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NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) monitors the distribution and variability of tropical precipitation and how these rainfall patterns affect Earth's weather and climate.

Learn more about TRMM

Type

Earth Observation Satellite

Launch

Nov. 27, 1997

Objective

Measure monthly and seasonal rainfall over the global tropics and subtropics

Instruments Aboard TRMM

Instrument Name Operational Date(s) Spectral Resolution Type of Instrument
Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES Instruments) November 27, 1997 - present
  • Shortwave: 0.3-5 µm 
  • Total: 0.3-200 µm 
  • Window: 8-11 µm (PFM, FM1-FM5)
  • Longwave: 5-35 µm (FM6)
 Spectrometers/Radiometers
Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS)

Narrow-band filter centered at 777 nm

 Spectrometer/Radiometer
Operational Linescan System (OLS) Spectrometers/Radiometers
Precipitation Radar Profiler/Sounders
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) Spectrometers/Radiometers
Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) (VIRS)

0.63µm; 1.6µm; 3.75µm; 10.8µm and 12µm

 Spectrometers/Radiometers

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