Calibration and postlaunch performance of the Meteor 3/TOMS instrument

Abstract

Prelaunch and postlaunch calibration results for the Meteor 3/TOMS instrument are presented here. The instrument, launched aboard a Russian spacecraft in 1991, is the second in a series of total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) instruments designed to provide daily global mapping of ozone overburden. Ozone amounts are retrieved from measurements of Earth albedo in the 312‐ to 380‐nm range. The accuracy of albedo measurements is primarily tied to knowledge of the reflective properties of diffusers used in the calibrations and to the instrument's wavelength selection. These and other important prelaunch calibrations are presented. Their estimated accuracies are within the bounds necessary to determine column ozone to better than 1%. However, postlaunch validation results indicate some prelaunch calibration uncertainties may be larger than originally estimated. Instrument calibrations have been maintained postlaunch to within a corresponding 1% error in retrieved ozone. Onboard calibrations, including wavelength monitoring and a three‐diffuser solar measurement system, are described and specific results are presented. Other issues, such as the effects of orbital precession on calibration and recent chopper wheel malfunctions, are also discussed.