Shigeki Akagi

Enhancement of Spectral Separation Performance for ASTER/SWIR

The mechanism of the crosstalk phenomena in the ASTER/SWIR subsystem, which has six bands in the wavelength of 1.6 - 2.43 micrometers region, is investigated. It is found that the incident light to a detector array of the band 4 of the SWIR subsystem is reflected at an electrical wiring at the focal plane. It is transported to detectors of other bands by multiple reflections through the bandpass filter in front of detectors. By analyzing SWIR images around islands and peninsulas, crosstalk components in images are estimated. For this purpose, the crosstalk correction software is developed. Parameters of the crosstalk phenomena, i.e., the amount of stray light and the influential area of stray light, are determined by image analysis. It is found that the spectral separation performance of the SWIR subsystem is enhanced using the correction software in this study, which leads to more accurate spectral studies of SWIR images and is promising in exploiting natural resources.

Onboard calibration of the ASTER instrument

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a high spatial resolution optical sensor for observing the Earth carried on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Terra satellite. ASTER consists of three radiometers covering the following regions: visible and near-infrared (VNIR), shortwave infrared (SWIR), and thermal infrared (TIR). The preflight calibration of VNIR and SWIR utilized standard large integrating spheres whose radiance levels were traceable to primary standard fixed-point blackbodies. The onboard calibration devices for the VNIR and SWIR consist of two halogen lamps with photodiode monitors. In orbit, all three bands of the VNIR showed rapid decreases in the output signal while all SWIR bands remained stable. The TIR onboard blackbody was calibrated against a standard blackbody from 100-400 K in a vacuum chamber before launch. The TIR is unable to see the dark space. The temperature of the TIR onboard blackbody remains at 270 K for a short-term calibration to determine any offset and is varied from 270-340 K for a long-term calibration of both the offset and gain. The long-term calibration just after launch was consistent with the prelaunch calibration but then showed a steady decrease of the TIR response over the five years of operation to date.

ASTER on-board calibration status

ASTER is a high-resolution optical sensor for observing the Earth on the Terra satellite. ASTER consists of three radiometers, VNIR in the visible and near-infrared region, SWIR in the shortwave infrared region, and TIR in the thermal infrared region. The pre-flight calibration of VNIR and SWIR adopted the working standard large integrating sphere whose radiance levels were traceable to the primary standard fixed-point blackbody. The on-board calibration devices of VNIR and SWIR were two halogen lamps and photodiode monitors. The on-board lamp calibration showed a little shift while launch. In orbit three bands of VNIR showed a rapid decrease in the output signal while all SWIR bands remained stable. The TIR on-board blackbody was calibrated against a standard blackbody from 100 K to 400 K in a vacuum chamber before launch. The TIR is unable to see the dark space. The temperature of the on-board blackbody of TIR remains at 270 K in the short-term calibration for the offset calibration, and is varied from 270 K to 340 K in the long term calibration for the offset and gain calibration. The long term calibration just after launch seemed consistent with the prelaunch calibration but showed a decrease in orbit.

Onboard calibration of the ASTER instrument over twelve years

The ASTER is a high-resolution optical sensor for observing the Earth on the Terra satellite launched in December1999. The ASTER consists of three radiometers. The VNIR has three bands in the visible and near-infrared region, the SWIR has six bands in the shortwave infrared region, and the TIR has five bands in the thermal infrared region. The onboard calibration devices of the VNIR and SWIR were halogen lamps and photodiode monitors. In orbit three bands of the VNIR showed a rapid decrease in the output signal. The band 1, the shortest wavelength, decreased most to 70% in twelve years. The temperature of the onboard blackbody of the TIR is varied from 270 K to 340 K in the long term calibration for the offset and gain calibration. The long term calibration of the TIR showed a decrease in response after launch. The decrease was most remarkable at band 12 decreasing to 60% in eleven years. The degradation spectra of the TIR shows that the possible causes of the degradation might be silicone and hydrazine. ASTER onboard calibration is normally carried out once in 49 days but additional onboard calibrations were added just before and after the inclination adjustment maneuver (IAM) to check the effect on the RCC. This experiment was carried out three times for each IAM in the fiscal year 2011. The result showed that the change in the RCC was small for both VNIR and TIR.

Eleven years of ASTER onboard calibration

The ASTER is a high-resolution optical sensor for observing the Earth on the Terra satellite launched in December1999. The ASTER consists of three radiometers. The VNIR has three bands in the visible and near-infrared region, the SWIR has six bands in the shortwave infrared region, and the TIR has five bands in the thermal infrared region. The onboard calibration devices of the VNIR and SWIR were halogen lamps and photodiode monitors. In orbit three bands of the VNIR showed a rapid decrease in the output signal. The band 1, the shortest wavelength, decreased most to 70% in eleven years. The VNIR spectra of the responsivity degradation were compared to other sensors, the JERS-1 OPS, the OCTS, the Hyperion, the MODIS, the MISR and the SPOT. The temperature of the onboard blackbody of the TIR is varied from 270 K to 340 K in the long term calibration for the offset and gain calibration. The long term calibration of the TIR showed a decrease in response after launch. The decrease was most remarkable at band 12 decreasing to 60% in eleven years. The degradation spectra of the TIR shows that the possible causes of the degradation might be silicone and hydrazine.

ASTER system operating achievement for 15 years on orbit

ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) System is operating more than 15 years since launched on board of NASA’s Terra spacecraft in December 1999. ASTER System is composed of 3 radiometers (VNIR (Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer), SWIR (Short-Wave Infrared Radiometer), and TIR (Thermal Infrared Radiometer)), CSP (Common Signal Processor) and MSP (Master Power Supply). This paper describes the ASTER System operating history and the achievement of ASTER System long term operation since the initial checkout operation, the normal operation, and the continuous operation. Through the 15 years operation, ASTER system had totally checked the all subsystems (MPS, VNIR, TIR, SWIR, and CSP) health and safety check using telemetry data trend evaluation, and executed the necessary action. The watch items are monitored as the life control items. The pointing mechanics for VNIR, SWIR and TIR, and the cooler for SWIR and TIR are all operating with any problem for over 15 years. In 2003, ASTER was successfully operated for the lunar calibration. As the future plan, ASTER team is proposing the 2nd lunar calibration before the end of mission.

Extremely low-temperature properties of silicone compound used for thermal coupling in cryostat of SWIR/ASTER on TERRA

The SWIR(Short Wave-length Infrared Radiometer) is one of the optical sensors in ASTER(Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer). ASTER is installed in the EOS(Earth Observing System) TERRA spacecraft of NASA. TERRA was launched on December18, 1999, and is employed still on the orbit for 14 years in January, 2014, The detector of SWIR is cooled at temperature 77K by cryocooler with the optimum sensitivity. SWIR had continued to take the numerous image data for more than five years of the mission period on orbit, and the cryocooler is still operating normally. However, a gradual rise in temperature of the detector has been seen after launch. Silicone compound have been used in order to achieve heat transfer between the detector and the cryocooler. On investigation, we have found that thermal conductivity of the silicone compound has been gradually reduced. We evaluated the low temperature properties (such as thermal conductivity, strength etc.) of the silicone compound. In addition, we analyzed the temperature conditions and the thermal stress values of cryostat in the orbit. As a result, the silicone compound solidified at low temperature shows a behavior similar to adhesive. Depending on the thermal stress generated at a low temperature, there is a possibility that destruction such as peeling occurs.

Onboard calibration status of the ASTER instrument

The ASTER Instrument is one of the five sensors on the NASA’s Terra satellite on orbit since December 1999. ASTER consists of three radiometers, VNIR, SWIR and TIR whose spatial resolutions are 15 m, 30 m and 90 m, respectively. Unfortunately SWIR stopped taking images since May 2008 due to the offset rise caused by the detector temperature rise, but VNIR and TIR are taking Earth images of good quality. VNIR and TIR experienced responsivity degradation while SWIR showed little change. Band 1 (0.56 μm) decreased most among three VNIR bands and 30 % in twelve years. Band 12 (9.1 μm) decreased 40 % and most among five TIR bands. There are some discussions of the causes of the responsivity degradation of VNIR and TIR. Possible causes are contamination accretion by silicone outgas, thruster plume and plasma interaction. We marked hydrazine which comes out unburned in the thruster plume during the inclination adjust maneuver (IAM). Hydrazine has the absorption spectra corresponding to the TIR responsivity degradation in the infrared region. We studied the IAM effect on the ASTER by allocating the additional onboard calibration activities just before and after the IAM while the normal onboard calibration activity is operated once in 49 days. This experiment was carried out three times in fiscal year 2011.

Onboard calibration status of ASTER

The ASTER is a high-resolution optical sensor for observing the Earth on the Terra satellite launched in 1999. The ASTER consists of three radiometers, the VNIR in the visible and near-infrared region, the SWIR in the shortwave infrared region, and the TIR in the thermal infrared region. The on-board calibration devices of the VNIR and the SWIR were two halogen lamps and photodiode monitors. In orbit three bands of the VNIR showed a rapid decrease in the output signal while all SWIR bands remained stable. The TIR has one on-board blackbody and is unable to see the dark space. Therefore the temperature of the on-board blackbody of the TIR remains at 270 K in the short-term calibration for the offset calibration, and is varied from 270 K to 340 K in the long term calibration for the offset and gain calibration. The long term calibration showed a decrease of the TIR response in orbit. The radiometric calibration coefficients of the VNIR and the TIR were fit to smooth functions.

Performance evaluation of ASTER cryocooler in orbit

The advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) was developed by the MInistry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) for installation in the EOS-AM1 spacecraft. The ASTER consists of a visible and near-infrared radiometer (VNIR), a short-wave infrared radiometer (SWIR) and a thermal infrared radiometer (TIR). Two cryocoolers are required to cool the infrared detectors for the SWIR and TIR subsystems. Two cryocoolers have been operating in orbit for over 22000 hours. The temperature of each detector was stabilized in the allowable temperature range. Long-term data have been acquired on the cooling performance and power consumption under normal operation for each cryocooler, the following are described; outline of ground test results and performance of the ASTER cryocooler in orbit for over 22000 hours.