Spectroscopic Measurements from Space with the FOCUS Sensor System to analyse Gas and Smoke Properties of high Temperature Events

Abstract

Operated on the International Space Station ISS the FOCUS sensor system will autonomously detect and analyse high temperature events like forest and bush fires, volcano eruptions or coal seam fires. The system consists of imaging sensors for the visible and infrared spectral region as well as a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. The heritage of FOCUS, the DLR imager BIRD and FTIR spectrometer MIROR, are presented. Modifications incl. high accuracy radiometric calibration are described. Three dimensional distribution of temperatures, combustion gas concentrations and smoke aerosoles will be retrieved by inversion of radiative transfer models combined with an unique fusion of the FOCUS spectral and imaging data.