Space Object Temperature Determination from Multi-Band Infrared Measurements

Abstract

Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8/98) REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGEPrescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, We describe a technique to determine the temperature of a Resident Space Object (RSO) from multiple infrared (IR) bands. The characteristic temperature of an object is the temperature of the Planck function that has the closest least squares fit to the observed irradiance in at least three infrared bands. The characteristic temperature and the effective solid angle are free parameters in a formulation that requires simultaneous minimization, across all bands, of chi-square expressions using modeled irradiances and the measured irradiances and their errors. Solutions are determined from a multi-dimensional Levenberg-Marquardt fitting algorithm. The advantage of this approach is that it provides a single, best-fit solution to the RSO modeled as a gray body radiator. In contrast, a 2-band (color) temperature approach using three or more bands produces different solutions for different band combinations with no objective way of determining which solution is best. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S ACRONYM(S) SPONSOR/MONITOR'S REPORT NUMBER(S)

Advanced statistical characterization of multispectral infrared properties of the GEO belt debris population

“…Specifically, the NASA-WISE instrument captured unresolved measurements of space debris in the GEO belt. The U.S. Air Force Research Lab created a debris catalog that includes measurements of over 2,000 new, previously un-cataloged, Debris objects near the GEO belt 2,4,5 . Since the original debris and satellite database was created, it has been reproduced by others in academia 6,3 .…”

Distributions of debris as measured by the NASA-WISE instrument

“…Although greybody emittance is presumed, if measurements in different wavebands are treated relative to each other, then the exact value of the greybody emittance does not need to be assumed. The systematic and random errors associated with this technique have been investigated in Reference [10]. Of course these assumptions are only valid when the reflected radiance is minimized and thus the longer wavelength bands are most fruitful for application of this technique.…”