NOAA 17 has scan motor problems with rising motor currents. Constant rephase by the MIRP was causing data dropouts on all the HRPT
stream and APT and GAC derivatives. Auto re-phase has now been disabled and the resulting AVHRR products are almost all unusable. Daily MIRP rephasing via the Stored Command Table began on 18 May 2010 (10/138) – at the first pass over the South Pole each day.
Update 29/09/10 :- Further deterioration in scan motor performance with no useable data from the AVHRR instrument. Scan motor has stalled.
[Douglas S Deans]
19:10 UTC