Del Castillo, Carlos: NASA (Project Lead)
Project Funding:
2014 - 2016
NRA: 2014 NASA: Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry
Funded by NASA
Abstract:
We propose to develop and test an innovative, relatively simple and inexpensive in-situ vicarious calibration system for the PACE ocean color mission. The Hybridspectral Alternative for Remote Profiling of Optical Observations for NASA Satellites (HARPOONS) consists of an advanced optical profiler tethered to the Wave Glider autonomous vehicle. HARPOONS will meet or exceed all the requirements set forth by the PACE Science Definition Team and this solicitation by combining various mature technologies developed by NASA and industry. HARPOONS aims to be less expensive than current vicarious calibration systems, and easy to deploy. The resulting inexpensive logistics opens the possibility of eventually deploying multiple HARPOONS systems around the globe offering a larger number of satellite-in-situ match-ups over a larger range of view angles and aerosols conditions than those offered by current systems.
We propose three main activities: 1- maturation of the above-water radiometer to be mounted on the Wave Glider autonomous vehicle (TRL 3), 2- integration of the optical profiler and the Wave Glider, and 3- Testing of the integrated system in Lanai, Hawaii, and further testing of the whole system under full operational condition off the Southwest coast of Puerto Rico. We will use best practices in the development and testing of optical instrumentations as documented by NASA and our industry partners. The period of performance will be three years (October 2014-September 2017). The entry TRL for our system is 3 (due to sub-systems in development), but most subsystems are TRL 6 and above. The expected exit system TRL will be > 6 because we will demonstrate the capabilities of HARPOONS under normal operation conditions over a full annual cycle.
More details may be found in the following project profile(s):
