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classified mission for distribution by NOAA. 



In September 1 986 the classified mission was declared complete and the 

 satellite was maneuvered into a new 1 7-day exact repeat orbit which was the 

 same as that occupied by SEASAT in 1 978. Since the altlmetrically-measured 

 sea surface shape from the SEASAT satellite was in the public domain, the 

 GEOSAT altimetric data was not classified as long as its ground track remained 

 within one kilometer of the SEASAT ground track. Under an agreement with 

 the Navy, NOAA was responsible for generating the unclassified data set for 

 the oceanographic community, where it was used for measuring the shape of 

 the ocean surface. 



The GEOSAT altimetry data has now been used extensively by the 

 research community to study major oceanic mesoscale features such as the 

 Gulf Stream and associated eddies or rings, to study gravity fields and bottom 

 topography in the Southern Hemisphere, and to support studies in ocean 

 modeling for global climate change. Similarly, the Navy used GEOSAT data to 

 better describe those oceanographic features that impact on submarine 

 detection, and to provide essential data for our global ocean forecasting 

 models. 



A GEOSAT FOLLOW-ON (GFO) mission is planned for mid FY-96. 

 Building on the success of GEOSAT, the GFO will be in the same 1 7-day exact 

 repeat orbit as GEOSAT. The altimeter data will be processed at the Naval 

 Oceanographic Office's Altimetry Data Fusion Center and all environmental data 

 records (EDR) disseminated to NOAA's National Environmental Data and 

 Information Service (NESDIS) for distribution to the civilian community. In 



