A High Resolution Space Camera (HRSC) for Earth observations in regional scales

Abstract

Due to its orbit, the International Space Station (ISS) provides specific capabilities for Earth observations with respect to investigations of time-dependent surface variations and the effects of changes in solar illumination and observation conditions at regional scales. We propose a multi-sensor camera experiment based on the design of the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) which was developed for the Mars 96 mission. The HRSC system combines 3 steroscopic, 2 additional photometric and 4 multispectral bands whichare operated simultaneously. Compares to imaging spectrometers, the camera offers a combination of different physical observation parameters for surface material identification and analysis (e.g. crop type and state detection), providing a high spatial resolution and a relatively low data rate. The HRSC experiment onboard the International Space Station gives the opportunity to study the application potential of a multi-mode camera for Earth observations under strongly varying conditions of target illumination and observation geometry.