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NASA NTRS1993

Calibration of the AVHRR visible and near-IR bands by atmospheric scattering, ocean glint and desert reflection

A method for calibrating satellite sensors (such as the AVHRR visible and NIR bands) is proposed by which the sensors are calibrated using well-known physical characteristics of the atmosphere, ocean, and deserts, as well as the digital satellite imagery. The approach, independent of ground support, used the following three phenomena: molecular scattering over the ocean for absolute visible band calibration; ocean glint, to transfer the calibration from the visible band to the NIR band; and desert reflectance to monitor, independently, the stability of the visible and NIR bands. The method was applied to NOAA-7, -9, and -11 sensors. The results of the ocean and the desert calibration methods were found to differ in the brightness range and the spectral response of the radiance source (molecular scattering over the ocean versus the desert reflectance).

Kaufman, Y. J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Using calibrated SAR data

A number of approaches for calibrating SAR imaging data including data from multipolarization and multifrequency systems developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are discussed. It is shown how calibrated SAR data can be used to improve the understanding of the physical properties of the earth's surface layer and how calibration uncertainties and system noise should be handled by the SAR data user. Examples of calibrated SAR data from the NASA/JPL DC-8 SAR are used to demonstrate use of calibrated data to monitor temporal change and to improve the classification of land cover type.

Freeman, Anthony↗

NASA NTRS1993

Development and calibration of UV/VUV radiometric sources

A program exists at NIST to calibrate radiometric sources for the spectral range from 118-350 nm. These include deuterium lamps, hollow-cathode lamps, RF-excited dimer lamps, and wall-stabilized argon arcs. Sources have been calibrated for and used by researchers in solar physics, astrophysics, atmospheric physics (ozone measurements), magnetically controlled fusion, and photobiology. The argon arcs were developed in our laboratory, and provide intense sources of both radiance and irradiance. Calibrations are performed relative to two primary sources, a wall-stabilized hydrogen arc and a 12,000 K black-body line arc, both developed in our laboratory. Also we recently have begun periodic calibrations on the NIST storage ring, SURF II, to insure consistency between our respective radiometric bases. Various sources have been calibrated for space' applications, including several which are flyable. Also, some development and testing of radiometers for semiconductor lithography were recently carried out with an intense argon arc source.

Bridges, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Relative phase calibration of the NASA/DC-8 three-frequency polarimetric SAR system

Relative phase calibration of radar polarimetry data may be achieved by utilizing the phase information of the receiver calibration tone and knowledge of the antenna path differences among channels measured upon installation of the radar polarimeter. This calibration method does not require any assumptions on the scattering behavior of the scene. This method of phase calibration may be verified by examining the polarization signatures of calibration instruments such as the trihedral corner reflectors.

Lou, Yunling↗

NASA NTRS1993

Overview of the 1989 Wind Tunnel Calibration Workshop

An overview of the 1989 Wind Tunnel Calibration Workshop held at NASA LaRC in Hampton, VA on 19-20 Apr. 1989 is presented. The purpose of the Workshop was to explore wind tunnel calibration requirements as they relate to test quality and data accuracy, with the ultimate goal of developing wind tunnel calibration requirements for the major NASA wind tunnels at ARC, LaRC, and LeRC. The two sessions addressed the following topics: (1) what constitutes a properly calibrated wind tunnel; and (2) the status of calibration of NASA's major wind tunnels. The most significant contributions to the stated goals are highlighted, and the consensus of the Workshop's conclusions and recommendations regarding formulation and implementation of that goal are presented.

Henderson, Arthur, Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1994

In-flight scale/distortion calibration of the Hubble Space Telescope fixed-head star trackers

This paper describes an in-flight scale and distortion calibration procedure that has been developed for the Ball Aerospace Systems Division Fixed-Head Star Trackers (FHST's) used on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The FHST is a magnetically focused and deflected imaging sensor that is designed to track stars as faint as m(sub v) = 5.7 over an 8 degree by 8 degree field of view. Raw FHST position measurements are accurate to approximately 200 arcseconds, but this can be improved to 10-15 arcseconds by processing the raw measurements through calibration polynomials that correct for flat field, temperature intensity, and magnetic field effects. The coefficients for these polynomials were initially determined using ground test data. On HST the use of three FHST's is an integral part of the preliminary attitude update procedures required before the acquisition of guide stars for science observations. To this end, FHST-based attitude determination having single-axis errors no worse than 22 arcseconds (1 sigma) is required. In early 1991 it became evident that one of the HST FHST's was experiencing a significant change in its optical scale. By mid-1993 the size of this error had grown to a point that, if not corrected, it would correspond to a maximum position error on the order of 100 arcseconds. Subsequent investigations demonstrated that substantial, uncompensated cubic distortion effects had also developed, the maximum contribution to position errors from the cubic terms being on the order of 30 arcseconds. To ensure accurate FHST-based attitude updates, procedures have been developed to redetermine the FHST scale and distortion calibration coefficients based on in-flight data gathered during normal HST operations. These scale and distortion calibrations have proven very effective operationally, and procedures are in place to monitor FHST calibration changes on a continuing basis.

Mccutcheon, R.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Dutch X-band SLAR calibration

In August 1989 the NASA/JPL airborne P/L/C-band DC-8 SAR participated in several remote sensing campaigns in Europe. Amongst other test sites, data were obtained of the Flevopolder test site in the Netherlands on August the 16th. The Dutch X-band SLAR was flown on the same date and imaged parts of the same area as the SAR. To calibrate the two imaging radars a set of 33 calibration devices was deployed. 16 trihedrals were used to calibrate a part of the SLAR data. This short paper outlines the X-band SLAR characteristics, the experimental set-up and the calibration method used to calibrate the SLAR data. Finally some preliminary results are given.

Groot, J. S.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Performance evaluation of the solar backscatter ultraviolet radiometer, model 2 (SBUV/2) inflight calibration system

The Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer, Model 2 (SBUV/2) instruments, as part of their regular operation, deploy ground aluminum reflective diffusers to deflect solar irradiance into the instrument's field-of-view. Previous SBUV instrument diffusers have shown a tendency to degrade in their reflective efficiencies. This degradation will add a trend to the ozone measurements if left uncorrected. An extensive in-flight calibration system was designed into the SBUV/2 instruments to effectively measure the degradation of the solar diffuser (Ball Aerospace Systems Division 1981). Soon after launch, the NOAA-9 SBUV/2 calibration system was unable to track the diffuser's reflectivity changes due, in part, to design flows (Frederick et al. 1986). Subsequently, the NOAA-11 SBUV/2 calibration system was redesigned and an analysis of the first 2 years of data (Weiss et al. 1991) indicated the NOAA-11 SBUV/2 onboard calibration system's performance to be exceeding preflight expectations. This paper will describe the analysis of the first three years NOAA-11 SBUV/2 calibration system data.

Weiss, H.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Summary of AXAF calibration requirements

The following summarizes requirements on the High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) and HRMA/SI calibration. The lists of calibration measurements assume that the HRMA meets the CTT requirement that the XRCF test environment shall have not more than a 10 percent effect on the encircled energy in 1 arcsec and that it can be calibrated to 1 percent. This implies that the offloading scheme has been implemented in the HRMA. It should be remembered that there are additional calibrations needed for: aspect system; tracking; gyros; other parts of the PCAS; spacecraft timing and checks on timing accuracy for all SIs after integration in the spacecraft; ficucial lights and periscope; alignments; optical metrology data: lengths and diameters with errors on mirror elements and optical interferometer data on surface figure; and throughput and imaging stability test: an end-to-end test that can be used after the XRCF to verify that the x-ray throughput and imaging quality have not been degraded. The tables presented give a summary of the integration times for HRMA and HRMA/SI calibration.

Kellogg, E.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Calibration to surface reflectance of terrestrial imaging spectrometry data: Comparison of methods

Many algorithms for spectral analysis of imaging spectroscopy data of the Earth's surface require that the data be calibrated to surface reflectance. Calibration requires removing instrumental response, solar irradiance, atmospheric transmittance, and atmospheric scattering from the radiance detected at the sensor. Depending on the amount of support data, this can be a formidable task. This paper examines four methods of calibration: (1) a radiative transfer model from the University of Colorado (ATREM: Gao and Goetz, 1990; Gao et al., 1992), (2) a MODTRAN-based method developed at the Jet Propulsion Lab by Green et al., (1191), (3) a ground calibration using known sites as standards, and (4) a combined approach using radiative transfer methods and ground calibration. Data from the Airborne Visual and Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instrument were evaluated from data sets obtained over multiple years and multiple sites.

Clark, Roger N.↗

NASA NTRS1995

An improved spectral calibration requirement for AVIRIS

The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) measures spectra from 400 to 2500 nm through 224 contiguous spectral channels. These spectra are used to identify and determine the abundances of constituents of the earth's surface and atmosphere through the analysis of spectral molecular absorptions and scattering properties of materials. Spectral calibration of the AVIRIS is required to pursue these determinations, which are based on these fundamental spectral characteristics. The spectral calibration of AVIRIS consists of a description of the spectral response function for each of the 224 spectral channels. The spectral response function of AVIRIS channels was measured in the laboratory and shown to be Gaussian in shape. A subset of nine AVIRIS spectral channels is shown with channel centers at 10 nm intervals and channel shapes of Gaussian form with 10 nm full width and half maximum (FWHM). For AVIRIS the spectral calibration is described by the spectral center and FWHM of a Gaussian function for each channel. Uncertainty in the determination of the spectral center and FWHM for each channel are also reported. This paper presents results from an investigation of the sensitivity of AVIRIS-measured upwelling radiance to errors in spectral calibration. Based on this sensitivity analysis in conjunction with earlier work, an improved spectral calibration requirement for AVIRIS is proposed.

Green, Robert O.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Postlaunch calibration of spacecraft attitude instruments

The accuracy of both onboard and ground attitude determination can be significantly enhanced by calibrating spacecraft attitude instruments (sensors) after launch. Although attitude sensors are accurately calibrated before launch, the stresses of launch and the space environment inevitably cause changes in sensor parameters. During the mission, these parameters may continue to drift requiring repeated on-orbit calibrations. The goal of attitude sensor calibration is to reduce the systematic errors in the measurement models. There are two stages at which systematic errors may enter. The first occurs in the conversion of sensor output into an observation vector in the sensor frame. The second occurs in the transformation of the vector from the sensor frame to the spacecraft attitude reference frame. This paper presents postlaunch alignment and transfer function calibration of the attitude sensors for the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), and the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE).

Davis, W.↗

NASA NTRS1996

A Self Calibrating Emissivity and/or Transmissivity Independent Multiwavelength Pyrometer

Pyrometer is a favorite method to do remote temperature measurement in research and development. One-color, two-color and the disappearing filament pyrometers are most common, multicolor and multiwavelength pyrometers are being introduced recently. All these pyrometers invariably require, in one form or another, information concerning emissivity, the medium transmissivity, their ratio at some two spectral regions, the instrument's calibration constant, etc. for their operation. This information can come from hand books, from the manufacturer or in some instances, from results of dedicated separate experiments. Often this information is sample or instrument specific. Sometimes this information, though obtained from a special experiment, is obtained using a separate sample rather than the one pursued for temperature measurement. Then, there would be the question of variability from sample to sample and variability from batch to batch in the sample used. Also, previously determined calibrations can change with time, and the only way to reduce uncertainty is to perform the calibration more frequently or even immediately before the experiment. We have developed a multiwavelength pyrometer, which eliminates the need to supply the necessary emissivity and/or transmissivity information and the instrument calibration constants ahead of time. The pyrometer calibrates itself from its first cycle data.

Ng, Daniel↗

NASA NTRS1995

Results of the 1995 JPL balloon flight solar cell calibration program

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) solar cell calibration program was conceived to produce reference standards for the purpose of accurately setting solar simulator intensities. The concept was to fly solar cells on a high-altitude balloon, to measure their output at altitudes near 120,000 ft (36.6 km), to recover the cells, and to use them as reference standards. The procedure is simple. The reference cell is placed in the simulator beam, and the beam intensity is adjusted until the reference cell reads the same as it read on the balloon. As long as the reference cell has the same spectral response as the cells or panels to be measured, this is a very accurate method of setting the intensity. But as solar cell technology changes, the spectral response of the solar cells changes also, and reference standards using the new technology must be built and calibrated. Until the summer of 1985, there had always been a question as to how much the atmosphere above the balloon modified the solar spectrum. If the modification was significant, the reference cells might not have the required accuracy. Solar cells made in recent years have increasingly higher blue responses, and if the atmosphere has any effect at all, it would be expected to modify the calibration of these newer blue cells much more so than for cells made in the past. JPL has been flying calibration standards on high-altitude balloons since 1963 and continues to organize a calibration balloon flight at least once a year. The 1995 flight was the 48th flight in this series. The 1995 flight incorporated 46 solar cell modules from 7 different participants. The payload included Si, amorphous Si, GaAs, GaAs/Ge, dual junction cells, top and bottom sections of dual junction cells, and a triple junction cell. A new data acquisition system was built for the balloon flights and flown for the first time on the 1995 flight. This system allows the measurement of current-voltage (I-V) curves for 20 modules in addition to measurement of modules with fixed loads as had been done in the past.

Anspaugh, B. E.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Laser-induced incandescence calibration via gravimetric sampling

Absolute calibration of laser-induced incandescence (LII) is demonstrated via comparison of LII signal intensities with gravimetrically determined soot volume fractions. This calibration technique does not rely upon calculated or measured optical characteristics of soot. The variation of the LII signal with gravimetrically measured soot volume fractions ranging from 0.078 to 1.1 ppm established the linearly of the calibration. With the high spatial and temporal resolution capabilities of laser-induced incandescence (LII), the spatial and temporal fluctuations of the soot field within a gravimetric chimney were characterized. Radial uniformity of the soot volume fraction, f(sub v) was demonstrated with sufficient averaging of the single laser-shot LII images of the soot field thus confirming the validity of the calibration method for imaging applications. As illustration, instantaneous soot volume fractions within a Re = 5000 ethylene/air diffusion flame measured via planar LII were established quantitatively with this calibration.

Choi, M. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Spectral Irradiance Calibration in the Infrared: 3-35 microns Spectra of Three Southern Standard Stars - Part 6

We present three new absolutely calibrated continuous stellar spectra from 3 to 35 microns, constructed as far as possible from actual observed spectral fragments taken from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), and the IRAS Low Resolution Spectrometer (LRS). These stars- alpha(sup 1) Cen, alpha TrA, and epsilon Car-augment our previous archive of complete absolutely calibrated spectra for northern K and M giants. All these spectra have a common calibration pedigree. The wavelength coverage is ideal for calibration of many existing and proposed ground-based, airborne, and satellite sensors. KAO and IRAS data in the 15-30 micron range suggest that the spectra of cool giants are close to Rayleigh-Jeans slopes. Our observations of alpha(sup 1) Cen, absolutely calibrated via our adopted Sirius model, indicate an angular diameter in very good agreement with values in the literature, demonstrating 'closure' of the set of spectra within our absolute framework. We compare our observed alpha(sup 1) Cen spectrum with a published grid of theoretical models from Kurucz, and adopt a plausible theoretical shape, that fits our spectrum, as a secondary reference spectrum in the southern sky.

Cohen, Martin↗

NASA NTRS1997

Ground-Support Algorithms for Simulation, Processing, and Calibration of Barnes Static Earth Sensor Measurements: Applications to Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Observatory

New algorithms are described covering the simulation, processing, and calibration of penetration angles of the Barnes static Earth sensor assembly (SESA) as implemented in the Goddard Space Flight Center Flight Dynamics Division ground support system for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Observatory. The new treatment involves a detailed analysis of the measurements by individual quadrants. It is shown that, to a good approximation, individual quadrant misalignments can be treated simply as penetration angle biases. Simple formulas suitable for real-time applications are introduced for computing quadrant-dependent effects. The simulator generates penetration angles by solving a quadratic equation with coefficients uniquely determined by the spacecraft's position and the quadrant's orientation in GeoCentric Inertial (GCI) coordinates. Measurement processing for attitude determination is based on linearized equations obtained by expanding the coefficients of the aforementioned quadratic equation as a Taylor series in both the Earth oblateness coefficient (alpha approx. 1/150) and the angle between the pointing axis and the geodetic nadir vector. A simple formula relating a measured value of the penetration angle to the deviation of the Earth-pointed axis from the geodetic nadir vector is derived. It is shown that even near the very edge of the quadrant's Field Of View (FOV), attitude errors resulting from quadratic effects are a few hundredths of a degree, which is small compared to the attitude determination accuracy requirement (0.18 degree, 3 sigma) of TRMM. Calibration of SESA measurements is complicated by a first-order filtering used in the TRMM onboard algorithm to compute penetration angles from raw voltages. A simple calibration scheme is introduced where these complications are avoided by treating penetration angles as the primary raw measurements, which are adjusted using biases and scale factors. In addition to three misalignment parameters, the calibration state vector contains only two average penetration angle biases (one per each pair of opposite quadrants) since, because of the very narrow sensor FOV (+/- 2.6 degrees), differences between biases of the penetration angles measured by opposite quadrants cannot be distinguished from roll and pitch sensor misalignments. After calibration, the estimated misalignments and average penetration angle biases are converted to the four penetration angle biases and to the yaw misalignment angle. The resultant biases and the estimated scale factors are finally used to update the coefficients necessary for onboard computations of penetration angles from measured voltages.

Natanson, G. A.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Signal Processing and Calibration of Continuous-Wave Focused CO2 Doppler Lidars for Atmospheric Backscatter Measurement

Two continuous-wave(CW)focused C02 Doppler lidars (9.1 and 10.6 micrometers) were developed for airborne in situ aerosol backscatter measurements. The complex path of reliably calibrating these systems, with different signal processors, for accurate derivation of atmospheric backscatter coefficients is documented. Lidar calibration for absolute backscatter measurement for both lidars is based on range response over the lidar sample volume, not solely at focus. Both lidars were calibrated with a new technique using well-characterized aerosols as radiometric standard targets and related to conventional hard-target calibration. A digital signal processor (DSP), a surface acoustic and spectrum analyzer and manually tuned spectrum analyzer signal analyzers were used. The DSP signals were analyzed with an innovative method of correcting for systematic noise fluctuation; the noise statistics exhibit the chi-square distribution predicted by theory. System parametric studies and detailed calibration improved the accuracy of conversion from the measured signal-to-noise ratio to absolute backscatter. The minimum backscatter sensitivity is approximately 3 x 10(exp -12)/m/sr at 9.1 micrometers and approximately 9 x 10(exp -12)/m/sr at 10.6 micrometers. Sample measurements are shown for a flight over the remote Pacific Ocean in 1990 as part of the NASA Global Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) survey missions, the first time to our knowledge that 9.1-10.6 micrometer lidar intercomparisons were made. Measurements at 9.1 micrometers, a potential wavelength for space-based lidar remote-sensing applications, are to our knowledge the first based on the rare isotope C-12 O(2)-18 gas.

Rothermel, Jeffry↗