BackForwardInstrument:  TIP 

Instrument details
Acronym TIP
Full name Tiny Ionosphere Photometer
Purpose To measure electron density in the upper atmosphere.
Short description UV photometer operating at the 135.6 nm wavelength. This emission (airglow) is produced by the recombination of O+ ions and electrons and is proportional to the square of the electron density in the ionospheric F region. Applicable at night
Background Consolidated technology
Scanning Technique Nadir only. Vertical domain: 90-750 km
Resolution 30 km
Coverage / Cycle Global in 2 weeks (comprehensive of the 6 satellites).
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency NRL
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2006 to 2020
Last update: 2021-09-29
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Solar and space environment monitors
  • Space radiometer or spectrometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 3
  • UV spectral imagery (e.g. GEO, HEO, MEO, LEO)
  • UV spectral imager [from GEO, HEO, MEO, LEO]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • UV flux
  • UV sky image
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
UV flux*2 - very highNo specific limitation.Earth's limb and surface observed, moderate dynamic range
UV sky image*1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Earth's limb observed, high spatial resolution