Nimbus 6

Nimbus 6 was NASA’s June 12, 1975 meteorological research satellite, carrying experiments spanning atmospheric sounding, microwave mapping, radiation-budget measurements and data relay. High-resolution infrared and limb-viewing instruments, a pressure-modulated radiometer and a scanning microwave spectrometer supported profiles of temperature, ozone and water vapor and estimates of cloud water. Its Earth Radiation Budget experiment measured energy exchange, while a tracking-and-data-relay experiment transmitted real-time data through the geostationary ATS-6 spacecraft. The mission tested techniques later relevant to operational weather observing and long-term climate measurements.