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Eugene Waluschka

Publications and source records attributed to Eugene Waluschka.

10 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Pre-Launch Calibration Methods of OCI on the Pace Mission

Scheduled for launch in January 2024, the PACE mission represents NASA’s next investment in ocean biology, clouds, and aerosol data records. A key feature of PACE is the inclusion of an advanced satellite radiometer known as the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), a global mapping radiometer that combines multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing. This paper describes the methods used for pre-launch calibration of OCI and considerations to ensure the combination of Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and instrument effects meet uncertainty and performance requirements. General considerations when designing a calibration campaign are also discussed.

oci↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Initial Look at the Results From the Prelaunch Characterization Campaign of OCI on the Pace Mission

Scheduled for launch in January 2024, the Phytoplankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission represents NASA’s next investment in ocean biology, clouds, and aerosol data records [1]. A key feature of PACE is the inclusion of an advanced satellite radiometer known as the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), a global mapping radiometer that combines multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing. This paper describes the results of the prelaunch test campaign of the OCI Flight Unit. The measured OCI flight unit performance exceeded requirement thresholds in all critical areas. Overall, the performance of the OCI is excellent, and will allow the PACE science team to meet its science objectives.

Calibration↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PACE OCI Polarization Sensitivity Based on Pre-launch Testing

The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) is a sensor on the upcoming Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, scheduled for launch in early 2024. OCI is a grating spectrometer with hyperspectral coverage from the ultraviolet (about 310 nm) to near-infrared (about 900 nm), with additional filtered channels in the short-wave infrared (940 nm – 2260 nm). This instrument will provide ocean color science data to continue the data sets collected by heritage sensors MODIS, SeaWiFs, and VIIRS, but with increased spectral coverage and improved accuracy. In order to achieve the high levels of accuracy demanded by the science community, a rigorous ground test program was conducted to calibrate the instrument and ensure that the calibration can be transferred to on-orbit operations. Some calibration parameters can only be measured during pre-launch testing; one such parameter is the polarization sensitivity. Polarization testing measured the Mueller matrix components needed to determine the polarization sensitivity for all spectral bands for a series of telescope scan angles covering the expected on-orbit scan range. Results indicate that the sensitivity is below 0.6 % except at the shortest wavelengths (less than 340 nm) and was characterized to better than 0.1 % above 340 nm. This indicates that any polarized scenes measured on orbit can be corrected for with a high degree of confidence.

PACE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PACE OCI Polarization Sensitivity Based on Pre-launch Testing

The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) is a sensor on the upcoming Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, scheduled for launch in early 2024. OCI is a grating spectrometer with hyperspectral coverage from the ultraviolet (about 310 nm) to near-infrared (about 900 nm), with additional filtered channels in the short-wave infrared (940 nm – 2260 nm). This instrument will provide ocean color science data to continue the data sets collected by heritage sensors MODIS, SeaWiFs, and VIIRS, but with increased spectral coverage and improved accuracy. In order to achieve the high levels of accuracy demanded by the science community, a rigorous ground test program was conducted to calibrate the instrument and ensure that the calibration can be transferred to on-orbit operations. Some calibration parameters can only be measured during pre-launch testing; one such parameter is the polarization sensitivity. Polarization testing measured the Mueller matrix components needed to determine the polarization sensitivity for all spectral bands for a series of telescope scan angles covering the expected on-orbit scan range. Results indicate that the sensitivity is below 0.6 % except at the shortest wavelengths (less than 340 nm) and was characterized to better than 0.1 % above 340 nm. This indicates that any polarized scenes measured on orbit can be corrected for with a high degree of confidence.

PACE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Vacuum-Compatible, Spectrally Tunable, Flat Panel Uniform Source for Testing Large Aperture Earth Observation Systems

Labsphere, Inc in conjunction with NASA GSFC and Genesis Engineering Solutions inc. has developed an innovative, fully T-VAC compatible, calibration spectro-radiometric illumination source with a highly uniform large-area rectangular flat panel active area. This source leverages a new shaped integration geometry to achieve high uniformity over a large active output area while maintaining a smaller and more robust overall form-factor when compared to previous designs or integrating spheres. This new illuminator also leverages a set of selectable LED arrays as well as broadband tungsten-halogen sources to provide multi-level, wide spectrum reference illumination to the VIIRS instrument over all optical sensor bands during pre-launch testing. The first unit has been demonstrated to meet its requirements using ambient technology and a fully-vacuum-compatible second unit is planned to allow testing for T-VAC campaigns. This technology is both flexible and capable of meeting the needs of many other instruments/missions requiring this type of test/calibration capability.

Jeff Holt↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Vacuum-Compatible, Spectrally Tunable, Flat Panel Uniform Source for Testing Large Aperture Earth Observation Systems

Labsphere, Inc. in conjunction with NASA GSFC and Genesis Engineering Solutions Inc., has developed an innovative, vacuum compatible, calibration spectro-radiometric illumination source with a highly uniform large-area rectangular flat panel active area. This device features a uniquely shaped diffuse integration geometry to achieve high uniformity over a large active output area while maintaining a smaller and more robust overall form-factor when compared to previous designs or integrating spheres. A new liquid-cooled hybrid quartz-tungsten (QT) and light emitting diode (LED) source module has been engineered to provide direct-in-vacuum reference illumination over the full dynamic range and spectrum of the VIIRS instrument’s optical bands during pre-launch testing. The first unit has been demonstrated to meet its requirements using ambient technology and a fully-vacuum-compatible second unit is planned to allow testing in thermal vacuum (TVAC) campaigns. This technology is flexible and capable of meeting the needs of many other instruments/missions requiring this type of test/calibration capability.

Jeffrey Holt↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of NASA's Ocean Color Instrument Solar Calibration Architecture, Pre-Launch Tests and Preliminary On-Orbit Results

Launched in February 2024, the PACE mission represents NASA’s next investment in ocean biology, clouds, and aerosol data records. A key feature of PACE is the inclusion of an advanced satellite radiometer known as the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), a global mapping radiometer that combines multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing. Like its predecessors, OCI will provide two day global coverage of TOA radiances. Unlike its predecessors, OCI will cover a spectral range from 340nm to 2260nm. Below 900nm, OCI will include two spectrometers that continuously span the ultraviolet to 600nm and 600nm to near-infrared spectral regions to provide hyperspectral radiances sampled every 2.5 nm, with a bandwidth of 5 nm for each channel. Wavelengths above 900nm are measured in seven discrete multispectral bands of varying bandwidths, six of which are at similar wavelengths to those on heritage missions to support both atmospheric and ocean color applications. Nominal spatial resolution is similar to the SeaWiFS instrument with 1050 m at nadir. As for SeaWiFS, the pixel size increases due to a ~20 degree tilt and as a function of scan angle. Variations in the radiometric sensitivity of each OCI channel over time will be monitored by solar diffuser measurements for short term instrument gain adjustments and independent lunar measurements for trend adjustments of long time periods, similar to the approach employed for the VIIRS instrument [4]. The OCI flight-unit was built at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. At the time of this writing, OCI has completed on-orbit commissioning activities and normal science operations have begun. A key aspect of the OCI architecture is the capability to trend absolute and relative calibration changes over the course of mission life with solar calibration. Every 24 hours, the PACE spacecraft performs an inertial hold as the ground track nears the North Pole which orients a Quasi-Volume Diffuser (QVD) mounted on OCI towards the sun. By knowing the irradiance of the sun and the reflectivity of the target, the absolute radiance at the input to the OCI aperture can be computed as OCI scans the target. The allowable absolute uncertainty budget for each solar calibration measurement is 1.6% 1-sigma below 900nm at beginning of life (BOL) and the allowable relative uncertainty budget is ~0.26% 1-sigma. The Solar Calibration Assembly (SCA) consists of three targets selectable via a single mechanism which also opens a door. The targets consist of a Daily Bright Target (DBT), Monthly Bright Target (MBT), and Daily Dim Target (DDT). The bright targets are quartz QVDs with the monthly target being used to track the degradation of the daily target. The dim target is used to track CCD linearity using Progressive Time-Delay Integration (PTDI). A composite baffle is attached to the SCA housing aperture to block Earth shine and stray light from the spacecraft. The SCA assembly is mounted to a view port ~90° from OCI nadir. This paper provides an overview of driving solar calibration requirements, error-budgets and early trade studies which drove the solar calibration assembly (SCA) architecture and on-orbit maneuver. Measurements of the diffuser Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) at TNO, Netherlands and GSFC are briefly described. Optical modelling and test results at the sub-system and instrument level are included. Finally, preliminary measurements on-orbit are compared to pre-launch predictions.

Joseph J Knuble↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of NASA's Ocean Color Instrument Solar Calibration Architecture, Pre-Launch Tests and Preliminary On-Orbit Results

Launched in February 2024, the PACE mission represents NASA’s next investment in ocean biology, clouds, and aerosol data records. A key feature of PACE is the inclusion of an advanced satellite radiometer known as the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), a global mapping radiometer that combines multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing. Like its predecessors, OCI will provide two day global coverage of TOA radiances. Unlike its predecessors, OCI will cover a spectral range from 340nm to 2260nm. Below 900nm, OCI will include two spectrometers that continuously span the ultraviolet to 600nm and 600nm to near-infrared spectral regions to provide hyperspectral radiances sampled every 2.5 nm, with a bandwidth of 5 nm for each channel. Wavelengths above 900nm are measured in seven discrete multispectral bands of varying bandwidths, six of which are at similar wavelengths to those on heritage missions to support both atmospheric and ocean color applications. Nominal spatial resolution is similar to the SeaWiFS instrument with 1050 m at nadir. As for SeaWiFS, the pixel size increases due to a ~20 degree tilt and as a function of scan angle. Variations in the radiometric sensitivity of each OCI channel over time will be monitored by solar diffuser measurements for short term instrument gain adjustments and independent lunar measurements for trend adjustments of long time periods, similar to the approach employed for the VIIRS instrument [4]. The OCI flight-unit was built at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. At the time of this writing, OCI has completed on-orbit commissioning activities and normal science operations have begun. A key aspect of the OCI architecture is the capability to trend absolute and relative calibration changes over the course of mission life with solar calibration. Every 24 hours, the PACE spacecraft performs an inertial hold as the ground track nears the North Pole which orients a Quasi-Volume Diffuser (QVD) mounted on OCI towards the sun. By knowing the irradiance of the sun and the reflectivity of the target, the absolute radiance at the input to the OCI aperture can be computed as OCI scans the target. The allowable absolute uncertainty budget for each solar calibration measurement is 1.6% 1-sigma below 900nm at beginning of life (BOL) and the allowable relative uncertainty budget is ~0.26% 1-sigma. The Solar Calibration Assembly (SCA) consists of three targets selectable via a single mechanism which also opens a door. The targets consist of a Daily Bright Target (DBT), Monthly Bright Target (MBT), and Daily Dim Target (DDT). The bright targets are quartz QVDs with the monthly target being used to track the degradation of the daily target. The dim target is used to track CCD linearity using Progressive Time-Delay Integration (PTDI). A composite baffle is attached to the SCA housing aperture to block Earth shine and stray light from the spacecraft. The SCA assembly is mounted to a view port ~90° from OCI nadir. This paper provides an overview of driving solar calibration requirements, error-budgets and early trade studies which drove the solar calibration assembly (SCA) architecture and on-orbit maneuver. Measurements of the diffuser Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) at TNO, Netherlands and GSFC are briefly described. Optical modelling and test results at the sub-system and instrument level are included. Finally, preliminary measurements on-orbit are compared to pre-launch predictions.

ocean color↗