MISR
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| MISR | |
|---|---|
| Name | MISR |
| Operator | NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Mission type | Earth observation |
| Launch date | February 18, 2000 |
| Launch vehicle | Delta II |
| Launch site | Vandenberg Space Force Base |
| Orbit | Sun-synchronous |
| Instruments | Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer |
| Status | Operational (as of launch + ongoing) |
MISR The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer was developed as a spaceborne instrument to observe Earth's atmosphere and surface from multiple view angles. It flew aboard the Terra platform to support global studies of aerosols, cloud microphysics, surface albedo, and radiative transfer, integrating with programs led by National Aeronautics and Space Administration teams and partners at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, and international research centers.
Overview
MISR operates within the context of flagship missions such as Earth Observing System, complementing instruments like MODIS and working alongside platforms including Landsat, SeaWiFS, and Aqua. Its role links observational campaigns coordinated with agencies such as NOAA and European Space Agency projects and contributes to assessments referenced by bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and initiatives under the Group on Earth Observations. MISR products have been used in studies connected to events such as the Mount Pinatubo eruption, the 2003 European heat wave, and regional programs involving the Amazon Rainforest and Sahara Desert.
Instrumentation and Design
The instrument consists of nine separate cameras fixed to a common optical bench, each tuned to specific spectral bands comparable to sensors on Landsat 7 and earlier instruments like AVHRR. Optical design reflects heritage from projects at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and incorporates electronics and detectors similar to those used on EOS AM-1. The multi-angle configuration samples along-track radiance at view angles that echo prototypes developed in laboratory programs at California Institute of Technology and field campaigns with instruments from NASA Ames Research Center. Onboard calibration and pointing systems used technologies informed by missions such as Hubble Space Telescope pointing control and by metrology methods employed on Terra (satellite) bus subsystems.
Data Products and Processing
MISR generates geophysical parameters including aerosol optical depth, cloud fraction, bidirectional reflectance distribution functions, and surface albedo, processed into hierarchical products like Level 1 radiances and Level 2 geophysical retrievals. Processing pipelines were developed in collaboration with teams at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and university groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley. Data distribution channels have included archives at NASA Distributed Active Archive Center partners, synchronization with portals managed by NASA Earthdata, and integration with modeling frameworks used at NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Validation data streams come from field sites connected to institutions such as National Center for Atmospheric Research, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and international networks like AERONET established by NASA and Laboratoire d'Optique Atmosphérique partners.
Scientific Applications
MISR data underpin studies in aerosol transport traced between regions such as Sahara Desert dust pathways, Ganges Delta biomass burning plumes, and trans-Pacific pollution events affecting the Pacific Ocean. Research teams at Columbia University and University of Maryland used MISR to refine aerosol models employed by Hadley Centre and Canadian Meteorological Centre model intercomparisons. Cloud microphysics analyses leveraging MISR have been cited in work by scientists affiliated with National Center for Atmospheric Research and Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Surface characterization using MISR links to land-cover change studies in the Amazon Rainforest and cryospheric analyses in the Greenland Ice Sheet and Antarctic Peninsula, providing inputs to assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change authors and operational services at United States Geological Survey.
Calibration and Validation
Cross-calibration activities engaged teams at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA, European Space Agency, and academic groups at California Institute of Technology and University of Oxford, employing ground sites such as the [AERONET] network, but also dedicated campaigns co-sponsored with National Center for Atmospheric Research and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Validation exercises compared MISR retrievals with airborne sensors from projects under NASA Ames Research Center and field programs like Smoke, Clouds, and Radiation–Brazil (SCAR-B)-style experiments and coordinated efforts with International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme scientists. Intercomparisons with instruments on Terra (satellite), Aqua (satellite), and CloudSat helped identify biases and informed algorithm updates maintained at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
History and Development
MISR originated from proposals submitted to NASA and was developed through partnerships among Jet Propulsion Laboratory, academic groups including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Los Angeles, and industrial contractors experienced from work on Magellan (spacecraft) and other planetary missions. Launch aboard Delta II from Vandenberg Space Force Base placed MISR in the Sun-synchronous orbit used by the Terra (satellite) observatory, joining a suite that included MODIS and CERES. Over its operational life, MISR supported campaigns linked to international responses following events such as the Kilauea eruption and anthropogenic episodes studied by projects funded through National Science Foundation grants. Ongoing stewardship has involved archive curation by NASA Distributed Active Archive Center partners and scientific oversight by program offices at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Headquarters.