Remote sensing using solid-state array technology

The paper describes the design features and capabilities of a remote sensor that uses solid-state linear arrays and operates in a 'pushbroom' scan mode to provide the required performance. Pushbroom scanning is a term describing the technique of using the forward motion of a satellite platform to sweep a linear array of detectors oriented perpendicular to the ground track across a scene being imaged. One array is typically used for each spectral channel. Satellite motion provides one direction of scan and electronic sampling of the detectors in the crosstrack dimension provides the orthogonal scan component to form an image. The detector array is sampled at the appropriate rate so that contiguous lines are produced. The performance of a pushbroom system is discussed relative to radiometric sensitivity, detector array geometric fidelity, and radiometric correction. System advantages are precision geometric positioning of the detectors, very high sensitivity and favorable SNR, low power consumption, and no moving optics.