DMSP satellites as gamma-ray burst detectors

Gamma-ray burst detectors are aboard three U. S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft, in orbit at 800 km altitude, with corresponding fields of view to 117 degree from the zenith. A large number of bursts have been detected by DMSP, usually confirming and supplementing data from GRO and other spacecraft. The location of a gamma-ray burst source detected by several DMSP spacecraft is considerably restricted by knowledge of the several fields of view. Often non-detection of a strong burst by one or more DMSP spacecraft is even more informative in narrowing the possible area of the burst. The DMSP data in conjunction with observations by other spacecraft can lead to reasonable positional information when more accurate positions are not from GRO or other data