Joseph J. Tansock

Overview of the SABER experiment and preliminary calibration results

The Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) experiment is one of four experiments that will fly on the Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics, and Dynamics (TIMED) mission to be launched in May 2000. The primary science goal of SABER is to achieve major advances in understanding the structure, energetics, chemistry, and dynamics, in the atmospheric region extending from 60 km to 180 km altitude. This will be accomplished using the space flight proven experiment approach of spectral broadband limb emission radiometry. SABER will scan the horizon in 10 selected bands ranging from 1.27 micrometer to 17 micrometer wavelength. The observed vertical horizon emission profiles will be processed on the ground to provide vertical profiles with 2 km altitude resolution, of temperature, O3, H2O, and CO2; volume emission rates due to O2(1(Delta) ), OH((upsilon) equals 3,4,5), OH((upsilon) equals 7,8,9), and NO; key atmospheric cooling rates, solar heating rates, chemical heating rates, airglow losses; geostrophic winds, atomic oxygen and atomic hydrogen. Measurements will be made both night and day over the latitude range from the southern to northern polar regions. The SABER instrument uses an on-axis Cassegrain design with a clam shell reimager. Preliminary test and calibration results show excellent radiometric performance.

Melting points of gallium and of binary eutectics with gallium realized in small cells

Melting/freezing curves are studied for the single-component Ga and bimetallic eutectic alloys Ga–In, Ga–Sn, Ga–Zn and Ga–Al in small-size cells. These phase-transition studies were conducted at VNIIOFI and SDL in order to design small-size fixed-point devices for metrological monitoring of temperature sensors on autonomous platforms. Our prime objective is to develop technology to improve the long-term performance of in-flight blackbody calibration sources of space-borne radiometers. The repeatability of the melting temperature of Ga and the eutectic melting temperatures of Ga–In, Ga–Sn and Ga–Zn fixed points were studied. Our results show that small cells containing Ga and some Ga-based eutectic alloys can be used as melting fixed-point standards.

SABER instrument design update

This paper describes the design of a 10-channel infrared (1.27 to 16.9 micrometers ) radiometer instrument known as SABER (sounding of the atmosphere using broadband emission radiometry) that will measure earth-limb emissions from the TIMED (thermosphere- ionosphere-mesosphere energetics and dynamics) satellite. The instrument telescope, designed to reject stray light from the earth and the atmosphere, is an on-axis Cassegrain design with a clam shell reimager and a one-axis scan mirror. The telescope is cooled below 210 K by a dedicated radiator. The focal plane assembly (consisting of a filter array, a detector array, a Lyot stop, and a window) is cooled to 75 K by a miniature cryogenic refrigerator. The conductive heat load on the refrigerator is minimized by a Kevlar support system that thermally isolates the focal plane assembly from the telescope. Kevlar is also used to thermally isolate the telescope from the spacecraft. Instrument responsivity drifts due to changes in telescope and focal plane temperatures as well as other causes are neutralized by an in-flight calibration system. The detector array consists of discrete HgCdTe, InSb, and InGaAs detectors. Two InGaAs detectors are a new long wavelength type, made by EG&G, that have a long wavelength cutoff of 2.33 micrometers at 77 K.

Component level prediction versus system level measurement of SABER relative spectral response

A 10-channel infrared (1.25-17.24 µm wavelength) radiometer known as SABER (Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry) is one of four experiments that will fly on the TIMED (Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics, and Dynamics) mission that was successfully launched on 7 December 2001. Theoretical models of the relative spectral response (RSR) for each SABER channel were developed during the design and build of the instrument. The RSR calculations were then refined using a component level technique where theoretical predictions of filter transmittance were replaced with measurements from filter witness samples. During SABER ground calibration, full system measurements of RSR were performed using a Michelson step-scan interferometer to present an interferometrically modulated infrared source to the instrument with the resultant interferogram recorded by the instrument detectors. Fourier transform of this interferogram and correction of the resulting spectrum for the spectral output of the interferometer and the transmittance of any intervening optics provide a measurement of the system level RSR. We compare the full system level measurements with the theoretical and component level RSR predictions for both in-band and out-of-band spectral regions. Our results show that the system level method for determining RSR provides the clearest picture of the instruments spectral properties.

SABER ground calibration

This paper describes ground calibration of a 10-channel infrared (1.27-17 µm wavelength) radiometer instrument known as sounding of the atmosphere using broadband emission radiometry (SABER). SABER is one of four experiments that will fly on the thermosphere, ionosphere, mesosphere, energetics and dynamics (TIMED) mission to be launched in 2001. SABER will be used to measure atmospheric infrared emissions from the earthlimb. Ground calibration testing was completed in September 1999. Subsequent data analyses and report generation was completed in June 2000. This paper provides an overview of the instrument design, calibration approach, calibration equation and radiometric model. It also describes the SABER ground calibration facility, survey of calibration results and calibration radiance uncertainty.

Metrological support for climatic time series of satellite radiometric data

A necessary condition for accumulating fundamental climate data records is the use of observation instruments whose stability and accuracy are sufficiently high for climate monitoring purposes; the number of instruments and their distribution in space should be sufficient for measurements with no spatial or temporal gaps. The continuous acquirement of data over time intervals of several decades can only be possible under the condition of simultaneous application of instruments produced by different manufacturers and installed on different platforms belonging to one or several countries. The design of standard sources for pre-flight calibrations and in-flight monitoring of instruments has to meet the most stringent requirements for the accuracy of absolute radiometric measurements and stability of all instruments. This means that the radiometric scales should be stable, accurate, and uniform. Current technologies cannot ensure the high requirements for stability and compatibility of radiometric scales: 0.1% per decade within the 0.3 - 3 μm band and 0.01 K per decade within the 3 - 25 μm band. It is suggested that these tasks can be aided through the use of the pure metals or eutectic alloy phase transition phenomenon that always occur under the same temperature. Such devices can be used for pre-flight calibrations and for on-board monitoring of the stability of radiometric instruments. Results of previous studies of blackbody models based upon the phase transition phenomenon are quite promising. A study of the phase transition of some materials in small cells was conducted for future application in onboard monitoring devices and its results are positive and allow us to begin preparations for similar experiments in space.

Focus Optimization of a Cryogenic Collimator using Interferometric Measurements and Optical Modeling

Space Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University (SDL/USU) optimized the focus of an off-axis, cryogenically cooled infrared collimator for cryogenic operating temperatures. Historically, collimator focus was optimized at ambient temperatures where interactive focus adjustment and testing could be performed. The focus shift that occurred when the optics were cooled was minimized by collimator design, and the change was negligible compared to the spatial resolution of the IR sensor measuring the collimators simulated point source. However, the focus determined at ambient temperature does not meet the image quality requirements of state-of-the-art sensors. The method used by SDL to determine optimal focus at cryogenic temperatures applies classical optical techniques to the cryogenically cooled environment. System level interferometric measurements are first made to characterize the system wavefront error. These measurements are then applied to an aberration-free optical model to evaluate system focus for a wavelength of 12 micrometers . The method also uses a knife edge test to refer the interferometric measurements to the aperture located near the focal point of the collimator. This paper discusses the physical test setup, outlines the optical model and analysis procedure, and presents results before and after focus optimization of a multifunction infrared calibrator.

Estimated performance of the Wide-field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) instrument

The Wide-Field IR Explorer (WIRE) is a small spaceborne cryogenic IR telescope being readied for launch in September 1998. Part of NASAs Small Explorer program, WIRE will carry out a deep pointed survey in broad 24 and 12 micron passbands designed primarily to study the evolution of starburst galaxies and to search for protogalaxies. The strategy for the WIRE survey and its stare-and-dither technique for building up long exposure times are described. An overview of the WIRE instrument is presented, with emphasis on the results of ground characterization and expected on-orbit performance of the WIRE optics and the Si:As focal plane arrays. The result of the ground characterization demonstrate that WIRE will meet or exceed the requirements for its science objectives. A brief overview is given of the primary and additional science that will be enabled by WIRE.

Impact of the SPIRIT III sensor design on algorithms for background removal, object detection, and point-source extraction

This paper describes background removal, point source detection, and position and irradiance extraction data processing algorithms that have been developed for the Spatial Infrared Imaging Telescope (SPIRIT) III design. The SPIRIT III sensor is the primary instrument on the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite and is scheduled for launch in early 1996. The sensor consists of an off-axis reimaging telescope, and, among other instruments, a six-band scanning radiometer that covers the spectrum from midwave infrared to longwave infrared. The radiometer has five arsenic-doped silicon (Si:As) focal plane detector arrays with 8 X 192 pixels. The angular separation between adjacent pixels is 90 (mu) rad. A single axis scan mirror can operate at a constant 0.46 deg/sec scan rate to give programmable fields of regard of 1 X 0.75, 1 X 1.5, and 1 X 3 degrees or can remain fixed. Scanned images are non-uniformly sampled because of non-linear scan mirror motion, array misalignment, optical distortion, detector readout ordering, and satellite rotation. In addition, three of the five arrays contain multiple cross-scan aligned columns of pixels that five scanned images that have spatially overlapping in- scan data. Algorithms for processing data sampled on a uniform grid, such as data obtained from a CCD array, are enhanced and applied to the SPIRIT III radiometer where scanned images are non-uniformly sampled and have spatially overlapping data. The performance of these algorithms are evaluated with point source data acquired during ground measurements.

An Update of Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) Calibration

The sounding of the atmosphere using broadband emission radiometry (SABER) instrument is a 10-channel infrared (1.27-16.9μm) radiometer launched on the TIMED (Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics, and Dynamics) satellite in December 2001 from Vandenburg Air Force Base. SABER measures earthlimb emissions and characterizes infrared radiation, allowing calculation of atmospheric temperature and composition (ozone, water vapor, and carbon dioxide), as well as solar and chemical heating rates and infrared cooling rates. Although SABER focuses on the unexplored 60-180km region, it makes measurements covering the 10-350km altitude region. Ground calibration testing was completed in September 1999. Subsequent data analyses and report generation were completed in June, 2000. This paper provides a brief overview of instrument design, calibration planning, ground calibration testing, and results. Also included is an assessment of nearly five years of post launch validation and calibration maintenance. Using SABER as an example, conclusions are given regarding the benefit of a detailed calibration approach and how it enhances the quality of science data and mission success.