Transmissions of the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites can be used to measure the total electron content (TEC) between a receiver and several GPS satellites in view. This simple observable is yielding a wealth of new scientific information about ionosphere and plasmasphere dynamics. Data available from thousands of ground-based GPS receivers are used to image the large-scale and mesoscale ionospheric response to geospace forcings at high-precision covering all local times and latitudes. Complementary measurements from space-borne GPS receivers in low-Earth orbit provide information on both vertical and horizontal structure of the ionosphere/plasmasphere system. New flight hardware designs are being developed that permit simultaneous measurement of integrated electron content along new raypath orientations, including zenith, cross-track and nadir antenna orientations (the latter via bistatic reflection of the GPS signal off ocean surfaces). We will discuss a new data assimilation model of ionosphere, the Global Assimilative Ionosphere Model (GAIM), capable of integrating measurements from GPS and other sensors with a physics-based ionospheric model, to provide detailed global nowcasts of ionospheric structure, useful for science and applications. Finally, we discuss efforts underway to combine GPS space-based observations of plasmaspheric TEC, with ground-based magnetometer measurements, and satellite-based images from NASA's IMAGE satellite, to produce new dynamic models of the plasmasphere.

The NASA Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) missions were designed to monitor long-term changes in the earth radiation budget components which may cause climate changes. During the October 1984 through September 2004 period, the NASA Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS)/ERBE nonscanning active cavity radiometers (ACR) were used to monitor long-term changes in the earth radiation budget components of the incoming total solar irradiance (TSI), earth-reflected TSI, and earth-emitted outgoing longwave radiation (OLR). The earth-reflected total solar irradiances were measured using broadband shortwave fused, waterless quartz (Suprasil) filters and ACR’s that were covered with a black paint absorbing surface. Using on-board calibration systems, 1984 through 1999, long-term ERBS/ERBE ACR sensor response changes were determined from direct observations of the incoming TSI in the 0.2-5 micrometer shortwave broadband spectral region. During the October 1984 through September 1999 period, the ERBS shortwave sensor responses were found to decrease as much as 8.8% when the quartz filter transmittances decreased due to direct exposure to TSI. On October 6, 1999, the on-board ERBS calibration systems failed. To estimate the 1999-2004, ERBS sensor response changes, the 1984-1997 NOAA-9, and 1986-1995 NOAA-10 Spacecraft ERBE ACR responses were used to characterize response changes as a function of exposure time. The NOAA-9 and NOAA-10 ACR responses decreased as much as 10% due to higher integrated TSI exposure times. In this paper, for each of the ERBS, NOAA-9, and NOAA-10 Spacecraft platforms, the solar calibrations of the ERBE sensor responses are described as well as the derived ERBE sensor response changes as a function of TSI exposure time. For the 1984-2003 ERBS data sets, it is estimated that the calibrated ERBE earth-reflected TSI measurements have precisions approaching 0.2 Watts-per-squared-meter at satellite altitudes.

Understanding both the absolute value and time variability of the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral irradiance is necessary for understanding the structure and variability of the Earth’s thermosphere and ionosphere. Long-term measurement of the solar EUV irradiance requires a calibration scheme that addresses the following issues: (1) the calibration must be referenced to repeatable radiometric standards; (2) changes in calibration throughout the duration of the measurements must be tracked; and (3) the measurements must be validated with independent instruments and models. The calibration and performance of the TIMED Solar EUV Experiment (SEE), which has been measuring the solar EUV irradiance since early 2002, will be discussed in relation to these calibration objectives. The pre-flight calibrations of SEE are based on calibrated synchrotron sources at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF). The in-flight calibrations for SEE are based on redundant channels used weekly and annual suborbital rocket flights with the prototype SEE instruments that are calibrated before and after each launch at NIST SURF.

The highly variable solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is the major energy input into the Earth’s upper atmosphere and thus impacts the geospace environment that affects satellite operations and communications. The Extreme ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) aboard the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO, to be launched in 2008) will measure the solar EUV spectral irradiance from 0.1 to 105 nm with unprecedented spectral resolution (0.1 nm), temporal cadence (10-sec), and accuracy (10%). The EVE program will provide solar EUV irradiance data for the Living With the Star (LWS) program, including near real-time data products to be used in operational atmospheric models that specify the space environment and to assist in forecasting for space weather operations. The EVE includes several instruments to cover the full EUV range. The Multiple EUV Grating Spectrographs (MEGS) has two grating spectrographs. The MEGS-A is a grazing-incidence spectrograph to measure the solar EUV irradiance in the 5 to 37 nm range with 0.1 nm resolution, and the MEGS-B is a normal-incidence, dual-pass spectrograph to measure the solar EUV irradiance in the 35 to 105 nm range with 0.1 nm resolution. The MEGS channels have filter wheel mechanisms, holographic gratings, and cooled CCD detectors. For in-flight calibration of the MEGS, the EUV SpectroPhotometer (ESP) measures the solar EUV irradiance in broad bands between 0.1 and 39 nm, and a MEGS-Photometer to measure the bright hydrogen emission at 121.5 nm. In addition, underflight rocket experiments are planned on about an annual basis to assure that the EVE measurements have an absolute accuracy of better than 25% over the five-year SDO mission. This paper will describe the optical design of the EVE instrumentation and the plans for pre-flight and in-flight calibrations.

CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) is a hyperspectral imager that will be launched on the MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) spacecraft in August 2005. MRO’s objectives are to recover climate science originally to have been conducted on the Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO), to identify and characterize sites of possible aqueous activity to which future landed missions may be sent, and to characterize the composition, geology, and stratigraphy of Martian surface deposits. MRO will operate from a sun-synchronous, near-circular (255x320 km altitude), near-polar orbit with a mean local solar time of 3 PM. CRISM’s spectral range spans the ultraviolet (UV) to the mid-wave infrared (MWIR), 383 nm to 3960 nm. The instrument utilizes a Ritchey-Chretien telescope with a 2.12° field-of-view (FOV) to focus light on the entrance slit of a dual spectrometer. Within the spectrometer, light is split by a dichroic into VNIR (visible-near-infrared, 383-1071 nm) and IR (infrared, 988-3960 nm) beams. Each beam is directed into a separate modified Offner spectrometer that focuses a spectrally dispersed image of the slit onto a two dimensional focal plane (FP). The IR FP is a 640 x 480 HgCdTe area array; the VNIR FP is a 640 x 480 silicon photodiode area array. The spectral image is contiguously sampled with a 6.6 nm spectral spacing and an instantaneous field of view of 61.5 μradians. The Optical Sensor Unit (OSU) can be gimbaled to take out along-track smear, allowing long integration times that afford high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at high spectral and spatial resolution. The scan motor and encoder are controlled by a separately housed Gimbal Motor Electronics (GME) unit. A Data Processing Unit (DPU) provides power, command and control, and data editing and compression. CRISM acquires three major types of observations of the Martian surface and atmosphere. In Multispectral Mapping Mode, with the gimbal pointed at planet nadir, data are collected at frame rates of 15 or 30 Hz. A commandable subset of wavelengths is saved by the DPU and binned 5:1 or 10:1 cross-track. The combination of frame rates and binning yields pixel footprints of 100 or 200 m. In this mode, nearly the entire planet can be mapped at wavelengths of key mineralogic absorption bands to select regions of interest. In Targeted Mode, the gimbal is scanned over ±60° from nadir to remove most along-track motion, and a region of interest is mapped at full spatial and spectral resolution. Ten additional abbreviated, pixel-binned observations are taken before and after the main hyperspectral image at longer atmospheric path lengths, providing an emission phase function (EPF) of the site for atmospheric study and correction of surface spectra for atmospheric effects. In Atmospheric Mode, the central observation is eliminated and only the EPF is acquired. Global grids of the resulting lower data volume observation are taken repeatedly throughout the Martian year to measure seasonal variations in atmospheric properties.

Tight resource allocations are a driving concern for interplanetary remote sensing instruments. Through ongoing development work on Earth-orbiting sensor instruments EMS Space Science has developed the expertise to build extremely efficient and compact spectrometers for multiple planetary applications. We compare the Superiority of high resolution spectrometer technologies and discuss the improvements associated with field-widening. We present new concepts for high-performance miniature planetary spectrometers: rugged monolithic wide-field imaging tunable filters, Michelsons, and spatial heterodyne spectrometers for atmospheric and ground-based applications. Performance and resource estimates are provided for each system concept.

The computed tomographic imaging spectrometer (CTIS) is a passive non-scanning instrument which simultaneously records a scenes spectral content as well as its 2-D spatial. Simultaneously implies a time frame limited only by the frame rate and signal-to-noise of the imaging device. CTIS accomplishes this by feeding incident scene radiation through a computer generated hologram (CGH) in Fourier space. The resulting dispersion pattern is recorded on a conventional pixilated imager and is stored on a local computer for post processing using iterative reconstruction techniques. A virtual 3-D datacube is constructed with one dimension in terms of energy weights for each wavelength band. CTIS is ideal for observing rapidly varying targets and has found use in military, bio-medical and astronomical applications. For the first time we have built an entirely reflective design based on the popular Offner reflector using a computer generated hologram formed on a convex mirror surface. Furthermore, a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) has been uniquely incorporated as a dynamic field stop for smart scene selection. Both the MEMS and reflective design are discussed. The CTIS multiplexes spatial and spectral information, so the two quantities are interdependent and adjustments must be made to the design in order to allow adequate sampling for our given application. Optical aberrations arising from a tilted image plane are alleviated through design optimization.

The LRO Radiometer Investigation is an experiment proposed for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter mission that will use a simple but extremely sensitive radiometer to measure the temperatures of the region of permanent shade at the lunar poles. Temperature governs the ability of these surfaces to act as cold traps, and tightly constrains the identity and lifetimes of potential volatile resources. The LRO Radiometer will also measure the night time temperature of the Moon, and use the extensive modeling experience of the team to use these data to produce maps of meter-scale rocks that constitute a significant hazard to landing and operations. The LRO Radiometer also supports LRO objectives by measuring the global abundance of meter scale rocks at 1 km resolution. This measurement is accomplished in four (4) months of observations.

Dawn is a NASA discovery mission that will explore the main belt asteroids (1) Ceres and (4) Vesta. Ceres and Vesta are among the oldest bodies in the solar system and represent very different evolutionary paths. By studying these ancient, complementary asteroids, we will answer fundamental questions about the early solar system and planetary formation processes. The Dawn payload consists of a Framing Camera (FC), a visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR), and a Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND). The instruments provide data needed to investigate the structure, geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of the asteroids. GRaND provides the data for the geochemistry investigation, including maps of most major elements and selected radioactive and trace elements. An updated description of the GRaND instrument is given along with the expected performance of GRaND at Vesta and Ceres. Approaches to combine data from FC, VIR and GRaND are discussed.

The BepiColombo Laser Altimeter (BELA) is a proposed experiment for the BepiColombo mission to the planet Mercury. BELA is intended to provide payload-to-surface ranging data from a spacecraft in a polar Hermean orbit by measuring the time-of-flight of outgoing laser pulses and their echoes. As proposed, BELA also will provide small-scale surface variation and reflectivity data via characterization of return pulse forms. Primary instrument components include a low frequency pulsed Nd:YAG laser transmitter and a reflective receiver telescope feeding a silicon avalanche photodiode to capture pulse echoes with a direct detection approach. To assist with the evaluation of various design strategies, we have developed a numerical model of the instrument that returns a signal-to-noise-ratio figure of merit, as well as simulated return pulses, according to a diverse set of hardware specifications and viewing geometries as input parameters. An analysis of large sets of simulated pulses assists with the estimation of measurement accuracy. This model has been used to investigate the performance of a variety of instrument configurations, and some tradeoffs leading to the favored design will be described.

A combined inelastic (Raman) and elastic (Mie-Rayleigh) scattering and Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF) active remote sensing (RLIF) system is proposed as a mast-mounted instrument for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). This remote RLIF system will be capable of reconnaissance and identification of mineral, organic, and biogenic materials as well as conducting atmospheric studies of Mars. This system is based on the prototypes developed with partial support from NASA at the University of Hawaii. The proposed RLIF system will perform active optical imaging and spectroscopy out to 100 m on the surface features. In the elastic backscattering mode, the range of RLIF can be extended to >5-km because the cross section of Mie-Rayleigh scattering is several orders of magnitude higher than that of Raman cross-sections of molecular species. Results obtained with the University of Hawaii’s portable remote Raman and LIF system and the portable Mie-Rayleigh prototype lidar are presented. With the remote Raman system, measurements of mineral calcite (CaCO₃), liquid hydrocarbons and solid naphthalene polycrystals have been verified to 100 m range. The LIF sensor will provide near real time in situ remote data that will complement analytical laboratory and contact suite instrumentation on the Mars rover.

Aerial vehicles fill a unique planetary science measurement gap, that of regional-scale, near-surface observation, while providing a fresh perspective for potential discovery. Aerial vehicles used in planetary exploration bridge the scale and resolution measurement gaps between orbiters (global perspective with limited spatial resolution) and landers (local perspective with high spatial resolution) thus complementing and extending orbital and landed measurements. Planetary aerial vehicles can also survey scientifically interesting terrain that is inaccessible or hazardous to landed missions. The use of aerial assets for performing observations on Mars, Titan, or Venus will enable direct measurements and direct follow-ons to recent discoveries. Aerial vehicles can be used for remote sensing of the interior, surface and atmosphere of Mars, Venus and Titan. Types of aerial vehicles considered are airplane “heavier than air” and airships and balloons “lighter than air.” Interdependencies between the science measurements, science goals and objectives, and platform implementation illustrate how the proper balance of science, engineering, and cost, can be achieved to allow for a successful mission. Classification of measurement types along with how those measurements resolve science questions and how these instruments are accommodated within the mission context are discussed.

The ability to measure TiO₂ remotely is important for mapping the composition lunar basalt flows globally, and for placing lunar samples into a regional and global geologic context. Comparing Clementine UVVIS-ratio (415/750 nm) with Lunar Prospector derived TiO₂ data, however, yields a less than ideal correlation, which would suggest that either the UVVIS ratio has poor predictive capabilities with respect to TiO₂ composition or poor accuracy of the Lunar Prospector TiO₂ data. Established uncertainties of the Clementine UVVIS data are approximately 1%, while the reported relative errors for Lunar Prospector neutron spectrometer data are on the order of 5%. Thus, we investigate the possibility of whether the greater uncertainty of the Lunar Prospector neutron data could cause the poor correlation between the two data sets. The sensitivity of the TiO₂-UVVIS correlation to data accuracy was measured by adding randomly-distributed noise to the Clementine UVVIS data, and then comparing this modified Clementine data with the “noiseless” Clementine data. The comparison was then evaluated for the level of noise needed to produce a similar amount of scatter observed in the Lunar Prospector TiO₂ and Clementine UVVIS-ratio trend. The results of this study indicate that Lunar Prospector would have to possess significantly more than 5% uncertainty to match the observed poor correlation between Lunar Prospector and Clementine data sets. On this basis, we concluded that algorithms that depend solely upon correlations between UV and visible spectral parameters and TiO₂ concentration have inherently poor predicting power.

Topographic information is key to interpreting the geology and geophysics of planetary bodies such as the icy Galilean satellites. Traditionally elevation information has been derived from stereo-photogrammetry, but the last couple of decades have offered new techniques, including radar interferometry, photoclinometry (shape from shading) and laser altimetry. Combining synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology with interferometry (InSAR) enables high resolution imaging with elevation information at each image point. With two appropriately spaced antennas on a spacecraft, single-pass imaging radar interferometry can provide wide swath topographic data, independent of solar illumination, as was recently demonstrated on Earth by the Shuttle Topographic Radar Mission (SRTM; www.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm). We will present the science requirements, measurement principle, a straw-man’s design, and the predicted performance of a “compact SRTM” which could be flown on NASA missions such as the proposed Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO). In this paper we discuss challenges, including the calibration strategy and critical technology elements such as the high power RF-amplifier. We expect that the performance, both in terms of elevation accuracy and mapping rate would suffice to 1) determine topography on local and regional scales; 2) search for active geological change on the time scale of JIMO’s orbit around, e.g., Europa (30-60 days); and 3) determine the global tidal amplitude at Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede, which would constitute direct proof of the existence of oceans in all three icy moons.

An innovative approach that enables greatly increased return from planetary science remote sensing missions is described. Our concept, called Multiple Instrument Distributed Aperture Sensor (MIDAS), provides a large-aperture, wide-field telescope at a fraction of the cost, mass and volume of conventional space telescopes, by integrating advanced optical interferometry technologies. All optical assemblies are integrated into MIDAS as the primary remote sensing science payload, thereby reducing the cost, resources, complexity, integration and risks of a set of back-end science instruments (SI’s) tailored to a specific mission, such as advanced SI’s now in development for future planetary remote sensing missions. MIDAS interfaces to multiple SI’s for redundancy and to enable synchronized concurrent science investigations, such as with multiple highly sensitive spectrometers. Passive imaging modes with MIDAS enable high resolution remote sensing at the diffraction limit of the overall synthetic aperture, sequentially by each science instrument as well as in somewhat lower resolution by multiple science instruments acting concurrently on the image, such as in different wavebands. Our MIDAS concept inherently provides nanometer-resolution hyperspectral passive imaging without the need for any moving parts in the science instruments. In its active remote sensing modes using an integrated laser subsystem, MIDAS enables LIDAR, vibrometry, illumination, various active laser spectroscopies such as ablative, breakdown, fluorescence, Raman and time-resolved spectroscopy. The MIDAS optical design also provides high-resolution imaging for long dwell times at high altitudes, thereby enabling real-time, wide-area remote sensing of dynamic changes in planet surface processes. These remote sensing capabilities significantly enhance astrobiologic, geologic, atmospheric, and similar scientific objectives for planetary exploration missions.

Multispectral imaging is a useful tool to planetary scientists only if the sensor is sufficiently sensitive to address the scientific questions of interest. In this paper, we demonstrate a quantitative relationship between spectroscopic imaging sensor noise and geologic interpretation of the planetary surface being imaged. By linking surface properties (e.g., chemistry, mineralogy, particle size) to spectra using radiative transfer theory, we determine the relationship between sensor noise and various surface properties which dictate the geologic interpretation of the surface. This relationship can be applied to both 1) past mission data with known sensor performance to determine uncertainty in the scientific interpretation of the data and 2) future mission planning of signal-to-noise requirements to meet specific scientific goals. We use past (NASA’s Clementine), present (ESA’s SMART-1), and future (JAXA’s SELENE) lunar missions as explicit examples.

Image fusion is an important content for digital image processing. For the past research, the method would be good at either the low frequency information or the high frequency information. For example, the fusion method based on high-pass filter of wavelet transform (HPFWT) is good at retaining detail information, and the method based on local deviation of wavelet transform (LDWT) is specialize in preserving multi-spectral information. It would be great if the two methods are combined. Therefore, the paper combines local deviation and high-pass filter to fuse image. The result indicates that this method can improve the detail information comparing with LDWT, enhance the spectral information comparing with HPFWT.

Modern small satellites have been one of the hotspots of space technologies as the satellite technology develops. They represent the developing trend of smaller, faster, better and cheaper. Today more and more solid imaging sensors are utilized on modern small remote sensing satellites. But it’s difficult for the conventional CCD (Charge Coupled Device) to be fit on the satellites of around 10 kg, which require smaller size, lighter weight and lower power consumption remote sensing systems. CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imaging sensor, which develops fast recently, provides an opportunity for such satellites. A CMOS remote sensing system was built, including the design of the optical and the electrical systems. Thermal experiments and radiation experiments were taken to research the performance of the CMOS camera under the space circumstance.

The paper researches texture extraction using wavelet transform. After introducing the wavelet transform and the texture analysis methods, the image is decomposed by wavelet transform, and the sub-images are gained. Secondly, the paper takes entropy and mean as texture parameter, so the texture image is an entropy or mean image. Finally, the image is classified by the spectral and texture information. The size of the texture calculating window and the treatment to the sub-image are researched in this paper. On condition that the spectral classification adding with texture feature, the precision will improve 4% averagely. Wavelet transform can decomposed image at several levels, so it can provide many information to classify and extract, which is helpful to those applications. Because of the texture window, texture image has fuzzy edge, it will lead to error for the image that have fine object or the area with different objects interleaved.

A new Fabry-Perot interferometer was built and later deployed at Resolute, Canada (75° N), the future site of the National Science Foundation Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR). The new instrument is designed to measure mesospheric and lower thermospheric tidal waves and the upper thermosphere polar cap convection pattern using OH, O 5577 Å and 6300 Å emissions. The wind errors for these emissions are 6 m/s (3 minute integration), 1 m/s (3 minute) and 2-6 m/s (5 minute), respectively. The instrument was tested in Boulder, Colorado and measurement results are compared with nearby LIDAR mesospheric neutral wind measurements. The comparison showed good agreement between the two instruments. Neutral wind data obtained at Resolute also demonstrate that the instrument meets the design goal and is able to provide high quality data for future studies of mesospheric and lower thermospheric dynamics as well as magnetospheric-ionospheric coupling, along with ion-neutral coupling in the upper atmosphere of the polar cap. This report describes the basic design and initial results from this instrument.

The Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) is an imaging spectrometer on the NASA TIMED spacecraft which was launched on December 7, 2001. This instrument produces a far ultraviolet (FUV) data cube of spatial and spectral information at each step of a scan mirror - that scan mirror covers 140 deg in the cross track direction - a span that includes on limb. GUVI produces simultaneous monochromatic images at five "colors" (121.6 nm, 130.4 nm, 135.6 nm, and in broader bands at 140-150 nm and 165-180 nm) as its field of view is scanned from horizon to horizon. The instrument consists of a scan mirror feeding a parabolic telescope and Rowland circle spectrometer, with a wedge-and-strip detector at the focal plane. We describe the design, and give an overview of the environmental parameters that will be measured. GUVI is a modified version of the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (SSUSI), which was launched on the DMSP Block 5D3 F16 satellite on October 18, 2003 and is slated to fly on DMSP satellites F17 through F20, as well. We present some results the science analysis of the GUVI data to demonstrate its relevance to the space weather community.

Planetary Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS) has a long history at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Rudy Hanel developed a series of such instruments for Earth, Mars and the two Voyager spacecraft. More recently as part of the Cassini mission, the CIRS (Composite Infrared Spectrometer) FTS was launched in 1997 for the 2000-2001 Jupiter flyby and the 2004-2008+ Saturn tour. At about 40 kg, CIRS is both too heavy and too light for future planetary missions. It is too heavy for future Discovery and New Frontier missions, where the emphasis is on low-mass, low-power instrumentation. On the other hand, CIRS could be heavier to take full advantage of future Prometheus missions such as JIMO. Here we discuss future development of CIRS-like FTS’s for both Discovery/New Frontier and for Prometheus flight opportunities. We also briefly discuss possible applications in the Moon/Mars exploration initiative.

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is likely the most sensitive technique for detection of elements and compounds with unpaired electrons. Typical analyses in the laboratory utilize a fixed microwave frequency and a scanning magnetic field to induce electron spin-state transitions in the sample. The location of the resonant absorption in the scan is a diagnostic property of the material, and the intensity of the signal is proportional to the concentration. We have developed a frequency scan EPR for planetary surface applications where a fixed magnetic field and tunable microwave sources are used to produce these characteristic resonant peaks. Our narrowband spectrometer covers 7.5 to 8.5 GHz at a field strength 2.8 kGauss and is specifically designed for the identification of organic radicals, minerals with radiation-induced defects, and reactive compounds in martian surface samples. Our wideband spectrometer covers 2.0 to 8.0 GHz at a field strength of 1.0 kGauss and is useful for the detection of paramagnetic cations. The detection limit of the narrowband and wideband spectrometers for species with unpaired electrons is 50 PPB and 1 PPM, respectively.

The Tiny Ionospheric Photometer (TIP) instrument is a small, space-based, photometer that observes the ionosphere of the earth at 135.6 nanometers. The TIP instrument will primarily observe the airglow emission of the nighttime ionosphere caused by the radiative recombination of atomic oxygen. In addition, the TIP instrument will observe the auroral region boundaries from the emission caused by electron impact excitation. Six TIP instruments will be launched and flown simultaneously as each one is a payload carried aboard the Republic of China Satellite (ROCSAT-3) spacecraft as part of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) program a constellation built and operated by the country of Taiwan. Observations will be made from three orbital planes spaced 60 degrees apart each containing two TIP instruments. The instruments will be able to provide global coverage as well as system and data redundancy in their intended orbital configuration. Raw data from the TIP instruments will be used for the characterization of ionospheric electron density gradients to improve ionospheric modeling. Data from the TIP instruments can also be combined with the data from the other two payloads on board the spacecraft that are a radio beacon and a GPS occultation experiment to result in enhanced ionospheric measurements. The TIP instrument design had to solve several design challenges in order to achieve its intended science and mission requirements. In addition, the design had to address the operational constraints imposed by the spacecraft and the cost constraints of multiple units.

Much local government has been using a large scale digital map with Geographic Information System (GIS). However, the updating method of a map is not established yet. The purpose of this study is the real-time renewal of the digital map for local government by using Remote Sensing and RTK-GPS. This concept was defined as REAL TIME GIS. This system has the problem that RTK-GPS measuring data is Japanese Geodetic Datum 2000 (JGD2000) of WGS-84, but most of the digital maps of local government are still Tokyo Datum of old geodetic system. It is necessary to transform an old geodetic system to a new one. In this study, the coordinate transformation methods were compared Affine Transformation with TKY2JGD. Moreover, the number and arrangement of control points were changed, coordinates were converted by Affine Transformation. In this paper, the parameters which were calculated by Affine Transformation were called “High-Accuracy Regional Parameter (HARP)”. As a result, TKY2JGD has a maximum 15cm error. Affine Transformation has 2cm errors using 4 control points at the corner of unit. It is suggested that the process of REAL TIME GIS and HARP should be introduced to the work of local government.

Recent assessments of global climate change conclude that the radiative effect of aerosols is one of the largest uncertainties in our ability to predict future climate change. A myriad of new sensors and satellite missions are being designed to address this major question confronting credible prediction of climate change. The NASA Langley Airborne A-Band Spectrometer (LAABS) is a recently developed aircraft instrument that provides high spectral resolution (~0.03 nm) radiance measurements of reflected sunlight over the oxygen A-band spectral region centered near 765 nm. High resolution O₂ A-band spectrometry of reflected sunlight is a promising new approach for remote sensing of aerosol and cloud optical properties. While the LAABS instrument provides valuable data on a stand-alone basis, greater scientific return may be realized by combining the A-band spectra with coincident lidar measurements that supply additional information on the vertical distribution of the aerosol. In particular, an instrument suite that combines LAABS with the new airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) has the potential to provide a comprehensive suite of aerosol and cloud optical property measurements never before achieved. In this paper, we investigate the combined use of LAABS and HSRL measurements to infer aerosol single scatter albedo. We explore the information content of the O₂ A-band reflectance spectra and, in particular, the advantages offered by high resolution A-band spectrometers such as LAABS. The approach for combined LAABS/HSRL retrievals is described and results from simulation studies are presented to illustrate their potential for retrieval of single scatter albedo.

Ultraviolet (UV) observations are essential for meeting operational requirements for space weather specification. Such observations provide valuable information about neutral and ion density variations in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. However, the resources required to support the necessary ultraviolet sensors are significant. Current operational sensors measure the limb profiles by mechanically scanning the field-of-view across the limb. This mechanical scan mechanism requires significant power, has a potential for failure, and the high counting rates during observations near the peak of the limb profile require high speed detectors to accommodate the counting rates when using the high sensitivity sensors. Also, the attitude information and stability needed for accurate limb profiles are more difficult on smaller spacecraft and require considerable resources. This paper describes an instrument that can provide limb observations of the UV airglow by aligning the slit perpendicular to the limb. To measure the limb profile without scanning requires a combination of wide field-of-view and high spatial resolution which previous instruments have been unable to provide. This approach would require significantly less resources (power, weight, etc.) than current sensors, while providing similar performance.

Recent advances in the development of two-dimensional holographic Bragg reflectors in planar lightwave circuits have demonstrated the feasibility of highly customizable multi-wavelength filters based on photonics nanostructures programmable to recognize spectra with up to 2000 spectral lines. Such filters rival or exceed performance of free space gratings, thin film filters and Bragg gratings and may be monolithically integrated with detectors in III-V active materials or as passive devices in silica. This new technological platform holds a great promise of being next-generation optical engine for spectral signature recognition in the field of remote sensing, biological, chemical and defense applications.

Long-term measurements of the global distribution of clouds and the surface reflectance are needed to provide inputs to climatological models for global change studies. The Geostationary Imaging Fabry-Perot Spectrometer (GIFS) instrument is a next-generation satellite concept, to be deployed on a geostationary satellite for continuous hemispheric imaging of cloud properties, including cloud top pressure, optical depth, fraction, and surface reflectance. This is an ideal approach to make these cloud property measurements with desired spatial resolution, accuracy, and revisit time. It uses an innovative tunable imaging triple-etalon Fabry-Perot interferometer to obtain images of high-resolution spectral line shapes of two O₂ B-band lines in the backscattered solar radiation. The GIFS remote sensing technique takes advantage of the pressure broadening information embedded in the absorption line shapes to better determine cloud properties, especially for those clouds below 5 km. We present a preliminary instrument design, including the general instrument requirements.