Aircraft Scanners

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aircraft
Scanners data set contains digital imagery acquired from several
multispectral scanners, including Daedalus thematic mapper simulator
scanners and the thermal infrared multispectral scanner. Data are
collected from selected areas over the conterminous United States,
Alaska, and Hawaii by NASA ER-2 and NASA C-130B aircraft, operating
from the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, and by
NASA Learjet aircraft, operating from Stennis Space Center in Bay St.
Louis, Mississippi. Limited international acquisitions also are
available.

In cooperation with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Daedalus
Enterprises,Inc., NASA developed several multispectral sensors. The
data acquired from these sensors supports NASA's Airborne Science and
Applications Program and have been identified as precursors to the
instruments scheduled to fly on Earth Observing System platforms.

THEMATIC MAPPER SIMULATOR

The Thematic Mapper Simulator (TMS) sensor is a line scanning device
designed for a variety of Earth science applications. Flown aboard
NASA ER-2 aircraft, the TMS sensor has a nominal Instantaneous Field of
View of 1.25 milliradians with a ground resolution of 81 feet (25 meters)
at 65,000 feet. The TMS sensor scans at a rate of 12.5 scans per second
with 716 pixels per scan line. Swath width is 8.3 nautical miles
(15.4 kilometers) at 65,000 feet while the scanner's Field of View is
42.5 degrees.

NS-001 MULTISPECTRAL SCANNER

The NS-001multispectral scanner is a line scanning device designed to
simulate Landsat thematic mapper (TM) sensor performance, including a
near infrared/short-wave infrared band used in applications similar to those
of the TM sensor (e.g., Earth resources mapping, vegetation/land cover
mapping, geologic studies). Flown aboard NASA C-130B aircraft, the NS-001
sensor has a nominal Instantaneous Field of View of 2.5 milliradians with a
ground resolution of 25 feet (7.6 meters) at 10,000 feet. The sensor has a
variable scan rate (10 to 100 scans per second) with 699 pixels per scan line,
but the available motor drive supply restricts the maximum stable scan speed
to approximately 85 revolutions per second. A scan rate of 100 revolutions per
second is possible, but not probable, for short scan lines; therefore, a
combination of factors, including aircraft flight requirements and maximum
scan speed, prevent scanner operation below 1,500 feet. Swath width is 3.9
nautical miles (7.26 kilometers) at 10,000 feet, and the total scan angle or
field of regard for the sensor is 100 degrees, plus or minus 15 degrees for
roll compensation.

THERMAL INFRARED MULTISPECTRAL SCANNER

The Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) sensor is a line scanning
device originally designed for geologic applications. Flown aboard NASA
C-130B, NASA ER-2, and NASA Learjet aircraft, the TIMS sensor has a
nominal Instantaneous Field of View of 2.5 milliradians with a ground
resolution of 25 feet (7.6 meters) at 10,000 feet. The sensor has a
selectable scan rate (7.3, 8.7, 12, or 25 scans per second) with 698 pixels
per scan line. Swath width is 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 kilometers) at
10,000 feet while the scanner's Field of View is 76.56 degrees.