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-------- Original Message -------- Topic: NOAA-18 Gyro Tests Update Message Issued: July 23, 2010, 1250 UTC Satellites Impacted: NOAA-18 Products Impacted: All data and products from NOAA-18 (AVHRR, AMSU-A, AMSU-B, HIRS, MHS, SBUV) Date/Time of Initial Impact: Initial Tests Begin No Earlier Than 8/10/10 -------------------------- Details: Satellite engineers from NOAA's Office of Satellite Operations (OSO) have informed the Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution (OSDPD) of a series of tests on the NOAA-18 gyro sub-system. These tests are a result of ongoing analysis of the current operational and backup NOAA-18 gyro sub-systems and concerns about the imminent failure of these systems resulting in unusable products within six months. While NOAA-18 is considered a backup POES spacecraft, we understand that many users rely on NOAA-18 for operational data and product processing, including input into global Numerical Weather Prediction models. The NOAA-18 gyro tests will result in possible significant navigation errors during the tests of up to 100 km for many instruments. To that end, OSDPD will process the NOAA-18 level 1b data on a backup system but cease the flow of NOAA-18 data to all operational products and halt the distribution of NOAA-18 data to the NOAA CLASS archive. Users obtaining data directly from NOAA-18 through APT or HRPT are advised of the possible severe degradation of the NOAA-18 data during these tests. Details of the tests are as follows: - Initial NOAA-18 gyro test to take place beginning on 8/10/10, running for 24 hours - (In case of Critical Weather Day or else, the backup day for the initial test will be 8/17/10) - Second NOAA-18 gyro test to take place beginning on 8/12/10, running for 24 hours - (Backup day 8/24/10) - A third NOAA-18 gyro test to take place approximately two or three months following second test. Products that use NOAA-18 that will be affected: - ATOVS Polar Soundings - Radiation Budget - Fire Identification Mapping and Monitoring Algorithm (FIMMA) for Hazard Mapping system (HMS) input - CLAVR-X - SST and Coastwatch -Microwave Surface and Precipitation Products (MSPPS) - Microwave Integrated Retrieval System (MIRS) - Blended TPW - Ozone: SBUV/2 - Ozone: TOAST - Ensemble Tropical Rainfall Potential (eTRaP) - Global Vegetation Index Products (GVI) - AVHRR Winds --------------------------- Contact Information: Brian Hughes Satellite Services Division NOAA/NESDIS/OSDPD 301-763-8051 x106 Brian.Hughes@xxxxxxxx Seehttp://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/SATS/messages.html for this and other satellite related messages. Seehttp://www.ssd.noaa.gov for full GOES scanning schedules.
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