The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) on-board blackbody calibration system

Fred A. Best; Henry E. Revercomb; Robert O. Knuteson; David C. Tobin; Scott D. Ellington; Mark W. Werner; Douglas P. Adler; Raymond K. Garcia; Joseph K. Taylor; Nick N. Ciganovich; William L. Smith Sr.; Gail E. Bingham; John D. Elwell; Deron K. Scott

doi:10.1117/12.579017

20 January 2005 The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) on-board blackbody calibration system

Fred A. Best, Henry E. Revercomb, Robert O. Knuteson, David C. Tobin, Scott D. Ellington, Mark W. Werner, Douglas P. Adler, Raymond K. Garcia, Joseph K. Taylor, Nick N. Ciganovich, William L. Smith Sr., Gail E. Bingham, John D. Elwell, Deron K. Scott

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5655, Multispectral and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Instruments and Applications II; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.579017
Event: Fourth International Asia-Pacific Environmental Remote Sensing Symposium 2004: Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Ocean, Environment, and Space, 2004, Honolulu, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

The NASA New Millennium Program's Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) instrument provides enormous advances in water vapor, wind, temperature, and trace gas profiling from geostationary orbit. The top-level instrument calibration requirement is to measure brightness temperature to better than 1 K (3 sigma) over a broad range of atmospheric brightness temperatures, with a reproducibility of ±0.2 K. For in-flight radiometric calibration, GIFTS uses views of two on-board blackbody sources (290 K and 255 K) along with cold space, sequenced at regular programmable intervals. The blackbody references are cavities that follow the UW Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) design, scaled to the GIFTS beam size. The cavity spectral emissivity is better than 0.998 with an absolute uncertainty of less than 0.001. Absolute blackbody temperature uncertainties are estimated at 0.07 K. This paper describes the detailed design of the GIFTS on-board calibration system that recently underwent its Critical Design Review. The blackbody cavities use ultra-stable thermistors to measure temperature, and are coated with high emissivity black paint. Monte Carlo modeling has been performed to calculate the cavity emissivity. Both absolute temperature and emissivity measurements are traceable to NIST, and detailed uncertainty budgets have been developed and used to show the overall system meets accuracy requirements. The blackbody controller is housed on a single electronics board and provides precise selectable set point temperature control, thermistor resistance measurement, and the digital interface to the GIFTS instrument. Plans for the NIST traceable ground calibration of the on-board blackbody system have also been developed and are presented in this paper.

Citation Download Citation

Fred A. Best, Henry E. Revercomb, Robert O. Knuteson, David C. Tobin, Scott D. Ellington, Mark W. Werner, Douglas P. Adler, Raymond K. Garcia, Joseph K. Taylor, Nick N. Ciganovich, William L. Smith Sr., Gail E. Bingham, John D. Elwell, and Deron K. Scott "The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) on-board blackbody calibration system", Proc. SPIE 5655, Multispectral and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Instruments and Applications II, (20 January 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.579017

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