Calibration of a system to collect visible-light polarization data for classification of geosynchronous satellites

Andy Speicher; Mohammad Matin; Roger Tippets; Francis Chun

doi:10.1117/12.2062491

23 September 2014 Calibration of a system to collect visible-light polarization data for classification of geosynchronous satellites

Andy Speicher, Mohammad Matin, Roger Tippets, Francis Chun

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9223, Remote Sensing System Engineering V; 922308 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2062491
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2014, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

In order to protect critical military and commercial space assets, the United States Space Surveillance Network must have the ability to positively identify and characterize all space objects. Unfortunately, positive identification and characterization of space objects is a manual and labor intensive process today since even large telescopes cannot provide resolved images of most space objects. The objective of this study was to calibrate a system to exploit the optical signature of unresolved geosynchronous satellite images by collecting polarization data in the visible wavelengths for the purpose of revealing discriminating features. These features may lead to positive identification or classification of each satellite. The system was calibrated with an algorithm and process that takes raw observation data from a two-channel polarimeter and converts it to Stokes parameters S₀ and S₁. This instrumentation is a new asset for the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) Department of Physics and consists of one 20-inch Ritchey-Chretien telescope and a dual focal plane system fed with a polarizing beam splitter. This study calibrated the system and collected preliminary polarization data on five geosynchronous satellites to validate performance. Preliminary data revealed that each of the five satellites had a different polarization signature that could potentially lead to identification in future studies.

Citation Download Citation

Andy Speicher, Mohammad Matin, Roger Tippets, and Francis Chun "Calibration of a system to collect visible-light polarization data for classification of geosynchronous satellites", Proc. SPIE 9223, Remote Sensing System Engineering V, 922308 (23 September 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2062491

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available