SLI Thermal Imaging Requirements Evaluation

Abstract:

The Landsat program has provided a continuous record of global terrestrial imagery since 1972. This data record is an invaluable resource for determining long term trends and monitoring rates of change in land usage, forest health, water quality, and glacier retreat. In 2014, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), supported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), initiated the sustainable land imaging (SLI) architecture study to develop an affordable system design for acquiring future terrestrial imagery compatible with the existing Landsat data record. The principal objective has been to leverage recent advances in focal plane technologies to enable smaller, lower-cost instruments and launch options. We present an evaluation of the trade space implied by the SLI thermal imaging requirements as well as the performance potential of enabling technologies. Multiple approaches, each incorporating measured performance data for state-of-the-art detectors, are investigated to simultaneously optimize instrument mass and volume, spatial response, radiometric sensitivity, and radiometric uncertainty.