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NASA
New weather satellite to be launched
News story originally written on April 15, 1997
The GOES-K satellite will be launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Station on
April 24. The satellite is one that takes images of the earth's atmosphere
which allows meteorologists to make forecasts based on data from the images.
The satellite is the third newly designed weather spacecraft to be launched by
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and NASA. The new design
consists of the satellite being able to take pictures and perform atmospheric
soundings at the same time.
GOES-K, soon to be known as GOES-10 once in orbit, will be one of 5 satellites
that provide world coverage of the atmosphere. The satellite's orbit will be
geostationary. Geostationary satellites travel at the same rate as the Earth's
rotation and therefore are planted over one area of the Earth at all times.
This allows for nonstop coverage of the weather over a particular region.
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