GIFTS Technology

GIFTS will use over 32,600 sensors to collect data on temperature, wind velocity and water vapor. GIFTS will orbit 22,000 miles above the earth at the same speed as the earth's rotation. GIFTS will scan and collect data from 317 miles square of the earth every 10 seconds

GIFTS contains two important parts. 1. Focal Plane Detector Array (FPA) collects photons of light 2. Fourier Transform Spectrometer transforms or changes the photons into radio signals.

As GIFTS orbits the Earth, the FPA collects photons of light from the Earth's surface and the atmosphere. The spectrometer causes the photons to create an interference patter called interferrograms, which are changed into radio signals and sent back to Earth for scientists to analyze. Special computers on Earth decode the radio signals and interferrograms back into color wavelengths to represent different categories in the atmosphere, such as water and chemicals. Scientists can then determine the temperature, air pressure and water content of the atmosphere. By watching how fast the moisture moves, scientists can calculate wind speed and wind direction. The GIFTS instrument is able to collect more wavelengths of protons than current instruments, which will allow scientist to create pictures of the atmosphere that are clearer and more in focus than current instruments and images today.