SHIMMER: Innovative Technology Enabling Unprecedented Science
Abstract
On March 9, 2007, the first ultraviolet spectrometer using the innovative optical technique known as spatial heterodyne spectroscopy was launched into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral, FL. The Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Mesospheric Radicals (SHIMMER) is a deskjet printer-sized rugged spectrometer designed to measure solar resonance fluorescence of hydroxyl (OH) in the Earth's middle atmosphere between 30 and 100 km altitude. It is optimized for high spectral resolution, low mass, low power, low volume, and high sensitivity with no moving parts. SHIMMER is performing as expected and has already returned several hundred thousand atmospheric OH measurements. SHIMMER also detects mesospheric clouds (MCs) at their equatorward edge region, around 55 degrees latitude, where they are believed to be most sensitive to mesospheric change. SHIMMER's unprecedented local time coverage allows the investigation of how atmospheric dynamics influence MCs and their environment and thus potentially bias the interpretation of multi-decadal cloud frequency and brightness trends. To date, SHIMMER data have already led to three significant science results, discussed briefly here.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA518010
Entities
People
- C. R. Englert
- D. E. Siskind
- F. L. Roesler
- John M. Harlander
- K. Nielsen
- M. H. Stevens
- Stephen D. Eckermann
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory