Sounding of the Atmosphere Using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER): Instrument and Science Measurement Description

Abstract

SABER (Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry) is a 10‐channel infrared radiometer that is one of four instruments on the NASA TIMED (Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics) satellite mission to study the structure, energetics, chemistry, and dynamics of the Earth's mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Each of the ten SABER channels has a unique filter over its detector. The filter passes infrared radiation within a defined spectral region that optimizes the ability to derive temperature and constituent concentrations from the infrared radiance measurements. The TIMED spacecraft was launched into a 625 km circular polar orbit (74.1° inclination) via a Boeing Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 7 December 2001. SABER continues to operate nominally and collect data routinely as it has for over 21 years. Nearly 2,200 peer‐reviewed journal articles have been published worldwide using SABER data. A list of these articles is included in Supporting Information S1 accompanying this paper. This paper presents a detailed technical description of the SABER instrument including major subsystems of the instrument and technical performance parameters. This paper comprehensively describes the instrument and its components and provides final instrument design and performance parameters. The motivation for this paper is to document this information permanently for future reference. The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) of Utah State University designed, fabricated, and calibrated the SABER instrument in close collaboration with NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton University, and Global Atmospheric Technologies and Science (GATS).

Observations of Mesospheric Gravity Waves Generated by Geomagnetic Activity

“…The instrument measures limb radiances between 1.27 and 16.9 μm in 10 channels from which temperature and other minor species concentrations are retrieved. Detailed description of the instrument and retrievals can be found elsewhere (Esplin et al., 2023). The latitudinal coverage alternates between 83°N–52°S and 52°N–83°S every 60–63 days, resulting in coverage of high latitudes only in one of the hemispheres at any given time.…”

Retrieval of Rotational Temperatures From the Arecibo Observatory Ebert‐Fastie Spectrometer and Their Inter‐Comparison With Co‐Located K‐Lidar and SABER Measurements

“…(1994) and Esplin et al. (2023). We have utilized the SABER 2.07 version of the channel A and channel B VER data which are estimated at 2.0 and 1.6 μm wavelength, respectively.…”

“…In this study, data from the SABER instrument onboard NASA's Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite has also been used. A detailed description of the SABER instruments and the parameters they measure is documented by Russell et al (1994) and Esplin et al (2023). We have utilized the SABER 2.07 version of the channel A and channel B VER data which are estimated at 2.0 and 1.6 μm wavelength, respectively.…”

Mesospheric Water Vapor From SABER as a Tracer for the Residual Mean Circulation During SSW Events

“…SABER is a 10‐channel broadband limb‐scanning infrared radiometer (1.27–17 μm) on board NASA's TIMED (Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics) satellite that was launched in December 2001 (Esplin et al., 2023; Russell et al., 1999). The routine data collection began on 25 January 2002 and the products include vertical profiles extending from the tropopause region to the lower thermosphere with 2 km vertical resolution.…”