@prefix ns0: <http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/kms#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .

<https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/02c85d04-228e-4bf3-bb03-d72c22681dff>
  ns0:resource [ ] ;
  ns0:altLabel [ ] ;
  skos:definition """The first European Remote Sensing Satellite ERS-1, launched on 17 July
1991 at 01.46 UTC, operates in a sun-synchronous, near-polar orbit at
an altitude of 785 km and an inclination of 98.5 degrees, known as the
reference orbit.

ERS-1 was conceived as an orbiting platform that would be capable of
measuring, on a global scale, the Earth's atmospheric and surface
properties with a high degree of accuracy. In fact it uses advanced
microwave techniques to collect global measurements and images (much
of the data are collected from remote areas such as the southern
oceans and the Antarctic) independently of time of day and weather
conditions. It also undertakes the measurement of many parameters that
are not covered by existing satellite systems, including those of sea
state, sea surface winds, ocean circulation and sea/ice levels.

Satellite characteristics:

--------
Platform: based on the SPOT Multimission Platform
Power supply: 4 x 24 Ah batteries; 1.8 kW from solar array
Attitude control:  3-axis stabilised earth pointing, with
option of 9.5 degrees offset in Roll-Tilt Mode (RTM)
Total mass:  2400 kg (at beginning of mission)
Overall length: 11.8 m
Solar array: 11.7 m x 2.4 m
SAR antenna: 10.0 m x 1.0 m
Scatterometer antennas: fore/aft 3.6 m x 0.25 m; mid: 2.3 m
x 0.35 m
Radar Altimeter antenna: 1.2 m diameter
Design lifetime: 2-3 years
---------

ERS-1 carries on-board a number of instruments consisting of a core
set of active microwave sensors supported by additional, complementary
instruments: the Active Microwave Instrument (AMI), which combines a
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) operating in image or wave mode and a
wind scatterometer, the Radar Altimeter (RA), the Along-Track Scanning
Radiometer and Microwave Sounder (ATSR), the Precise Range and
Range-rate Equipment (PRARE) and Laser Retroreflectors (LRR).

The primary objective of the ERS-1 mission is the monitoring of oceans
and sea ice providing essential data for:

- improved representation of oceans/atmosphere interactions
in climatic models
- major advances in the knowledge of ocean circulation and
transfer of energy
- more reliable estimates of the mass balance of the Arctic
and Antarctic ice sheets
- better monitoring of pollution and dynamic coastal
processes
- improved detection and management of land use change


The ability of ERS-1 to acquire vast global data sets of ocean,
atmosphere, ice and land phenomena contributes to the following fields
of study:


- Ocean/Ice: ocean circulation, global wind/wave
relationships, sea ice and iceberg monitoring, etc.
- Physical Earth: accurate determination of the ocean
geoid, forestry, glaciology, geology and agriculture
studies, etc.
- Climate: contribution to the World Climate Research
Programme and to the World Ocean Circulation Experiment
- Weather and Sea: short and medium-term weather
forecasting, sea surface state forecasting, wind speed and
direction, location of pelagic fish through the monitoring
of temperature fronts

Relation between ERS-1 instruments and mission
objectives

------------------------------------------------------------
Weather forecasting: AMI wind mode
Sea-state forecasting: AMI, wave and wind modes
Offshore activity: Altimeter, ATSR, AMI in wave and wind
modes
Ship routing: Altimeter, ATSR, AMI in wave and wind modes
Fisheries (fish location):  (Altimeter), (ATSR), AMI in
wind mode
Sea and iceberg monitoring:  Altimeter, ATSR, AMI in image
mode
Oil and pollution detection: ATSR, AMI in image mode
Coastal process: ATSR, AMI in image mode
Land applications: (Altimeter), ATSR
Ocean circulation: Altimeter(1), ATSR, (AMI in wave mode)
Ocean tides: Altimeter(2)
Wind fields(3): Altimeter, AMI (in image mode), in wave and
wind mode
Wave fields(3): Altimeter, AMI (in image mode), in wave and
wind mode
Polar oceans: Altimeter, ATSR, AMI in all modes.
Land ice: Altimeter, AMI (in image mode)
Sea-surface temperature: ATSR
Marine biology: (ATSR)
------------------------------------------------------------
( ) indicates limited applicability

(1) For large-scale circulation, accurate orbit
determination over short arcs is required

(2) For solar tides, measurements from other satellites in
complementary orbits are required

(3) The altimeter and active microwave instrumentation are
mutually supportive in deriving the wind and wave fields

The complexity of the ERS-1 mission, which effectively consists of a
combination of several different missions, requires a very careful
approach when planning the mission operations. Taking into account the
different mission objectives, and attempting to satisfy them in a
quasi-optimal way in the course of ERS-1's lifetime, has held to the
definition of phases of activity during the mission:


- Phase 0: Orbit acquisition, initial switch-on and
functional check-out (2 weeks after the launch)
- Phase A: The Commisioning phase, using a 3 day repeat
cycle (25 July 1991-10 December 1991)
- Phase B : The first ice phase, using a 3 day repeat cycle
 (28 December 1991-1 April 1992)
- Phase R: The Roll-Tilt phase, using a 35 day repeat cycle
 (2 April 1992-14 April 1992)
- Phase C: The first multi-disciplinary phase, using a 35
day repeat cycle
 (14 April 1992-23 December 1993)
- Phase D: The second ice phase, using a 3 day repeat cycle
 (23 December 1993-10 April 1994)
- Phase E: The first geodetic phase, using a 172 day repeat
cycle
 (10 April 1994-28 September 1994)
- Phase F: The second Geodetic Phase, using a 172 day
repeat cycle
 (28 September 1994-21 March 1995)
- Phase G: The second Multi-Disciplinary Phase, using a 35
day repeat cycle
 (21 March 1995-10 March 2000)

In the first half of April 1992, the satellite was operated in a
Roll-tilt-mode (RTM) to allow SAR imaging at a different view
angle. In fact by rotating the satellite body around its velocity
vector (so-called 'Roll-tilt mode') the angle at which all the
instruments look at the Earth can be varied. This allows
experimentation with the SAR at an incidence angle of 35 degrees
instead of the standard 23 degrees, thereby permitting analysis of a
totally different set of signatures from objects on the Earth's
surface, including in particular vegetation.

Related URL:

The ERS Missions: http://earth.esa.int/ers

ERS-1 Design: http://earth.esa.int/ers/satconc

For any query, please refer to:

ESA/ESRIN Earth Observation Help Desk

http://earth.esa.int


Group: Platform_Details
   Entry_ID: ERS-1
   Group: Platform_Identification
      Platform_Category: Earth Observation Satellites
      Platform_Series_or_Entity: ERS Earth Resource Satellite
      Short_Name: ERS-1
      Long_Name: European Remote Sensing Satellite-1
   End_Group
   Group: Synonymous_Platform_Names
      Short_Name: ERS-1
   End_Group
   Group: Platform_Associated_Instruments
      Short_Name: ATSR
      Short_Name: RA
      Short_Name: SAR
      Short_Name: AMI
   End_Group
   Group: Orbit
      Orbit_Altitude: 782 to 785 km
      Orbit_Inclination: 98.52 deg
      Period: 100 min
      Repeat_Cycle: 3-day, 35-day and 176-day
      Orbit_Type: LEO > Low Earth Orbit > Polar Sun-Synchronous
   End_Group
   Creation_Date: 2007-09-14
   Online_Resource: http://earth.esa.int/ers/satconc/
   Online_Resource: http://earth.esa.int/ers/
   Online_Resource: http://www.astronautix.com/craft/ers12.htm
   Sample_Image: http://earth.esa.int/icons/eeo/_ers-1_fully_deployed.gif
   Group: Platform_Logistics
      Launch_Date: 1991-07-17
      Launch_Site: Kourou, French Guiana
      Design_Life: 2-3 YRS
      Primary_Sponsor: ESA
   End_Group
End_Group"""@en ;
  skos:prefLabel "ERS-1"@en ;
  skos:inScheme <https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concepts/concept_scheme/platforms> ;
  skos:broader <https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/3b6b4870-ae80-4488-b9fb-f9152037ec59> ;
  a skos:Concept .

<https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/3b6b4870-ae80-4488-b9fb-f9152037ec59>
  skos:prefLabel "ERS Earth Resource Satellite"@en ;
  a skos:Concept ;
  skos:narrower <https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/02c85d04-228e-4bf3-bb03-d72c22681dff> .

