Ground calibrations of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) tropical rainfall measuring mission spacecraft thermistor bolometers

Robert Benjamin Lee III; G. Louis Smith; Bruce R. Barkstrom; Kory J. Priestley; Susan Thomas; Jack Paden; Dhirendra K. Pandey; K. Lee Thornhill; William C. Bolden; Robert S. Wilson

doi:10.1117/12.283813

18 September 1997 Ground calibrations of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) tropical rainfall measuring mission spacecraft thermistor bolometers

Robert Benjamin Lee III, G. Louis Smith, Bruce R. Barkstrom, Kory J. Priestley, Susan Thomas, Jack Paden, Dhirendra K. Pandey, K. Lee Thornhill, William C. Bolden, Robert S. Wilson

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3117, Earth Observing Systems II; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.283813
Event: Optical Science, Engineering and Instrumentation '97, 1997, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) spacecraft scanning thermistor bolometers will measure earth-reflected solar and earth-emitted longwave radiances, at the top-of-the-atmosphere. The measurements are performed in the broadband shortwave and longwave spectral regions as well as in the 8-12 micrometers water vapor window over geographical footprints as small as 10 kilometers at the nadir. The CERES measurements are designed to improve our knowledge of the earth's natural climate processes, in particular those related to clouds, and man's impact upon climate as indicated by atmospheric temperature. November 1997, the first set of CERES bolometers is scheduled for launch on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Missions (TRMM) Spacecraft. The CERES bolometers were calibrated radiometrically in a vacuum ground facility using absolute reference sources, tied to the International Temperature Scale of 1990. Accurate bolometer calibrations are dependent upon the derivations of the radiances from the spectral properties of both the sources and bolometers. In this paper, the overall calibration approaches are discussed for the longwave and shortwave calibrations. The spectral response for the TRMM bolometer units are presented and applied to the bolometer ground calibrations in order to determine pre-launch calibration gains.

Citation Download Citation

Robert Benjamin Lee III, G. Louis Smith, Bruce R. Barkstrom, Kory J. Priestley, Susan Thomas, Jack Paden, Dhirendra K. Pandey, K. Lee Thornhill, William C. Bolden, and Robert S. Wilson "Ground calibrations of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) tropical rainfall measuring mission spacecraft thermistor bolometers", Proc. SPIE 3117, Earth Observing Systems II, (18 September 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.283813

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available