Radiation Budget Satellite Trading Card

NASA uses instruments on satellites to collect data about the Earth and the satellites/instruments transmit the data to scientists for study. Satellites are carried into space by rockets.

The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) was released from the Space Shuttle Challenger in October, 1984 by astronaut Sally Ride (the first American woman in space).

Located on board the ERBS are scanning and non-scanning instruments used to study the Earth's radiation budget, as well as an instrument for another radiation-related experiment called Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II). The ERBS was the first of three Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) satellites that carried ERBE instruments; the second was NOAA-9 and the third was NOAA-10.

• View the ERBE Quicktime movie illustrating how satellites collect data!
  (see Notes on viewing the ERBE Quicktime Movie).