Systems and Science Studies for Millimeter- and Submillimeter-wave Earth Venture Missions

Investments in systems and science studies are required to advance in millimeter- and submillimeter-wave passive remote sensing. Over the next year, we will adapt the existing Cloud Ice Scanning Submillimeter Imaging Radiometer (CISSIR) instrument concept.

The plan to develop a cost-compliant EV-i instrument concept entails developing a science and instrument-performance trade space that considers channel selection, spatial resolution and swath, as well as auxiliary information obtained by potential co-manifested instruments. The trade-space is fairly complex, but by defining a small set of instrument/mission configurations, a cost matrix will indicate a point design of a CISSIR-like instrument that meets the EV-i cost constraint.  Requirements for power dissipation cause the addition of mass and other complexities for the present design.  We believe that we can successfully reduce the power consumption with compounded benefit in mass and cost.