A unique complementary remote sensing datasets could be provided to NASA Earth Science researchers to enable scientists to improve potential applications to include novel land cover studies and greater ability to image disasters. Such an instrument could provide day/night operation of the first four Landsat bands continuing and expanding research that supports the National Land Imaging (NLIP), North American Carbon, & Land Use Land Cover (LULC) Programs. Additionally, the International Space Station (ISS) orbit provides sunrise and sunset illuminated observations over populated regions of interest nearly every orbit. The Window Observation Research Facility (WORF) on-board the ISS could enable an existing advanced aerial imaging system to be integrated as a test bed/technology demonstrator. The ISS WORF could support advanced aerial digital cameras for enhanced observations. Using the WORF, Hexagon's Z/I Imaging DMC II could provide ~20 meter GSD panchromatic and ~ 60 meter GSD multispectral imaging products. Based on those pixel sizes, each image would cover approximately 300 km x 250 km. By combining low light level imaging capability to a small satellite or ISS platform, unique complementary remote sensing datasets could be provided to Earth science researchers. Properly implemented, moderate to high spatial resolution low light level imaging, could significantly expand the body of knowledge associated with artificial light usage, light pollution, cloud, dust, fog and tropical cyclone detection at night, enable low light level planetary and space operation imaging, and begin to explore techniques to facilitate extreme low light level imaging associated with lunar reflection. Benefits to NASA unfunded missions and planned missions would be that unique complementary remote sensing datasets could be provided to NASA Earth Science researchers that enables scientists to study topics as: artificial light usage, light pollution, cloud, dust, fog and tropical cyclone detection at night, and lunar reflection methods, which previously is timely and labor intensive. Other potential applications include enabling novel land cover studies and greater ability to image disasters, as well as applicability to planetary research in environments with low light. Novel features of improved low light level imaging capabilities also include •Low light level imaging capability on a small satellite or ISS platform could bring unique complementary remote sensing datasets to NASA Earth Science researchers. •Low light level imaging could enable scientists to study such topics as: artificial light usage, light pollution, cloud, dust, fog and tropical cyclone detection at night, nocturnal species studies and lunar reflection methods •Novel land cover studies could be conducted, and the ability to image disasters could be increased The International Space Station (ISS) could be used to demonstrate large dynamic range multispectral moderate spatial resolution imaging in the visible to NIR spectrum to enable dawn, dusk and moonlit night imaging along with traditional daylight imaging. The benefits to the commercial space industry would be the same as those that would benefit NASA. Improvements to low light level imaging would have tremendous potential for supporting commercial industry's imaging capabilities in space. Benefits to other government agencies like Department of Homeland Security, Army, Navy, FEMA and Department of Defense would be similar to those that would benefit NASA. Low light level imaging has great potential for supporting disaster response, understanding human activity and making unique environmental observations, and homeland security application. Additionally, today, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) is one of the few sources that can provide a view of Earth's artificial outdoor illumination. The GSD of this system is however 2.7 km and therefore individual lights or light clusters are indistinguishable and low light applications using this data are restricted. This enhanced low light level imagining capability could help improve DMSP data production. Also, this capability could be applied to diurnal cloud statistics prediction using National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) data to help understand the potential of improved cloud-free line of sight imaging at sunrise.
More »