Defense Meteorological Support Program [DMSP]
DMSP, originally known as the Defense System Applications Program (DSAP) and
the Defense Acquisition and Processing Program (DAPP), is a long-term USAF
effort in space to monitor the meteorological, oceanographic and solar-geophysical
environment of the Earth in support of DoD operations. All spacecraft launched have
had a tactical (direct readout) and a strategic (stored data) capacity. In December
1972, DMSP data was declassified and made available to the civil/scientific
community. The USAF maintains an operational constellation of two near-polar,
sun-synchronous satellites. The DMSP mission is to provide global visible and infrared cloud data and other
specialized meteorological, oceanographic and solar-geophysical data in support of
world wide Department of Defense (DoD) operations.
DMSP satellite command and control is performed by the 6th Satellite Operations
Group at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Data is transmitted in real time to tactical terminals world-wide. Data is also stored
using on-board recorders for transmission to and processing by the Air Force Global
Weather Central (AFGWC), Offutt AFB, Nebraska and the Fleet Numerical
Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC), Monterey, California. Both
AFGWC and FNMOC relay the SSM/I, SSM/T and SSM/T2 data to the National
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information System (NESDIS). AFGWC also
sends the entire data stream to the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC).
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/met/dmsp.htm
Implemented by Charles P. Vick, Sara D. Berman, and
Christina Lindborg, 1997 Scoville Fellow
Maintained by Robert Sherman
Originally created by John Pike
Updated Sunday, March 09, 1997