Optimizing Site Locations for Determining Shape from Photometric Light Curves
Abstract
As satellites become smaller or too far away to visually resolve their physical details via high-resolution imagery, other techniques must be used to characterize and describe them. One promising method is analyzing how the reflected light from a satellite varies as a function of time or phase angle. By analyzing the photometric intensity of the reflected light versus the solar phase angle of the space object, we hope to see a characteristic distribution that is indicative of a certain shape. One way to enhance the analysis is to obtain as many observations of a satellite either through multiple passes over time or by observing a particular satellite pass from numerous locations. This paper is a case study limited to the following questions: Given a certain scenario and a central sensor location, what is the optimal arrangement of four deployable telescopes for determining the shape of the satellite from its photometric signature?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA531803
Entities
People
- Daniel O. Fulcoly
- Francis K. Chun
- Katharine I. Kalamaroff
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy