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How did Seasat provide frequent coverage of most of the world’s major oceans?

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Seasat provided frequent, widespread coverage of the world’s major oceans primarily due to its specific orbital path. By utilizing a polar orbit, the satellite was able to survey approximately 95 percent of the major oceans every 36 hours.1

During its 99-day mission in 1978, the unmanned spacecraft orbited the Earth 14 times daily. This high-frequency transit allowed the satellite to collect extensive data on oceanographic conditions—such as wave height, wind speeds, and sea-surface temperatures—using an array of instruments including radiometers, radar scatterometers, imaging radar, and a radar altimeter. By measuring the distance between its path and the ocean surface, the altimeter helped scientists map the topography of the seafloor, as gravitational attraction causes the sea surface to bulge over seamounts and downwarp over deep-sea trenches.2134