Meteor-3M(1)/Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) jointly sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Russian Space Agency

Abstract

The SAGE III is a joint Earth Observing System (EOS) mission between the US NASA and the Russian Space Agency (RSA) to fly aboard the Russian Meteor-3M(1) spacecraft to be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in mid-1999. SAGE III is a spectrometer that measures attenuated radiation in the 282 nm to 1550 nm wavelength range which can be inverted to yield vertical profiles of ozone, aerosols and other species that are critical in studying trends and global change. In addition to SAGE III, the Meteor-3M(1) spacecraft carries nine Russian instruments for analyzing and forecasting environmental change and climate, for hydro-meteorological monitoring and for helio-geophysical research. Both the RSA and NASA are coordinating the activities associated with the joint mission development and implementation, including instrument development, spacecraft development, and mission operations.