The impact of spectral channel registration errors in an imaging grating spectrometer on the retrieval of temperature and water vapor profiles in the presence of opaque, low-level (~700 mb) clouds is investigated.

The Passive A-Band Wind Sounder (PAWS) project is funded through NASA's Instrument Incubator Program (IIP). The objective of PAWS is to demonstrate an instrument concept for measuring wind speed profiles in the troposphere using Doppler shifts in selected oxygen absorption lines. PAWS is a daytime-only approach, but has the potential to provide better wind data than is currently available with significantly lower cost, risk, and platform requirements than lidar. This paper will provide an overview of the PAWS approach and progress on the instrument development.

The Airborne Sensors Initiative (ASI) at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. (BATC) specializes in airborne demonstration of internally-developed instrument concepts and innovative remote sensing technologies. In December 2006, ASI flew an environmental remote sensing suite consisting of the Low Light Imager (LLI) and Prototype Airborne Visible Imaging Spectrometer (PAVIS), both of which are operated using a pushbroom approach. LLI is designed for nighttime or high dynamic range imaging. It is capable of yielding 10(7) dynamic range and offers quality images amid illumination extending from a 1/4 moon to full sunlight and with autonomous operation. PAVIS is an imaging spectrometer based on the Dyson design and exhibits a 200 nm spectral bandwidth tunable within 400 - 850 nm. Developed internally to demonstrate promising remote sensing capabilities, these small, low-mass and low-power instruments are prepared for aircraft flight and are currently being used in the field to acquire scientific data. The LLI/PAVIS instrument suite has been utilized to collect airborne urban and rural imagery, as well as spectral information about the Great Salt Lake area, western Colorado, and ancient lava flows in southern Idaho. Highlights of the instrument design and ensuing data from previous flights are presented herein.