Kim space

原文網址：

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=76264

acquired October 28, 2011

 原文和翻譯

NASA’s newest Earth-observing satellite soared into space aboard a Delta II rocket after liftoff on October 28, 2011. The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project, or NPP, blasted off at 2:48 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

NASA最新的地球觀測衛星於2011年10月28日搭載在Delta II火箭上空。國家繞極軌道操作環境衛星系統預備計畫，(NPP)，在太平洋夏令時間上午2:48從加州的Space Launch Complex 2升空。

The satellite successfully separated from the rocket 58 minutes after launch, and the first signal was acquired by the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System shortly after. NPP's solar array deployed 67 minutes after launch to provide the satellite with electrical power. NPP was headed for a sun-synchronous polar orbit 824 kilometers (512 miles) above Earth.

發射後58分鐘衛星成功地從分離火箭，在運行不久後，第一個信號由追蹤數據中繼衛星系統所接收到。NPP計畫的太陽能電池陣列的設計，提供衛星發射後67分鐘的電力。NPP計畫的太陽同步衛星，在地球上空824公里（512英里）。

NPP carries five science instruments to help meteorologists improve short-term weather forecasts and to help climatologists observe long-term patterns. The mission will extend more than 30 key long-term data sets that NASA has been tracking, including measurements of the ozone layer, land cover, ice cover, clouds, the ocean surface, and vegetation.

NPP計畫裝載了5個科學儀器，以幫助氣象學家提高短期天氣預報(準確度)，並幫助氣象學家觀察長期(天氣)模式。這次任務將延伸超過30個NASA一直主要的在跟踪的長期數據，包括臭氧層，土地覆蓋，冰層覆蓋，雲層，海洋表面，與植被的測量。

NPP serves as a bridge mission between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) of satellites and the next-generation Joint Polar Satellite System, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) program that will also collect weather and climate data. The satellite will be operated from the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Maryland. NASA will operate NPP for the first three months after launch while the satellite and instrument are checked out. NPP operations will then be turned over to NOAA and the JPSS program for the remainder of the mission.

NPP計畫的將作為NASA的地球觀測系統（EOS）衛星和下一代聯合極地衛星系統，國際海洋和大氣管理局（NOAA）的計劃，也賦予收集天氣和氣候數據之間關係的使命。該衛星將從在美國Maryland的NOAA衛星運行設施操作台。NASA將負責發射後，第三個月內NPP計畫運行的衛星和儀器檢查。然後，將NPP計畫操作移交給 NOAA和JPSS計劃任務的其餘部分。