Remote Sensing

Remote Sensing Facilities

Dr. Kurtis Thome. The Remote Sensing Group’s research activities are related to the Earth Sciences Enterprise, NASA’s investment in environmental quality, resource management, community growth and disaster management. The Group’s focus is on the inflight radiometric calibration of satellite and airborne sensors. Their objective is to validate the radiometric accuracy of those sensors and to provide means for validating that accuracy throughout the lifetime of the missions and follow-on missions.

The group’s laboratory facilities allow for calibration and characterization of radiometric components and systems. The facilities include a calibration laboratory for measuring sensor field-of-view, spectral response, and spectral hemispherical reflectance.  A 40-inch spherical integrating source and several NIST-supplied irradiance sources are used for absolute radiometric calibration further tied to NIST standards through two transfer radiometers developed by the group.

For field work, the Remote Sensing Group has numerous radiometers for measuring surface reflectance and solar irradiance. Reflectance measurements are referenced to standards characterized in the group’s gonioradiometric facility. Additional field instruments include a CCD-camera system for measuring bi-directional surface reflectance, a sphere-based system for measuring downwelling irradiance, and two systems for measuring downwelling sky radiance. A mobile laboratory, with a climate-controlled compartment and two 10 KW generators, is used to transport the equipment to, and supply electricity at, the remote sites used by the group.

Students play a key role in the research of the Remote Sensing Group. The Remote Sensing Group has graduated 16 MS and nine PhD students and trained three undergraduate researchers and five students from France. Two Remote Sensing alumni have been awarded the Allen Prize by the Optical Society of America for development of remote sensing instrumentation.

• Aqua
  Launched on May 4, 2002 and carrying the MODIS sensor, the Aqua satellite is the latest addition to NASA’s Earth Observatory. Aqua is dedicated to advancing our understanding of Earth’s water cycle and our environment.
• EO-1
  Launched on November 21, 2000, the Earth Observing-1 satellite carries the ALI and HYPERION sensors and houses some of the latest in space-based remote sensing technology. As the first New Millennium Program Earth Observing Mission, EO-1 will demonstrate advanced land imaging instruments and high payoff spacecraft technologies.
• Terra
  Launched on December 18, 1999, the Terra satellite is considered the flagship of NASA’s Earth Sciences Enterprise. On February 24, 2000, Terra began collecting what will ultimately become a new, 15-year global data set on which to base scientific investigations about Earth, our complex home planet.
• Landsat 7
  Launched on April 15, 1999 and carrying the ETM+ sensor, Landsat 7 is used to acquire remotely sensed images of the Earth’s land surface and surrounding coastal regions.
• Orb View-2
  Launched in September 1997, the Orb View-2 spacecraft, also known as SeaStar, carries the SeaWiFS (short for sea-viewing wide field-of view sensor) instrument for remote sensing of ocean color.