Aerospace: Nimbus: The vanguard of remote sensing: Imaging and spectral analysis devices aboard Nimbus-7 measure the earth's radiation, wind speeds, and pollution, from space

Armed with a highly developed array of remote sensors, space satellites provide mankind with a fresh view of the environment from an extraordinary vantage point. These spaceborne imaging and spectral analysis devices furnish meteorologists, geologists, and many other scientists with a wealth of accurate information that may be frequently updated. The Nimbus program is of particular interest here as it serves as a “proving ground” for remote sensors that eventually wind up in dedicated operational satellites such as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite that is responsible for the cloud-cover photos used on every television weather forecast. Nimbus-7, launched last month from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Western Test Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is the last in this successful series. It contains eight highly complex sensors (seven from the U.S. and one from Great Britain) that are improved versions of instruments flown on six previous Nimbus flights.