Abstract

MODIS is an earth-viewing cross-track scanning radiometer being developed as a facility instrument for the Earth Observing System (EOS) to be launched in 1998. MODIS will scan a swath width sufficient to provide nearly complete global coverage every two days from a polar-orbiting, sun-synchronous, platform at an altitude of 705 km, and will provide images in 36 spectral bands between 0.415 and 14.235 μm with spatial resolutions of 250 m (2 bands), 500 m (5 bands) and 1000 m (29 bands). These bands have been carefully selected to enable advanced studies of land, ocean, and atmospheric processes.

© 1997 Optical Society of America