Abstract

SCIAMACHY is an atmospheric remote sensing satellite instrument. It is a passive instrument whose primary measurement objective is to observe the absorptions of tropospheric and stratospheric trace gases in the solar spectrum. Two identical telescope-spectrographs (TS1 and TS2) will observe transmitted, reflected, and scattered light from the atmosphere in the UV, visible and near-infrared wavelength regions (200 - 2400 nm). There are two primary modes of data collection: simultaneous 1 limb and nadir viewing, and solar/lunar occultation. The limb scan yields a vertical profile of atmospheric scattered light, whereas the scan across the satellite track in nadir viewing yields global coverage of the reflected and scattered light penetrating down to the earth's surface or to cloud top. When in view the occultation of the sun or moon will be recorded.

© 1990 Optical Society of America