Airborne TIR Hyperspectral Imager with High Spatial Resolution and Wide Area Coverage: A New Tool for Environmental and Ecosystem Studies

David M. Tratt, The Aerospace Corporation, dtratt@aero.org (Presenter)
Jeffrey L. Hall, The Aerospace Corporation, jeffrey.l.hall@aero.org

Results from the inaugural flight series of a new high-performance airborne thermal-infrared imaging spectrometer are described. The sensor incorporates a novel spectrometer design employing a convex diffraction grating in conjunction with a Dyson lens and acquires data in 128 spectral channels over the spectral range 7.5 - 13.5 microns. The high optical throughput (f/1.25) of this design coupled with a fast-framing focal plane array permits large whiskbroom scans while maintaining low noise performance (<0.1-K NEDT), allowing swath widths up to +/-40 degrees at pixel resolutions of ~0.5 mrad. The nominal flight altitude of the instrument was designed to be 12,000 ft, resulting in a 2-m pixel on the ground at nadir. The sensor is carried on a commercial gyro-stabilized platform, which provides for considerable flexibility in collection strategy. For example, by controlling the pitch of the sensor gimbal mirror it is possible to either stare at targets or execute multiple looks. Following successful engineering trials, flights were conducted over selected science targets with known sources of gaseous emission and thermal inhomogeneity. One such location was the southern extent of California’s San Joaquin Valley, where ammonia emissions from intensive dairy farming and agriculture reach notable levels. A second flight examined the active hydrothermal vent fields in the Salton Sea locale (also in Southern California). Data from these flights (the first being during daytime and the second being at night) demonstrate the radiometric sensitivity, high spatial resolution, and broad area coverage afforded by this new sensor and attest to its emission measurement capabilities.

Presentation: 2011_Poster_Tratt_1a_6.pdf (2282k)

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Coupled Processes at Land-Atmosphere-Ocean Interfaces   (Mon 4:00 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Related Activity

Poster Location ID: 1a