ERBS (Earth Radiation Budget Satellite) is part of NASA's three-satellite Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). In addition to its ERBE instrumentation, ERBS also carried a Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE II), observations of which were used to assess the effects of human activities (such as burning fossil fuels and the use CFCs) and natural occurrences (such as volcanic eruptions) on Earth's radiation balance.

 

Following deployment from the Shuttle, astronaut Sally Ride had to shake the satellite with the remote manipulator arm in order open its solar array.

 

The second ERBE instrument was aboard the NOAA-9 satellite when it was launched in January 1985, and the third was aboard the NOAA-10 satellite when it was launched in October 1986. Although the scanning instruments on board all three ERBE satellites have failed, the nonscanning instruments are all presently functioning.

 

shuttle deployment	Oct 5, 1984
shuttle mission	STS-41G
orbit	576 × 589 km × 57.0°
size	4.6 × 3.5 m
mass	226 kg