Precision pointing using a dual-wedge scanner

Abstract

A system was developed for calibrating and precisely pointing a germanium dual-wedge scanner for a CO2 Doppler lidar from an airborne platform. The equations implemented in pointing the scanner and those in the iterative calibration program, which combines available data with estimated parameters of the scanner orientation relative to the axes of the aircraft's inertial navigation system to arrive at corrected scanner parameters are described. The effect of specific error conditions on program performance and the results of the program when used on 1981 test data are investigated.