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Thermal Infrared Transfer To EOS

Remote-sensing instruments in the NASA EOS (Earth Observing System) program have TIR (Thermal Infrared) channels that are calibrated pre-flight at contractor facilities. A project to establish radiometric traceability between EOS instruments and NIST TIR radiance standards is underway. The project will involve, for the first time ever, cross-calibration of blackbody sources used at contractor facilities with a portable Thermal-infrared Transfer Radiometer (TXR) from NIST. The TXR will be calibrated at NIST against a large-area cryogenic blackbody source in the 77 K background environment of the MBIR (Medium Background Infrared) facility.

Calibration chain from NIST facilities to NASA EOS instruments.

The TXR features two filtered semiconductor photodetectors that share a common telescope. With 1 µm wide channels centered at 5 µm and 10 µm, it is optimized to measure radiance from 200 K to 400 K sources. All internal optics are cooled to near 77 K to reduce background, and an internal chopper provides background subtraction.

TXR optical layout

TXR Radiometer response vs. Wavelength.

Publications
Johnson, B. Carol. Rice, J.P. (OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION - 844)
The NIST EOS Thermal-Infrared Transfer Radiometer (112 KB pdf)
Metrologia - October 01, 1997


Robbes, D. (France) Sing, M. L. (France) Rudman, D. A. Vale, L. R. (ELECTROMAGNETIC TECHNOLOGY DIVISION - 814) Datla, R. U. Rice, J. P. (OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION - 844)
Active Cavity Absolute Radiometer based on High-Tc Superconductors (76.2 KB pdf)
NEWRAD, October, 1997, Tucson, AZ - January 01, 1998


Fowler, J. B. Johnson, B. Carol. Lorentz, S. R. Rice, J. P. (OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION - 844)
The new cryogenic vacuum chamber and blackbody source The new cryogenic vacuum chamber and blackbody source for infrared calibrations at for infrared calibrations at NIST's FARCAL facility (325 KB pdf)
Metrologia, October, 1997, Tucson, AZ - January 01, 1998
For technical information or questions, contact:
Joel Fowler
Phone: (301) 975-2341
FAX: (301) 869-5700
Email: joel.fowler@nist.gov 		   Carol Johnson
Phone: (301) 975-2322
FAX: (301) 869-5700
Email: cjohnson@nist.gov 		   Joe Rice
Phone: (301) 975-2133
FAX: (301) 869-5700
Email: joe.rice@nist.gov

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Online: September 1997   -   Last updated: April 2002