CloudSat and CALIPSO Satellites Return Unprecedented Images
July 25 2006 - 1:51PM
PR Newswire (US)
BOULDER, Colo., July 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Scientists around
the world can now glimpse inside Earth's storms with the
instruments aboard two Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
Earth-observation missions launched earlier this year. The CloudSat
and CALIPSO satellites launched on April 28 from Vandenberg Air
Force Base in California have now completed commissioning
activities. Ball Aerospace built the spacecraft bus for CloudSat,
and the payload of scientific instruments that includes the CALIOP
LIDAR and Wide-Field Camera (WFC) for CALIPSO. Both missions are
designed to improve our understanding of Earth's weather, climate,
and air quality by revealing 3-D details of clouds and the hidden
characteristics of aerosols. CloudSat transitioned to its
operational mode on June 2, when the Cloud Profiling Radar was
activated. On June 6, NASA released the first pictures returned
from CloudSat, showing a storm over the North Sea in the North
Atlantic approaching Greenland. Since then, the satellite's
scanning radar system has continued performing flawlessly. CloudSat
carries a millimeter wavelength Cloud-Profiling Radar which is more
than 1,000 times more sensitive than typical weather radar.
CALIPSO's instruments were turned on sequentially with the first
infrared images from its Infrared Imaging Radiometer arriving on
May 11, followed by visible images from the WFC on May 18. The
LIDAR, made up of a laser transmitter and a three-channel receiver,
were aligned on June 7. Following the payload's downlink and
delivery of that data, NASA's Langley Research Center released the
first LIDAR science images, which illustrate the layering of the
atmosphere. Highlights of the image include a volcanic plume over
the equator near the Philippines and a large polar stratospheric
cloud above Antarctica. Scientists hope to use data from CALIPSO to
construct three-dimensional models of the atmosphere that will
improve our ability to predict future climate change, understand
the role of clouds and aerosols in weather, and study how
long-range transport of pollutants affects air quality. Following
launch, CloudSat and CALIPSO joined an orbital formation known as
the "A-Train." The constellation currently includes Aqua, Aura, and
PARASOL, delivering a combined set of measurements of the Earth's
environment, with OCO still to follow. The mission is part of
NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder program, which fosters
innovative, low-cost Earth-observation missions designed to study
the Earth as a global environmental system. Ball Aerospace is
celebrating its 50th year in business in 2006. The company began
building pointing controls for military rockets in 1956, and later
won a contract to build one of NASA's first spacecraft, the
Orbiting Solar Observatory. Over the years, the company has been
responsible for numerous technological and scientific 'firsts' and
now acts as a technology innovator in important national missions.
Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) is a supplier of high-quality metal and
plastic packaging products and owns Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp., which develops sensors, spacecraft, systems and
components for government and commercial customers. Ball reported
2005 sales of $5.8 billion and the company employs 15,600 people
worldwide. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains
"forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial
performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates"
and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties
which could cause actual results to differ materially from those
expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key
risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including in Exhibit 99.2 in
our Form 10-K. These filings are available at our Web site and at
http://www.sec.gov/. Factors that might affect our packaging
segments include fluctuation in consumer and customer demand and
preferences; availability and cost of raw materials, including
recent significant increases in resin, steel, aluminum and energy
costs, and the ability to pass such increases on to customers;
competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution;
changes in climate and weather; fruit, vegetable and fishing
yields; industry productive capacity and competitive activity;
failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or
production cost reductions, including those associated with our
beverage can end project; the German mandatory deposit or other
restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier
contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; changes in
foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign
subsidiaries; and the effect of LIFO accounting. Factors that might
affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization,
availability and returns of government contracts; and delays,
extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts.
Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those
listed plus: acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures;
integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or
laws including tax, environmental and workplace safety;
governmental investigations; technological developments and
innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other
litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected
and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement
plans; changes to the company's pension plans; reduced cash flow;
interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results
due to statutory audits or other effects. DATASOURCE: Ball
Aerospace & Technologies Corp. CONTACT: Media, Roz Brown of
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., +1-303-939-6146,
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