Recharacterization of the Microwave Sounding Unit Cross-Track Asymmetry During a Spacecraft Tumble

In August 2006, a pitch-over maneuver was performed on NOAA-14 in order to characterize the asymmetry in the Microwave Sounding Unit. Approximately seven weeks later, the spacecraft tumbled when a hydrazine thruster leaked. This tumble permitted a second characterization of the asymmetry. The analysis of the data collected during the tumble event revealed that, while three of the four channels had similar response and asymmetry, one channel changed its response either as a result of the tumble or due to another cause in the seven weeks after the pitch-over maneuver. This letter summarizes the results of the maneuver and gives the results from the tumble event.