Sign in to view source links and access this dataset
Description
A single file contains the first set of Earth-looking thermal radiation data from space, measured by the Explorer-7 satellite's white sensor at night from November 15, 1959, to May 24, 1960. The data includes temperature values, radiance, geolocation, and orbit information, originally recorded on IBM 7094 machines and archived in EBCDIC format. The Principal Investigator was Verner E. Suomi from the University of Wisconsin, and the instrument operated until February 28, 1961.
Use Cases
Analyzing early measurements of terrestrial radiation based on the described temperature and radiance values.
Studying historical satellite orbital coverage and geolocation patterns based on the provided orbit information.
Calibrating or validating models of historical atmospheric conditions based on the restored temperature time series.
Researching the technical evolution of space-based Earth observation instruments based on the sensor and mission details.
Strengths
Represents the first set of Earth-looking thermal radiation data collected from space.
Covers a defined mission period from November 15, 1959, to May 24, 1960, with instrument operation until February 28, 1961.
Includes multiple data types: temperature, radiance, geolocation, and orbit information in a single file.
Provides specific spatial coverage metrics: a radius of ~2500 km at perigee and ~3500 km at apogee.
Limitations
Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Data is archived in its original IBM EBCDIC text format, which may require specialized tools or conversion for modern analysis.
Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for certain quantitative tasks.
Provenance
Source
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Collection Method
Measured by the white sensor on the Explorer-7 satellite, originally written to magnetic tapes by IBM 7094 machines.
Time Range
Primary data: November 15, 1959 to May 24, 1960. Instrument operational: October 13, 1959 to February 28, 1961.
Freshness
Last updated 2026-03-13 03:00:21.855748; freshness should be verified.
Geography
Global coverage from satellite orbit, with a circle of coverage radius of about 23 degrees at perigee and 31.5 degrees at apogee.
License is listed as 'other-license-specified'; terms should be reviewed before use. Data is in historical IBM EBCDIC text format.