Simple Thermal Environment Model (STEM) is a FORTRAN-based computer program that provides engineering estimates of top-of-atmosphere albedo and outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) for use in analyzing thermal loads on spacecraft near Earth. The thermal environment of a spacecraft is represented in STEM as consisting of direct solar radiation; short-wave radiation reflected by the atmosphere of the Earth, as characterized in terms of the albedo of the Earth; and OLR emitted by the atmosphere of the Earth. STEM can also address effects of heat loads internal to a spacecraft. Novel features of STEM include (1) the use of Earth albedo and OLR information based on time series of measurements by Earth Radiation Budget Experiment satellites in orbit; (2) the ability to address thermal time constants of spacecraft systems by use of albedo and OLR values representing averages over a range of averaging times; and (3) the ability to address effects, on albedo and OLR values, of satellite orbital inclination, the angle between the plane of a spacecraft orbit and the line between the centers of the Earth and Sun, the solar zenith angle, and latitude.
Program for Computing Albedo
2003-08-01
Miscellaneous
No indication
English
SOLUTIONS - Software - Program for Computing Albedo
Online Contents | 2003
Oblique albedo-sensor measurements
TIBKAT | 1975
|Albedo measurements over the Antarctic
NTRS | 1965
|Earth albedo and emitted radiation
NTRS | 1971
Surface albedo of cometary nucleus
Elsevier | 1989
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