VISSR/SMS-1 Infrared Imagery on 70mm Film V001 (VISSRSMS1IMIR) at GES DISC

VISSRSMS1IMIR is the Visible Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer (VISSR) Infrared Imagery on 70mm Film data product from the first Synchronous Meteorological Satellite (SMS-1). This set of IR imagery (10.5 to 12.5 micrometer) was originally produced on commercial image-generation equipment from digital tapes and was made available on 70-mm film, from which they were later scanned to digital TIFF image files. Each TIFF scan contains 2 or 3 pictures, and there are several hundred scans from an original 70 mm film roll which are combined into a ZIP file. Each picture contains a title on the top boundary and a 33-level gray scale on the right boundary that represents brightness temperatures. It may have a combination of the following options: 1) contrast enhancement, 2) image sectorization, and 3) 1/16-size imagery. The maximum effective size covers 500 sq km, represented by 4000 by 3904 pixels. Each element has a maximum resolution of 3.7 km. The title contains the satellite identification, picture number, picture type, coordinate numbers of the top left pixel relative to the visible sensor, start time of sectorized image, and pixel scaling and sector size identification.

The SMS-1 satellite was initially parked over the equator at longitude 45W on June 7, 1974 viewing the hemisphere below the satellite to support the GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE). It was moved to its operational position at 75W on Nov 15, 1974 where it remained until GOES-1 was launched, after which SMS-1 was moved to 105W and placed in stand-by-mode as a backup to GOES-1 or SMS-2. The VISSR experiment was operated by the NOAA National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS), as well as scientists from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

This product was previously available from the NSSDC with the identifier ESAD-00068 (old ID 74-033A-01C).