Investigations of Ultraviolet Emissions from the Ionosphere

Abstract

The Work of Contract F19268-C-0050 has improved the accessibility and utilization of containing ultraviolet (UV) measurements of the ionosphere obtained from satellite and Space Shuttle experiments. These experiments were the Ultraviolet Backgrounds on the S3-4 satellite, the Auroral Ionospheric Remote Sensor (AIRS) on the PolarBEAR satellite, the Horizon Ultraviolet Program (HUP), and shuttles STS-4 and STS-39. These databases were used to analyze the ionosphere and to validate the Atmospheric Ultraviolet Radiation Integrated Code (AURIC). The S3-4 experiment measured the UV emissions from the ionosphere looking in nadir while in a polar orbit. Data were collected simultaneously from three instruments. The telemetry tapes, processed into VAX compatible tapes, are stored at the Phillips Laboratory/Geophysics Directorate, where they re active in ionospheric analysis. The AIRS data contain a series of ionospheric images recorded mainly at high latitudes and at selected wavelength. These have been placed on a set of optical disks and are accompanied with software which allows quick looks at the images or the acquiring of a raw image for further processing. The HUP instrument collected horizon profiles from Space Shuttle at selected UV wavelengths. These absolute intensity measurements contribute to the understanding of ionospheric processes and are useful where backgrounds are a consideration. This database has also been placed on an optical disk. These data were also used as comparison checks between AURIC and actual recorded measurements. The initial results were favorable. Ionospheric emissions, Ultraviolet aurora, Atmospheric radiance models.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 21, 1993
Accession Number
ADA279404

Entities

People

  • Francis J. Leblanc

Organizations

  • Northwest Research Associates

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Data Rate
  • Databases
  • Detectors
  • High Latitudes
  • Intensity
  • Latitude
  • Measurement
  • New York
  • Radiance
  • Radiation
  • Remote Detectors
  • Remote Sensing
  • Space Shuttles
  • Spacecraft
  • Spectra

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science
  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering.
  • Atmospheric Remote Sensing.
  • Space/Atmospheric Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Space