Acquisition of Moon Measurements by Earth Orbiting Sensors for Lunar Calibration

The reflected light from the Moon can be utilized as a reference for radiometric calibration by employing a model to generate reference values corresponding to the Moon observations made by instruments. Using a calibration target that is outside the atmosphere provides a distinct advantage for space-based instruments; however, the lunar irradiance sensed by satellite instruments naturally changes as the host spacecraft traverses its orbit. This article presents a study of the potential impact on lunar radiometric measurements due to their acquisition from an orbiting platform. A simulation of a Sun-synchronous orbit was coupled to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) lunar model to generate predicted irradiances for points along orbit passes through several lunations. These irradiance values exhibit variations tied to the spacecraft motion, arising primarily from changes in the Moon-sensor distance and the phase angle. The two effects are similar in overall magnitude, but their respective contributions depend on the time of month and the orbit. Relative changes in irradiance mostly fall within an envelope of +/- 0.006% per second, except at the smallest phase angles. These studies enable planning space-based Moon observations to minimize the change in the target irradiance, an important consideration for measurements acquired for radiometric characterization of the Moon.

Automated summary

This article studies the potential impact of lunar radiometric measurements obtained from an orbiting platform. The study finds that lunar irradiance is influenced by spacecraft motion and phase angle, but the changes are relatively small. By planning observations, the variations in target irradiance can be minimized.