Geometric distortions of opticommercial panoramic television systems

One of the problems solvable by the spaceborne television system, topographical surveying, makes high demands on image quality, particularly on the geometric distortions introduced by the television camera. It is the geometric distortions which determine measurement accuracy and, consequently, the possibility of creating reliable planetary surface maps. Comparative analysis of the different television systems capable of solving the problem showed that the requirements on quality of the transmitted images are best satisfied by television cameras with opticomechanical scanning. The design of panoramic television systems and the process of image construction by the opticomechanical camera are discussed. Results indicate that panoramic television cameras have the necessary instrumental accuracy and permit determination of the direction to objects with an error practically equal to the resolution.