Duel-Band Infared Imagery of an Atlas 5 Launch Vehicle in Flight

Abstract

Imagery acquired with a quantum-well infrared photodetector dual-band infrared focal plane array of the inaugural launch of the Atlas 5 launch vehicle is presented. The focal plane array was developed under the U.S. Army Research Laboratory's Advanced Sensors Federated Laboratory program and used a read-out integrated circuit produced under the Air Force Research Laboratory's Advanced Multi-Quantum Well Technology program. The detectors are able to sense light in both the 3-5- and 8-12-μm atmospheric transmission windows such that the resulting single-band images are pixel registered and simultaneous. The focal plane array was installed in a camera system that used a closed-cycle cooler to operate at 60 K. The camera was placed at the prime focus of an all-reflective telescope on a computer-controlled tracking mount at the Innovative Sensor Technology Evaluation Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. The launch was observed from a distance of 15 km from the pad. The dual-band camera system was calibrated using standard blackbody sources. The launch vehicle was observed from about 30 s after launch until approximately 4 min after launch. This corresponded to ranges between 15 km and more than 300 km and altitudes from just over 1 km to more than 100 km