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The Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager instruments
Author(s) -
Dymond K. F.,
Nicholas A. C.,
Budzien S. A.,
Coker C.,
Stephan A. W.,
Chua D. H.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2016ja022763
Subject(s) - remote sensing , satellite , thermosphere , spectral resolution , extreme ultraviolet , ionosphere , cadence , spacecraft , altitude (triangle) , ultraviolet , range (aeronautics) , environmental science , physics , optics , geology , astronomy , spectral line , aerospace engineering , acoustics , mathematics , laser , geometry , engineering
Abstract The Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI) instruments are ultraviolet limb scanning sensors flying on the United States Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Block 5D‐3 satellites. The SSULIs cover the 800–1700 Å wavelength range at 18 Å spectral resolution. This wavelength range contains spectral signatures of all the dominant neutral and ionized species in the thermosphere and F region ionosphere. The instruments view ahead of the spacecraft and operate as limb imagers covering the 100–750 km altitude range at 10–15 km resolution with a 90 s scan cadence. We describe these instruments and summarize their calibration and on‐orbit performance. Day‐to‐day variability of the nighttime ionosphere at low latitudes and longer‐term variability of the global mean exospheric temperature are highlighted.