TIRS TVAC1 Opening The Vacuum Chamber

  • Released Sunday, October 30, 2011
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The Thermal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS) is part of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) to continue thermal imaging and to support emerging applications such as evapotranspiration rate measurements for water management. TIRS is being built by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and has a three-year design life.

TIRS completed its first round of thermal vacuum testing on Tuesday, October 4, marking the first time engineers evaluated the fully-assembled instrument at its normal operating temperature. When operational, TIRS is only 43 Kelvin (-382 &degF). Such a cold temperature is necessary so the instrument itself does not overwhelm the heat radiated by Earth.

The Landsat Program is a series of Earth observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Landsat satellites have been consistently gathering data about our planet since 1972. They continue to improve and expand this unparalleled record of Earth's changing landscapes for the benefit of all.

Engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center inspect and move the Thermal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS) after two months of testing in the thermal vacuum chamber.

For complete transcript, click here.

Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.

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NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Sunday, October 30, 2011.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:53 PM EDT.

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  • TIRS Completes TVAC1 Testing (ID: 2011116)
    Monday, October 31, 2011 at 4:00AM
    Produced by - Walt Feimer (HTSI)

Related papers

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/tirs-thermal.html

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/tirs-thermal.html