CERES Flight Model 5 on NPP : Pre-Launch Performance and Sensor Data Record Validation

1. CERES Flight Model 5 on NPP :Pre-Launch Performance and Sensor Data Record Validation Kory Priestley1 G. Louis Smith1, Susan Thomas1, Herbert Bitting2 1NASA Langley Research Center, 2Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems IGARSS 2011 Vancouver, British Columbia July 29, 2011

2. Discussion Topics • CERES Overview • Measurement objectives • Instrument description • Flight history • Radiometry • Performance Requirements • Cal/Val Implementation • Pre-Launch Calibration • Post-Launch Protocol • Data Product Release Strategy • Summary

3. Earth Radiation Budget Components CERES TSIS CERES Top of Atmosphere Kiehl & Trenberth 1997

4. Primary CERES Climate Data Records Reflected Solar Energy Emitted Thermal Energy

5. CERES FM-5 on NPP • FM-5 is a NASA sensor manufactured by TRW (Currently Northrop Grumman), and provided to NPP by NASA and NOAA. • Final instrument integration and test conducted from January to November, 2008. • The Earth Radiation Budget Climate Analysis and Research System (ERB CARS) at LaRC is responsible for CERES instrument operation, data processing, and science analysis. • ERB CARS is an element of the NPP Science Data Segment, and receives NPP data from the Land Product Evaluation and Test Element (PEATE) at GSFC.

6. CERES Instrument Base Main Electronics • Designed, manufactured and tested by TRW, Redondo Beach, CA (currently Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems) • Contains three sensor assemblies with cassegrain optics and thermistor bolometer detectors • Sensors measure thermal radiation in the near-visible through far-infrared spectral region • Sensor channels are coaligned and mounted on a spindle that rotates about the elevation axis • Hemispherical sampling obtained with an azimuthal axis drive system Pedestal Azimuth Axis MAM Baffles Elevation Axis Alignment Cube Sensors Total, Longwave, Shortwave

7. Enabling Climate Data Record Continuity

8. Radiometric Performance Requirements CERES is defined as a class ‘B’ Mission 5-year design Lifetime • Requirements for CERES are more stringent than ERBE’s by a factor of 2 • Requirements per Ohring et. al. are more stringent than CERES by a factor of 3-5

9. Why is CERES Climate Quality Calibration so difficult? A question of time scales, experience and balancing accuracy with providing data products to the community. - Calibrated Radiances have been released on ~6 month centers - 6 months is just a blink of an eye when analyzing decadal trends… Same time scale as phenomena which influence instrument response - Beta Angle - Earth Sun Distance - Orbital shifts - Instrument Operational modes (e.g. RAPS vs. Xtrack) Design weaknesses and anticipated failures in onboard calibration hardware - full spectral range of observations not covered by cal subsystems Complicates separation of instrument ‘artifacts’ from natural variability.

10. Cal-Val Approach • Pre-Launch • Implement a rigorous & thorough ground calibration/characterization program • Cal/Val role must be prominent in original proposal and SOW • System level characterization is typically last test performed prior to delivery of the instrument • Cost and schedule constraints typically drive programs at that point • Post-Launch • Implement a protocol of independent studies to characterize on-orbit performance • Studies should cover all spectral, spatial and temporal scales as well as data product levels • Continuous development of new validation studies • Data Product Release Strategy • Develop a logical and well understood approach to data release. • Minimize the number of Editions/Versions of Data • Utilize Data Quality Summaries for the community

11. Cal-Val Approach • Pre-Launch • Implement a rigorous & thorough ground calibration/characterization program • Cal/Val role must be prominent in original proposal and SOW • System level characterization is typically last test performed prior to delivery of the instrument • Cost and schedule constraints typically drive programs at that point • Post-Launch • Implement a protocol of independent studies to characterize on-orbit performance • Studies should cover all spectral, spatial and temporal scales as well as data product levels • Continuous development of new validation studies • Data Product Release Strategy • Develop a logical and well understood approach to data release. • Minimize the number of Editions/Versions of Data • Utilize Data Quality Summaries for the community

12. CERES Ground Calibration Radiometric Calibration Facility • Thermal IR Bands • Narrow Field of View Blackbody (NFBB) is primary standard (Emissivity of greater than 0.9999) • 12.5 cm Wide Field of View Blackbody (WFBB) • Cold Space Reference (CSR) blackbodies • Reflected Solar Bands • SW reference source (SWRS) with minimum LW variations and spectral characterization capability • 13 discrete bands between 420 and 1960 nm • 5 cm integrating sphere with associated optics • Cryogenically cooled Transfer Active Cavity Radiometer (TACR)

13. CERES FM-5 Pre-Launch Calibration Pre-launch Calibrations were performed with TRW’s Radiometric Calibration Facility (RCF). Four separate pre-launch calibration campaigns have been performed on the CERES FM5 instrument after it was fabricated. March 1999 February 2000 October 2006 Sept. –Oct. 2008 33 days 14 days 9 days 11 days Full calibration tests in hot and cold acceptance temperatures. Completed hot acceptance tests. During cold acceptance testing, calibration was stopped due to carousel problems. Tests done in hot and cold acceptance temperatures. Calibration tests done only in hot acceptance temperatures.

14. NPP Thermal Vacuum SummaryCERES TVAC Test Report: CERES-FM5-I&T-012 • CERES successfully completed Observatory level thermal vacuum testing • All plateau temperature goals were achieved • Cold & Hot balance thermal predicts within 1 & 5.5 deg. C respectively • All calibrations within +- 0.25% of instrument level testing (within expectations) • All functional testing, including cover operations were nominal CERES goal temperatures over the duration of the test

15. Calibration Results from TVAC Testing • Calibrations performed at each thermal plateau using On-board sources • Detector Gains varied -0.8 to +2.4 percent in comparison with instrument level tests. • Apparent large deviations are due to test environment and lack of external reference. • Thermal Plateaus at Qual levels, significantly different from Flight, increased variability • Approximate 2-week settling time for detectors in vacuum environment, eliminate 1st • Final Hot Plateau results skewed due to cooling reference source, eliminate last. Correcting for environment demonstrates traceability at +- 0.25% level CERES FM-5 Observatory TVAC Internal Calibration Test Results

16. Cal-Val Approach • Pre-Launch • Implement a rigorous & thorough ground calibration/characterization program • Cal/Val role must be prominent in original proposal and SOW • System level characterization is typically last test performed prior to delivery of the instrument • Cost and schedule constraints typically drive programs at that point • Post-Launch • Implement a protocol of independent studies to characterize on-orbit performance • Studies should cover all spectral, spatial and temporal scales as well as data product levels • Continuous development of new validation studies • Data Product Release Strategy • Develop a logical and well understood approach to data release. • Minimize the number of Editions/Versions of Data • Utilize Data Quality Summaries for the community

17. CERES Integrated Mission Timeline • L+11 Days • Operational Power Applied to CERES instrument • Commence Functional Checkout • Begin routine science data processing • L+12 Days • First internal Calibration executed • L+17 Days • Regular internal Calibrations begin • L+43 Days • Main & MAM Cover’s open • Science Operations Commence • Daily internal calibrations initiated • Bi-Weekly Solar calibrations initiated • L+6 ~Months • Intensive Cal Val period complete • Spacecraft Calibration Maneuvers Complete • Commencement of Long Term Radiometric Validation Activities

18. CERES Flight Radiometric Validation Activities

19. Cal-Val Approach • Pre-Launch • Implement a rigorous & thorough ground calibration/characterization program • Cal/Val role must be prominent in original proposal and SOW • System level characterization is typically last test performed prior to delivery of the instrument • Cost and schedule constraints typically drive programs at that point • Post-Launch • Implement a protocol of independent studies to characterize on-orbit performance • Studies should cover all spectral, spatial and temporal scales as well as data product levels • Continuous development of new validation studies • Data Product Release Strategy • Develop a logical and well understood approach to data release. • Minimize the number of Editions/Versions of Data • Utilize Data Quality Summaries for the community

20. JPSS Systems NPP CERES Operational Data Flow CERES Instrument Ops Team Commands, Loads and requests NPP Systems Mission Notices and Data NOAA Systems CERES Systems Command, Control and Communication Segment (C3S) Science Data Segment (SDS) Ancillary Data Providers ERB CARS Data and Science Operations Existing data, agreements Mission Notices and Data requests Data Distribution Data Users CERES RDRs, Sub-sampled VIIRS & aerosols RDRs to PST Command & Telemetry Science Data SD3E Land PEATE Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS) Raw DRs Sensor DRs Envi. DRs IPs Ground Station Svalbard Mission Data Archive and Distribution Segment (ADS-CLASS) • Reuse existing systems and interfaces • System enhancements for NPP CERES Data Records xDRs

21. SDR Product Release Strategy Edition1_CV - Static Algorithms and coefficients - baseline product used in cal/val protocol (L+6 Months, continuous throughout mission) Edition2 - Utilizes temporally varying coefficients to correct for traceable radiometric drift. All spectral changes are broadband and ‘gray’. (L+1 yrs to ~5 yrs) Edition3 - Will incorporate temporally varying spectral artifacts in the SW measurements. A complete re-analysis of Ground Calibration with additional component characterization measurements. (L+5 yrs) User Applied Revisions - Advance capabilities to the users prior to the release of the next Edition. Edition2 products lag Edition1_CV by a minimum of 4 months

22. CERES BDS (BiDirectional Scan) Terra • Edition2 • Data Quality Summary • Investigation: CERES • Data Product: BiDirectional Scan [BDS] • Data Set: Terra (Instruments: FM1, FM2) • Data Set Version: Edition2 • The purpose of this document is to inform users of the accuracy of this data product as determined by the CERES Team. This document briefly summarizes key validation results, provides cautions where users might easily misinterpret the data, provides links to further information about the data product, algorithms, and accuracy, gives information about planned data improvements. This document also automates registration in order to keep users informed of new validation results, cautions, or improved data sets as they become available. • This document is a high-level summary and represents the minimum information needed by scientific users of this data product. It is strongly suggested that authors, researchers, and reviewers of research papers re-check this document for the latest status before publication of any scientific papers using this data product. • Table of Contents • Nature of the BDS Product • Updates to Current Edition • User Applied Revisions • Validation and Quality Assurance • Current Estimated Uncertainty of Data • Cautions When Using Data • Expected Reprocesings • References • Web links to Relevant information • Referencing Data in Journal Articles • Giving Data to Other Users Data Quality Summary Provided to User’s

23. Summary • CERES Team is fully prepared • Heritage Team members • 6th CERES sensor to fly • Radiometry • Most highly characterized CERES instrument to date. • Some level of concern as budgets did not allow known design weaknesses to be addressed in cal subsystems • Cal/Val Implementation • Protocol is mature and proven

24. CERES Instrument Working Group Homepage http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/Instrument