Zhou and Yang Published on New ATMS Geometric Calibration Based on Lunar Images

ESSIC/CISESS Scientists Jun Zhou and Hu Yang recently published an article in the journal Atmospheric Measurement Techniques titled “A Study of a Two-Dimensional Scanned Lunar Image for Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) Geometric Calibration”.

The article describes a new technique they developed to validate the on-orbit beam pointing accuracy of the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) on NOAA-20 by using a 2D scanned lunar image captured during a spacecraft pitch-over maneuver operation on January 31, 2018.  The basic idea is to correct the nominal antenna pattern frame built by beam pointing direction until it is perfectly aligned with the actual one, showing that the maxima of the 2D lunar image locating at the center of antenna pattern frame.  This method improves ATMS on-orbit geometric calibration accuracy not only for window channels, but also for sounding channels where the earth-target based methods are inapplicable.

Hu Yang’s main field of study includes passive microwave radiometer calibration/validation, satellite geolocation, and satellite observation simulation. Jun Zhou is a Post-Doctoral Associate at ESSIC/CISESS.  Her current research interest is in satellite geolocation and calibration.

To read the article, click here: “A Study of a Two-Dimensional Scanned Lunar Image for Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) Geometric Calibration”.