Earth Radiation Array (ERA)

Abstract

The NASA's Earth Radiation Array (ERA), which is currently being developed to provide calibrated radiation measurements from various areas of the earth for at least 11 years, i.e., one solar cycle, contains a mosaic array of detectors which measures the outgoing radiation of the earth in all directions without the need for mechanical scanning. The angular measurements obtained by the ERA over set intervals of time will be integrated to produce total reflected and emitted flux values from each of the target areas. The ERA is designed as a relatively small instrument (less than 1-cu-m volume and 100-kg mass), which can be included in the payload complement of many different satellites. The key requirement of the ERA is the ability to operate for up to 11 years continuously and without failure.