Speaker
Description
The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite’s Limb Profiler (OMPS-LP), built by Ball Aerospace, is a dedicated imaging spectrograph for measuring vertical ozone profiles. Two Limb Sensors are currently in orbit aboard the Suomi NPP and JPSS-2 (now NOAA-21) spacecraft with two more units slated to fly aboard JPSS-3 and JPSS-4. The Limb sensor measures the vertical distribution of ozone in the atmosphere by measuring the spectral radiance of Earth’s limb from the horizon to ~120 km over the 290nm to 1000nm spectral range. The largest uncertainty in Limb-generated science is caused by stray light contamination. This presentation will detail the testing, modelling, and analysis required to characterize stray light performance, focusing on the sensor’s Point Spread Function (PSF). This characterization is critical for generating quality stray light corrections to on-orbit data. We will also compare the stray light performance of the different Limb Sensor builds (NPP thru J4) as well as the sensor design changes which have contributed to the steadily improving performance.
