TMRS-3 - In Field
Each radiometer is mounted on a mechanical rotator at the end of an extendable boom of a NorStar utility truck. This way the radiometers can be pointed at a scene in a number of ways and at a number of various angles of attack. The entire system weighs in at around 700 lbs when fully equipped and can be extended in any direction by about 30 feet. The truck itself weighs about 20,000 lbs gross when fully loaded, so there isn't too much of a risk of tipping.
The radiometers were used for the Cold Land Processes Field Experiment (CPLX) from early winter 2002 to spring 2003 at a test site in the Fraser Experimental Forest of Colorado at nearly 10,000 feet. More information on CPLX can be found from NASA.
The following two photographs were taken of the radiometer truck in the field in Fraser, Colorado. The first is from February 2003. Roger is working on getting the boom unfrozen and the inset picture is just the radiometers from a different angle looking down on the snow. The inset photo clearly shows the large golden L-band antenna on one side of the rotator and the 19GHz, C-band and 37GHz radiometers (from left to right) on the other side. Behind the L-band antenna is the power supply box. What is not seen here is the L-band radiometer box, which in February, was not mounted on the system.
Truck in February (JPG - 124K)
The second photo was taken during the June 2003. Here, the radiometers are looking up at the sky for calibration purposes and the A-frame can be seen attached to the front of the truck for the loading-unloading of the system from the boom. I assisted with the recovery of the system from Colorado and the long drive back to Michigan.
