Microwave sounding unit
The Microwave sounding unit was the predecessor to the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit.
The MSU was first launched aboard the TIROS-N satellite
in late 1978 and provided global coverage. It carries a 4-channel microwave radiometer, operating between 50 and 60 GHz. Spatial resolution on the ground was 2.5 deg in longitude and latitude. There were 9 different MSUs launched; the most recent one on NOAA-14. They provided measurements of the temperature of the troposphere and lower stratosphere until 1998, when the first AMSU was deployed. AMSU provides many more channels and finer resolution.
