NOAA's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics for continued build and test operations.
The EXIS instruments on the GOES-R series satellites are critical to understanding and monitoring solar irradiance in the upper atmosphere, that is, the power and effect of the Sun's electromagnetic radiation per unit of area. EXIS will be able to detect solar flares that could interrupt communications and reduce navigational accuracy, affecting satellites, high altitude airlines and power grids on Earth.
On board the EXIS are two main sensors, the Extreme Ultraviolet Sensor and the X-Ray Sensor, which will help scientists monitor activity on the sun.
The GOES-R series is a collaborative development and acquisition effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. The GOES-R satellites will provide continuous imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth's Western Hemisphere and space weather monitoring.
For more information about the GOES-R series, visit: http://www.goes-r.gov
Credit
<p><strong>Image Credit:</strong> LASP </p> <p><strong>Text Credit:</strong> NOAA/NASA </p><p>
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