https://cdn.earthdata.nasa.gov/conduit/upload/5182/KeywordsCommunityGuide_Baseline_v1_SIGNED_FINAL.pdf 23.6 2026-03-19T10:41:57.720Z https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/KeywordViewer/scheme/platforms/64fabc3c-0684-4325-9831-bf7cc461684d GOES-8 Date=2016-06-09 User Id=epneff Entity=AltLabel Operation=INSERT User Note=added altLabel System Note=insert AltLabel New Value=id: null text: GOES-8 (GEOSTATIONARY OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE-8) language code: en GOES 8 (GOES-I) was launched on April 13, 1994. On Tuesday April 1,2003 GOES-12 (Formerly Referred to as GOES-M) replaced GOES-8 as theoperational GOES East Satellite. NOAA deactivated the satellite on May5, 2004 and will boost it into an orbit 350 kilometers above itsoriginal geostationary position, where it will be disposed safely inthree controlled burns.GOES I-M represented the next generation of meteorological satellitesand introduces two new features. The first feature, flexible scan,offers small-scale area imaging that lets meteorologists take picturesof local weather trouble spots. This allows them to improve short-termforecasts over local areas. The second feature, simultaneous andindependent imaging and sounding, is designed to allow weatherforecasters to use multiple measurements of weather phenomena toincrease the accuracy of their forecasts.Each satellite in the series carries two major instruments: an Imagerand a Sounder. These instruments acquire high resolution visible andinfrared data, as well as temperature and moisture profiles of theatmosphere. They continuously transmit these data to ground terminalswhere the data are processed for rebroadcast to primary weatherservices both in the United States and around the world, including theglobal research community.The GOES I-M mission ran from the mid-1990s into thefirst decade of the 21st century. Each element of the mission hasbeen designed to meet all in-orbit performance requirements for atleast five years.The GOES I-M system performed the following basic functions:+ Acquisition, processing, and dissemination of imaging andsounding data.+ Acquisition and dissemination of Space Environment Monitor(SEM) data.+ Reception and relay of data from ground-based Data CollectionPlatforms (DCPs) that are situated in carefully selected urban andremote areas to the NOAA Command and Data Acquisition (CDA) station.+ Continuous relay of Weather Facsimile (WEFAX) and other data tousers, independent of all other functions.+ Relay of distress signals from people, aircraft, or marine vesselsto the search and rescue ground stations of the Search and RescueSatellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system.GOES provides the instantaneous relay functions for the SARSAT system.A dedicated search and rescue transponder on board GOES is designed todetect emergency distress signals originating from Earth-basedsources. These unique identification signals are normally combinedwith signals received by a low-Earth orbiting satellite system andrelayed to a search and rescue ground terminal. The combined data areused to perform effective search and rescue operations.The GOES I-M system serves a region covering the central and easternPacific Ocean; North, Central, and South America; and the central andwestern Atlantic Ocean. Pacific coverage includes Hawaii and the Gulfof Alaska. This is accomplished by two satellites, GOES West locatedat 135 west longitude and GOES East at 75 west longitude. A commonground station, the CDA station located at Wallops, Virginia,supports the interface to both satellites. The NOAA SatelliteOperations Control Center (SOCC), in Suitland, Maryland, providesspacecraft scheduling, health and safety monitoring, and engineeringanalyses.Delivery of products involves ground processing of the raw instrumentdata for radiometric calibration and Earth location information, andretransmission to the satellite for relay to the data user community.The processed data are received at the control center and disseminatedto the National Weather Service's (NWS) National MeteorologicalCenter, Camp Springs, Maryland, and NWS forecast offices, includingthe National Hurricane Center, Miami, Florida, and the National SevereStorms Forecast Center, Kansas City, Missouri. Processed data are alsoreceived by Department of Defense installations, universities, andnumerous private commercial users.MAIN SPACECRAFT DESIGN ELEMENTSMission life 5 years, minimumDimensions Main body 2 meter (7 foot) cube Deployed length 27 meters (88 feet)Weight 2100 kg (4600 lb)Orbit Geosynchronous Altitude 36,000 km (22,000 mi) Longitude 75W and 135W Latitude equatorial, within 0.5 degreePower 1050 watts @ 42 volts, solar array; batterybackupLaunch vehicle Atlas-I/Centaur (GOES-I/K), Atlas-II/Centaur(GOES-L/M)Communications Imager and Sounder in GVAR format at 2.1Mbits/secGOES-I/M IMAGERThe GOES Imager is a multi-channel instrument designed to senseradiant and solar-reflected energy from sampled areas of theEarth. The multi-element spectral channels simultaneously sweepeast-west and west-east along a north-to-south path by means of atwo-axis mirror scan system. The instrument can produce full-Earthdisc images, sector images that contain the edges of the Earth, andvarious sizes of area scans completely enclosed within the Earth sceneusing a new flexible scan system. Scan selection permits rapidcontinuous viewing of local areas for monitoring of mesoscale(regional) phenomena and accurate wind determination.IMAGER CHANNELS AND PRODUCTS CHANNEL 1 2* 3* 4 5* WAVELENGTH (um) 0.65 3.9 6.7 11 12PRODUCTClouds x x x x xWater Vapor* x x xSurface Temp. o x oWinds x x xAlbedo + IR Flux x o x oFires + Smoke x x o oKEY: * = new operational data x = primary channel o = secondary channelGOES-I/M SOUNDERThe GOES Sounder is a 19-channel discrete-filter radiometer coveringthe spectral range from the visible channel wavelengths to 15microns. It is designed to provide data from which atmospherictemperature and moisture profiles, surface and cloud-top temperatures,and ozone distribution can be deduced by mathematical analysis. Itoperates independently of and simultaneously with the Imager, using asimilarly flexible scan system. The Sounder's multi-element detectorarray assemblies simultaneously sample four separate fields oratmospheric columns. A rotating filter wheel, which brings spectralfilters into the optical path of the detector array, provides theinfrared channel definition.PRODUCTS, RESOLUTION AND ACCURACY RESOLUTION (km) ACCURACY Vert. Horiz. Absolute RelativePRODUCT TEMPERATURE Profile 3-5 50 2-3 K 1 K Land --- 10 2 K 1 K Sea --- 10 1 K 0.5 K MOISTURE Profile 2-4 50 30% 20% Total --- 10 20% 10% Motion 3 layers 50 6 m/sec 3 m/sec CLOUD Height 2 layers 10 50 mb 25 mb Amount total 10 15% 5% OZONE* Total --- 50 30% 15% Motion 1 layer 50 10 m/sec 5 m/secIR Flux* total 50 10 W/m^2 3 W/m^2KEY: * = potential future productGOES 8 information is available at:http://www.oso.noaa.gov/goes/Group: Platform_Details Entry_ID: GOES-8 Group: Platform_Identification Platform_Category: Earth Observation Satellites Platform_Series_or_Entity: GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) Short_Name: GOES-8 Long_Name: Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 8 End_Group Group: Synonymous_Platform_Names Short_Name: GOES I Short_Name: GOES-NEXT Short_Name: 23051 End_Group Group: Platform_Associated_Instruments Short_Name: SXM Short_Name: VAS Short_Name: GOES I-M IMAGER Short_Name: GOES I-M SOUNDER Short_Name: EPM End_Group Group: Orbit Orbit_Type: GEO > Geosynchronous > Geostationary End_Group Creation_Date: 2007-10-04 Online_Resource: http://www.oso.noaa.gov/goes/ Online_Resource: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1994-022A Online_Resource: http://goes.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Group: Platform_Logistics Launch_Date: 1994-04-13 Launch_Site: CAPE CANAVERAL/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, USA Primary_Sponsor: USA/NASA Primary_Sponsor: USA/NOAA End_GroupEnd_Group 2016-06-09 10:48:10.0