Calibration of the NASA scatterometer using a ground calibration station

Richard D. West; Wu-Yang Tsai; James L. Granger; William H. Daffer

doi:10.1117/12.325651

3 October 1998 Calibration of the NASA scatterometer using a ground calibration station

Richard D. West, Wu-Yang Tsai, James L. Granger, William H. Daffer

Proceedings Volume 3439, Earth Observing Systems III; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.325651
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

To aid in calibrating and monitoring the performance of the NASA scatterometer (NSCAT), a calibration ground station (CGS) was operated in White Sands, New Mexico from mid November 1996 through February 1997. The CGS was used to verify the proper operation of the NSCAT system including transmitted power, frequency, pulse width, and receiver gain. It was also used to track spacecraft attitude variation, and to measure the antenna gain balance between different beams. This paper will describe the basic operation of the CGS, and the principle results obtained during the calibration period. The CGS is a transmit/receive system which was used to record pulses from NSCAT, and to transmit pluses back to NSCAT. The CGS data was synchronized with NSCAT telemetry, and processed for timing, frequency, and gain information. Timing discrepancies indicated significant spacecraft attitude variations beyond the values reported in telemetry. Gain discrepancies showed a small ascending/descending difference. The cause of this difference is not clear at this time.

Citation Download Citation

Richard D. West, Wu-Yang Tsai, James L. Granger, and William H. Daffer "Calibration of the NASA scatterometer using a ground calibration station", Proc. SPIE 3439, Earth Observing Systems III, (3 October 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.325651

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