SCATSAT-1 Satellite's Primary Mission
SCATSAT-1 is an important satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Its primary purpose is related to understanding and monitoring Earth's weather patterns, specifically focusing on the ocean surface.
Understanding SCATSAT-1's Functionality
SCATSAT-1 is equipped with a scatterometer instrument. A scatterometer is a type of radiometer used to measure the strength of signals scattered by a surface. In the case of SCATSAT-1, this instrument measures:
- Sea surface wind speed
- Sea surface wind direction
This data is crucial for meteorological applications. By measuring the roughness of the sea surface caused by winds, the scatterometer can accurately determine wind conditions over the oceans.
Main Objective: Weather Forecasting and Cyclone Prediction
The data collected by SCATSAT-1, particularly the sea surface wind information, directly supports:
- Weather forecasting: Accurate wind data helps in creating more precise weather models and predictions.
- Cyclone prediction: Understanding wind patterns is vital for tracking the formation, intensity, and path of cyclones and other severe weather systems over the ocean. This helps in issuing timely warnings.
Therefore, the main objective of SCATSAT-1 is closely linked to improving weather forecasting and enhancing our ability to predict cyclones.
Analyzing SCATSAT-1 Objectives Against Options
Let's look at why the other options are not the main objective of SCATSAT-1:
- Monitoring earthquake zones: This typically involves geological surveys and seismic monitoring, not satellite-based wind measurements.
- Measuring atmospheric ozone depletion: While studying the atmosphere is a broad category, SCATSAT-1's specific payload (scatterometer) is designed for ocean surface wind measurements, not ozone concentration. Satellites like those from NASA's Aura mission focus on ozone.
- Mapping forest cover across India: Forest cover mapping usually requires optical or radar imaging satellites that can differentiate vegetation types and land features. SCATSAT-1's scatterometer is not optimized for this task.
Based on its design and the data it provides, SCATSAT-1's contribution to weather forecasting and cyclone prediction is its most significant and primary objective.
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Satellites used for telecommunication relay are kept in a geostationary orbit. A satellite is said to be in such an orbit when:
1) The orbit is geosynchronous.
2) The orbit is circular.
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An artificial satellite orbiting around the Earth does not fall down. This is so because the attraction of Earth
