THE SPACE ARROW

Abstract : One of the missions of the Soviet scientific research program is the study of the properties of the terrestrial atmosphere by implementation of the 'Kosmos' series artificial earth satellites (AES). These studies are directly related both to the problem of employing AES vehicles for weather forecasting and problems of a more general geophysical significance. Satellites are being used to obtain TV images of cloud systems and actinometric data with respect to the earth's field of radiation. The launching of 'Kosmos 149' resulted in considerable information being obtained on the thermal regime of the earth's atmosphere and clouds, quantitative cloud cover characteristics 'tied in' with TV pictures, and angular and spectral characteristics of our planet's brilliance as seen from space. (Author)