Spaceborne Laser Altimeter Research Articles

The In-Orbit Calibration Method Based on Terrain Matching With Pyramid-Search for the Spaceborne Laser Altimeter

The pointing bias of the laser altimeter would change because of the launch vibration, variations in the space environment or other factors, which is one of the most important factors affecting the geometric accuracy of a laser altimeter. To calibrate pointing bias and improve the measuring accuracy of spaceborne laser altimeter, this paper proposed an in-orbit calibration method based on terrain matching with pyramid-search for this spaceborne laser altimeter. First, we used published digital terrain data as a reference to match with stripes of a point cloud obtained by the geolocation model of the laser altimeter, and then the optimal matching terrain could be determined by a pyramid search. Finally, the pointing bias of the laser altimeter was calibrated. The proposed method was applied in calibration experiment of ZY3-02 laser altimeter. Several tracks of ZY3-02 laser data and advanced Land Observation Satellite Digital Surface Model (AW3D30) with a 30-m grid size were deployed for calibration and validation. After calibration, the systematic error was effectively eliminated. The elevation accuracy of the laser altimeter was improved from more than 100 to 3 m approximately, and the algorithm efficiency with pyramid search was improved by 10 times at least. The experimental result demonstrates that the proposed method is an effective means to calibrate the current spaceborne laser altimeters.

Effect of annealing temperature on structure and stress properties of Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub> multilayer reflective coatings

In the optical system of spaceborne laser altimeter, dielectric mirror is an indispensable optical film element. Its surface shape quality directly affects the resolution and accuracy of distance measurement of the detection system. It is pressing and necessary to carry out research on the surface shape control technology of dielectric mirror to eliminate or reduce the effect of film stress on surface shape. The Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub> multilayer reflective coatings are deposited on quartz substrates by using the ion beam assisted electron beam evaporation (IBE), and then annealed in air in a temperature range from 200 to 600 ℃. The effect of annealing temperature on the structure, optical and stress properties of Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub> multilayer reflective coatings are systemically investigated by using x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, spectrophotometer and laser interferometer. The results show that all the Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub> multilayer reflective coatings, after being annealed, are amorphous in structure. The annealing temperature has a great influence on the surface roughness of reflective coating. With the increase of annealing temperature, the surface roughness of reflective coating first decreases and then gradually increases, but is still smaller than that of as-deposited sample. After being annealed, the reflectance spectrum of reflective coating shifts slightly toward the long-wave direction, and the reflectivity increases a little. When being annealed at 500－600 ℃, the compressive stress of reflective coating could be transformed into tensile stress, and the surface is changed from convex to concave shape. It can be concluded that annealing at an appropriate temperature can effectively release residual stress of Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub> multilayer reflective coating and eliminate the deformation of substrate caused by film stress, and thus improving the surface shape quality of dielectric mirror., After being annealed, the reflective coating still possesses the stable structure and spectral properties, so that dielectric mirror can meet the application requirements of spaceborne laser altimeter. In this paper, the experimental results are of great significance for applying the annealing technology to the surface shape control technology of dielectric mirrors.

SPACE-BORNE LASER ALTIMETER GEOLOCATION ERROR ANALYSIS

Abstract. This paper reviews the development of space-borne laser altimetry technology over the past 40 years. Taking the ICESAT satellite as an example, a rigorous space-borne laser altimeter geolocation model is studied, and an error propagation equation is derived. The influence of the main error sources, such as the platform positioning error, attitude measurement error, pointing angle measurement error and range measurement error, on the geolocation accuracy of the laser spot are analysed by simulated experiments. The reasons for the different influences on geolocation accuracy in different directions are discussed, and to satisfy the accuracy of the laser control point, a design index for each error source is put forward.

ICESat-derived lithospheric flexure as caused by an endorheic lake’s expansion on the Tibetan Plateau and the comparison to modeled flexural responses

A substantial and rapid expansion beginning in the late 1990s of Siling Co, the largest endorheic lake on the central Tibetan Plateau (TP), has caused a measurable lithospheric deflection in the region adjacent to the lake. Current broad-scale measuring of this flexural response is mainly derived from InSAR processing techniques or time-consuming field campaigns. The rheological constraints of the lithosphere from the underlying lithospheric response to large lake loads in this region are not well understood. This paper highlights a more efficient spaceborne LiDAR remote sensing technique to measure the deflection in the vicinity of Siling Co and to investigate the mechanisms of the observed lithospheric response in order to garner a better understanding of the local rheology. A lake-adjacent deflection rate and Siling Co water load variations are calculated utilizing the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) onboard NASA’s Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) and the joint NASA/USGS Landsat series of Earth observing satellites. A downward deflection rate of ∼5.6mm/yr for the first 4km of lake-adjacent land is calculated from the GLAS instrument, and this response is compared to the flexural outputs from a spherically symmetric, non-rotating, elastic, and isotropic (SNREI) Earth model in order to better understand the underlying mechanisms of the lithospheric response to the rapid increase of Siling Co loads. The modeled elastic response is ∼6.9 times lower than the GLAS derived flexure, thereby providing further evidence that a purely elastic lithospheric response cannot explain the deflection in this region. The relationship between the modeled elastic response and the GLAS derived flexure is applied to a long-term lake load change dataset to create the longest-running flexural response curve as caused by the last ∼40years of Siling Co load variations, and these results show an accumulated lake-adjacent flexure of ∼12.6cm from an overall lake load increase of 25.9 Gt. Our findings help to provide a better understanding of the lithospheric response to the recent expansion of Siling Co by introducing a new spaceborne laser altimeter derived technique to measure surface deformation caused by an extreme case of hydrologic loading.

Multi-beam single-photon-counting three-dimensional imaging lidar.

Photon-counting laser ranging has attracted a lot of research interest for its application in the altimeter. In this letter, we report a large scale multi-beam photon-counting laser imaging system by using 100 laser beams in linear array as the light source. Taking advantage of a 100-channel low-noise high-efficiency single-photon detector, the three-dimensional image of remote targets could be constructed rapidly according to the time-of-flight measurement. This system provides a solution for a high-speed, high-resolution, low energy-consumption pushbroom airborne or spaceborne laser altimeter.

Single photon laser altimeter data processing, analysis and experimental validation

Spaceborne laser altimeters are common instruments on-board the rendezvous spacecraft. This manuscript deals with the altimeters using a single photon approach, which belongs to the family of time-of-flight range measurements. Moreover, the single photon receiver part of the altimeter may be utilized as an Earth-to-spacecraft link enabling one-way ranging, time transfer and data transfer. The single photon altimeters evaluate actual altitude through the repetitive detections of single photons of the reflected laser pulses. We propose the single photon altimeter signal processing and data mining algorithm based on the Poisson statistic filter (histogram method) and the modified Kalman filter, providing all common altimetry products (altitude, slope, background photon flux and albedo). The Kalman filter is extended for the background noise filtering, the varying slope adaptation and the non-causal extension for an abrupt slope change. Moreover, the algorithm partially removes the major drawback of a single photon altitude reading, namely that the photon detection measurement statistics must be gathered. The developed algorithm deduces the actual altitude on the basis of a single photon detection; thus, being optimal in the sense that each detected signal photon carrying altitude information is tracked and no altitude information is lost. The algorithm was tested on the simulated datasets and partially cross-probed with the experimental data collected using the developed single photon altimeter breadboard based on the microchip laser with the pulse energy on the order of microjoule and the repetition rate of several kilohertz. We demonstrated that such an altimeter configuration may be utilized for landing or hovering a small body (asteroid, comet).

Improving maps of ice-sheet surface elevation change using combined laser altimeter and stereoscopic elevation model data

AbstractWe combine the complementary characteristics of laser altimeter data and stereoscopic digital elevation models (DEMs) to construct high-resolution (∼100 m) maps of surface elevations and elevation changes over rapidly changing outlet glaciers in Greenland. Measurements from spaceborne and airborne laser altimeters have relatively low errors but are spatially limited to the ground tracks, while DEMs have larger errors but provide spatially continuous surfaces. The principle of our method is to fit the DEM surface to the altimeter point clouds in time and space to minimize the DEM errors and use that surface to extrapolate elevations away from altimeter flight lines. This reduces the DEM registration errors and fills the gap between the altimeter paths. We use data from ICESat and ATM as well as SPOT 5 DEMs from 2007 and 2008 and apply them to the outlet glaciers Jakobshavn Isbræ (JI) and Kangerdlugssuaq (KL). We find that the main trunks of JI and KL lowered at rates of 30–35 and 7–20 m a−1,respectively. The rates decreased inland. The corresponding errors were 0.3–5.2 m a−1for JI and 0.3–5.1 m a−1for KL, with errors increasing proportionally with distance from the altimeter paths.

A topographic parameter inversion method based on laser altimetry

A topographic parameter inversion method based on laser altimetry is developed in this paper, which can be used to deduce the surface vertical profile and retrieve the topographic parameters within the laser footprints by analyzing and simulating return waveforms. This method comprises three steps. The first step is to build the numerical models for the whole measuring procedure of laser altimetry, construct digital elevation models for surfaces with different topographic parameters, and calculate return waveforms. The second step is to analyze the simulated return waveforms to obtain their characteristics parameters, summarize the effects of the topographic parameter variations on the characteristic parameters of simulated return waveforms, and analyze the observed return waveforms of laser altimeters to acquire their characteristic parameters at the same time. The last step is to match the characteristic parameters of the simulated and observed return waveforms, and deduce the topographic parameters within the laser footprint. This method can be used to retrieve the topographic parameters within the laser footprint from the observed return waveforms of spaceborne laser altimeters and to get knowledge about the surface altitude distribution within the laser footprint other than only getting the height of the surface encountered firstly by the laser beam, which extends laser altimeters’ function and makes them more like radars.

Heat Conduction in Lenses

We consider several heat conduction problems for glass lenses with different boundary conditions. The problems dealt with in Sections sec:1 to sec:3 are motivated by the problem of an airborne digital camera that is initially too cold and must be heated up to reach the required image quality. The problem is how to distribute the heat to the different lenses in the system in order to reach acceptable operating conditions as quickly as possible. The problem of Section sec:4 concerns a space borne laser altimeter for planetary exploration. Will a coating used to absorb unwanted parts of the solar spectrum lead to unacceptable heating? In this paper, we present analytic solutions for idealized cases that help in understanding the essence of the problems qualitatively and quantitatively, without having to resort to finite element computations. The use of dimensionless quantities greatly simplifies the picture by reducing the number of relevant parameters. The methods used are classical: elementary real analysis and special functions. However, the boundary conditions dictated by our applications are not usually considered in classical works on the heat equation, so that the analytic solutions given here seem to be new. We will also show how energy conservation leads to interesting sum formulae in connection with Bessel functions. The other side of the story, to determine the deterioration of image quality by given (inhomogeneous) temperature distributions in the optical system, is not dealt with here.

Enhanced geolocation of spaceborne laser altimeter surface returns: parameter calibration from the simultaneous reduction of altimeter range and navigation tracking data

The accurate geolocation of a laser altimeter’s surface return, the spot from which the laser energy reflects on the Earth’s surface, is a critical issue in the scientific application of these data. Pointing, ranging, timing and orbit errors must be compensated to accurately geolocate these data. Detailed laser altimeter measurement models have been developed and implemented within precision orbit determination software providing the capability to simultaneously estimate the orbit and geolocation parameters from a combined reduction of altimeter range and spacecraft tracking data. In preparation for NASA’s future dedicated Earth observing spaceborne laser altimeter missions, the Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL) and the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), data from two Shuttle Laser Altimeter (SLA) missions have been reprocessed to test and refine these algorithms and to develop the analysis methodologies for the production and verification of enhanced geolocation products. Both direct altimetry and dynamic crossover data have been reduced in combination with navigation tracking data to obtain significant improvement in SLA geolocation accuracy. Residual and overlap precision tests indicate a factor of two improvement over the previously released SLA Standard Data Products, showing 40-m RMS horizontal and 26-cm RMS elevation geolocation precision for the long SLA-01 arcs. Accuracy estimates by comparing SLA profiles to Digital Elevation Models show horizontal positioning accuracy at the 60-m (1 σ) level. Vertical accuracies, on the order of 1 m (1 σ) for low slope surfaces are now dominated by the ±75-cm one-way range resolution of the instrument. Comparable relative improvements are also observed in the analysis of the SLA-02 data. The analyses show that complex temporal variations in parameters (i.e., pointing) can be recovered and not just simple biases. The methodology and results obtained from the detailed analysis are discussed in this paper, along with their applicability to VCL and ICESat.

In-Flight Calibration of the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Laser Rangefinder

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission began a year-long rendezvous with 433 Eros on 14 February 2000. The NEAR Laser Rangefinder (NLR) will measure ranges from the spacecraft to the surface of Eros with a single shot accuracy of a few meters. The NLR topographic data, when combined with doppler tracking of the spacecraft, will enable determinations of the asteroid's shape, mass, and density and will contribute to understanding of its internal structure and collisional evolution. NLR is the first space-borne laser altimeter with an in-flight calibration capability, achieved by means of an optical fiber which directs a small portion of every outgoing laser pulse back to the receiver with a known, fixed time delay. Key results of groundbased and in-flight calibrations of NLR are presented for: in-flight measurement of receiver noise statistics, confirmation of instrument stability over the 4-year cruise to Eros, absolute calibration of range measurements for ideal targets (flat, uniform surfaces normal to the boresight), and a prediction of single-pulse detection probability and range errors in the presence of pulse dilation from nonideal target surfaces, based on a Webb's approximation model of receiver performance. We find that pulse dilation is the major source of uncertainty in the single-shot range measurements from NLR, and that this uncertainty is consistent with the 6-m range measurement requirement for NEAR.

Satellite Laser Altimeter for Measurement of Ice Sheet Topography

We describe the design and expected performance of a spaceborne laser altimeter based on a nadir-oriented laser transmitter, a 0.5-m-diam receiver telescope, and a high-accuracy satellite attitude measurement system. This instrument is designed for high-resolution mapping of polar ice sheet topography where conventional radar altimeters have difficulty. This instrument could also provide useful data on cloud-top heights and the ocean surface.