You are here

An On-orbit Calibration Procedure for Spaceborne Microwave Radiometers Using Special Spacecraft Attitude Maneuvers

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
2015
Abstract/Description:
This dissertation revisits, develops, and documents methods that can be used to calibrate spaceborne microwave radiometers once in orbit. The on-orbit calibration methods discussed within this dissertation can provide accurate and early results by utilizing Calibration Attitude Maneuvers (CAM), which encompasses Deep Space Calibration (DSC) and a new use of the Second Stokes (SS) analysis that can provide early and much needed insight on the performance of the instrument. This dissertation describes pre-existing and new methods of using DSC maneuvers as well as a simplified use of the SS procedure. Over TRMM's 17 years of operation it has provided invaluable data and has performed multiple CAMs over its lifetime. These maneuvers are analyzed to implement on-orbit calibration procedures that will be applied for future missions. In addition, this research focuses on the radiometric calibration of TMI that will be incorporated in the final processing (Archive/Legacy of the NASA TMI 1B11 brightness temperature data product). This is of importance since TMI's 17-year sensor data record must be vetted of all known calibration errors so to provide the final stable data for science users, specifically, climatological data records.
Title: An On-orbit Calibration Procedure for Spaceborne Microwave Radiometers Using Special Spacecraft Attitude Maneuvers.
48 views
25 downloads
Name(s): Farrar, Spencer, Author
Jones, W Linwood, Committee Chair
Mikhael, Wasfy, Committee Member
Wahid, Parveen, Committee Member
Gaiser, Peter, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2015
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: This dissertation revisits, develops, and documents methods that can be used to calibrate spaceborne microwave radiometers once in orbit. The on-orbit calibration methods discussed within this dissertation can provide accurate and early results by utilizing Calibration Attitude Maneuvers (CAM), which encompasses Deep Space Calibration (DSC) and a new use of the Second Stokes (SS) analysis that can provide early and much needed insight on the performance of the instrument. This dissertation describes pre-existing and new methods of using DSC maneuvers as well as a simplified use of the SS procedure. Over TRMM's 17 years of operation it has provided invaluable data and has performed multiple CAMs over its lifetime. These maneuvers are analyzed to implement on-orbit calibration procedures that will be applied for future missions. In addition, this research focuses on the radiometric calibration of TMI that will be incorporated in the final processing (Archive/Legacy of the NASA TMI 1B11 brightness temperature data product). This is of importance since TMI's 17-year sensor data record must be vetted of all known calibration errors so to provide the final stable data for science users, specifically, climatological data records.
Identifier: CFE0005611 (IID), ucf:50208 (fedora)
Note(s): 2015-05-01
Ph.D.
Engineering and Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Doctoral
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): TRMM Microwave Imager -- TMI -- Calibration -- post-launch -- Deep Space Calibration -- Calibration Attitude Maneuver -- Second Stokes -- Nadir-Look -- Along-scan bias -- boresight -- beamwidth -- emissivity -- effective conductivity
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005611
Restrictions on Access: public 2015-05-15
Host Institution: UCF

In Collections