Advanced development of internal calibration sources for remote sensing telescopes

Eric C. Kintner; Jeanne M. Hartley; Eric S. Jacobs; Paul J. Cucchiaro

doi:10.1117/12.566489

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4 November 2004 Advanced development of internal calibration sources for remote sensing telescopes

Eric C. Kintner, Jeanne M. Hartley, Eric S. Jacobs, Paul J. Cucchiaro

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Proceedings Volume 5543, Infrared Spaceborne Remote Sensing XII; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.566489
Event: Optical Science and Technology, the SPIE 49th Annual Meeting, 2004, Denver, Colorado, United States

Abstract

Contemporary and emerging sensor systems typically require in-flight calibration reference sources. These are required to satisfy increasingly stringent specifications for stability, repeatability, dynamic range, absolute irradiance accuracy, and irradiance distribution uniformity, while meeting stray light, weight, and power constraints. While SSG has successfully designed and flight-qualified an internal calibration source for a telescope in a Schmidt configuration, future remote sensing programs are more likely to require telescopes in a 3-mirror off-axis re-imaging configuration. A major advantage to developing an internal calibration reference source for a re-imaging telescope is the availability of an intermediate field stop where the illumination from the calibration source can be inserted into the optical train. SSG's internal source design offers important advantages over existing approaches using in-flight blackbodies, including reduced volume, weight, and power requirements and the ability to generate multiple irradiance levels over a short period of time. The GIFTS (Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer) telescope has been used as a representative platform to demonstrate this new internal calibration source, as it is representative of a design that may be used for future programs including the HES (Hyperspectral Environmental Suite) telescopes.

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Eric C. Kintner, Jeanne M. Hartley, Eric S. Jacobs, and Paul J. Cucchiaro "Advanced development of internal calibration sources for remote sensing telescopes", Proc. SPIE 5543, Infrared Spaceborne Remote Sensing XII, (4 November 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.566489

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