On-orbit absolute radiance standard for the next generation of IR remote sensing instruments

Best, Fred A.; Adler, Douglas P.; Pettersen, Claire; Revercomb, Henry E.; Gero, P. Jonathan; Taylor, Joe K.; Knuteson, Robert O.; Perepezko, John H.

doi:10.1117/12.977559

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…[] and Best et al . [] describe a prototype CLARREO infrared sensor that is designed to minimize potential radiometric calibration biases (due to uncertainties in radiometric nonlinearity, polarization, spectral calibration, stray light, and other contributions) and provide routine on‐orbit verification/traceability of the radiometric accuracy, similar to what is traditionally done only in a laboratory environment prior to launch.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) ability to serve as an infrared satellite intercalibration reference

et al. 2016

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Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) is a future mission employing an infrared spectrometer with unprecedented calibration accuracy and the ability to assess its calibration on‐orbit using a novel verification system. Utilizing this capability for satellite intercalibration is a primary objective of the mission. This paper presents a new infrared intercalibration methodology that minimizes the intercalibration uncertainties and provides uncertainty estimates resulting from the scene variability and instrument noise. Results of a simulation study to characterize realistic spatial and temporal matching differences for simultaneous nadir overpasses (SNOs) of CLARREO and existing hyperspectral sounders are presented. This study, along with experience with intercalibration of real data, finds that intercalibration uncertainties are minimized when the SNOs are not screened for sky conditions but instead weighted based on the observed scene variability. Intercalibration performance is investigated for a 90° polar orbit mission and for a Pathfinder mission on the International Space Station, for various potential CLARREO footprint sizes, and as a function of mission length, scene brightness temperature, and wavelength. The results are encouraging and suggest that biases between CLARREO and sounder observations can be determined with low uncertainty and with high time frequency during a CLARREO mission. For example, the simulations suggest that a CLARREO footprint of 50 to 100 km in diameter is optimal for intercalibration, and that the 3 sigma intercalibration uncertainty is less than 0.1 K for channels at infrared window wavelengths using 2 months of accumulated SNOs, and for more absorbing channels with less scene variability the uncertainties are less than 50 mK.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) ability to serve as an infrared satellite intercalibration reference

et al. 2016

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“…12 Mid-melt temperature vs. melt length for each of the three materials is plotted in Figure 7, for both the OARS and Cold Blackbody (which also contained phase transition cells), for both pre-and post-vacuum operation. The data are fit with a previously determined characteristic curve that has been shown to be invariant for a Melt Length (sec) 10000 12000 14000…”

Section: Oars Temperature Behavior Under Vacuum Inclding Phase Transimentioning

confidence: 99%

Results from recent vacuum testing of an on-orbit absolute radiance standard (OARS) intended for the next generation of infrared remote sensing instruments

et al. 2014

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Future NASA infrared remote sensing missions will require better absolute measurement accuracies than now available, and will most certainly rely on the emerging capability to fly SI traceable standards that provide irrefutable absolute measurement accuracy. To establish a CLARRREO-type climate benchmark, instrumentation will need to measure spectrally resolved infrared radiances with an absolute brightness temperature error of better than 0.1 K, verified onorbit. This will require an independent high-emissivity (>0.999) verification blackbody with an emissivity uncertainty of better than 0.06%, an absolute temperature uncertainty of better than 0.045K (3 sigma), and the capability of operation over a wide range of (Earth scene) temperatures. Key elements of an On-Orbit Absolute Radiance Standard (OARS) meeting these stringent requirements have been demonstrated in the laboratory at the University of Wisconsin and have undergone further refinement under funding from NASA's Earth Science and Technology Office, culminating in an endto-end demonstration under vacuum with a prototype climate benchmark instrument. We present the new technologies that underlie the OARS, and the results of testing that demonstrate the required accuracy is being met in a vacuum environment. The underlying technologies include: on-orbit absolute temperature calibration using the transient melt signatures of small quantities (<1g) of reference materials (gallium, water, and mercury) imbedded in the blackbody cavity; and on-orbit cavity spectral emissivity measurement using a carefully baffled heated halo placed in front of the OARS blackbody viewed by the infrared spectrometer system. Emissivity is calculated from the radiance measured from the blackbody combined with the knowledge of key temperatures and radiometric view factors.

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“…The OARS is a source that will be used to maintain SI traceability of the radiance spectra measured by the calibrated interferometer sensor [7][8][9]; (2) On-orbit Cavity Emissivity Modules (OCEMs), providing a source (quantum cascade laser (QCL) or "Heated Halo") to measure any change in the cavity emissivity of the OARS and calibration reference sources [10][11][12][13];…”

Section: The Absolute Radiance Interferometer (Ari)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The OARS uses transient temperature melt signatures from three (or more) different phase change materials to provide absolute calibration for the blackbody thermistor sensors covering a wide, continuous range of temperatures [7][8][9]. The system uses very small masses of phase change material (<1 g), making it well suited for spaceflight application.…”

Section: The Absolute Radiance Interferometer (Ari)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The University of Wisconsin Space Science and Engineering Center Absolute Radiance Interferometer (ARI): instrument overview and radiometric performance

et al. 2014

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On-orbit absolute radiance standard for the next generation of IR remote sensing instruments

Cited by 16 publications

References 14 publications

Characterization of the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) ability to serve as an infrared satellite intercalibration reference

Characterization of the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) ability to serve as an infrared satellite intercalibration reference

Results from recent vacuum testing of an on-orbit absolute radiance standard (OARS) intended for the next generation of infrared remote sensing instruments

The University of Wisconsin Space Science and Engineering Center Absolute Radiance Interferometer (ARI): instrument overview and radiometric performance

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