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The Airborne Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (AirMISR) was an airborne, passive remote sensor with a pushbroom design, developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). 

AirMISR captures visible and infrared images similar to those from the MISR instrument on the Terra satellite. It collects data with a single camera in a pivoting gimbal mount at nine viewing angles and operates in four spectral bands with the following center wavelengths: blue at 443 nm, green at 555 nm, red at 670 nm, and near-infrared at 865 nm. 

AirMISR has an approximately 11 km swath width and an instantaneous field of view of 7 m x 6 m at nadir. It is typically flown on the NASA ER-2 aircraft because of its high operating altitude of 20 km. A data run by the NASA ER-2 aircraft is divided into nine segments, each with the camera positioned to one of the nine angles. The nine angles are 0° or nadir, 26.1° fore and aft, 5.6° fore and aft, 60.0° fore and aft and 70.5° fore and aft. 

AirMISR was withdrawn from active service in September 2004 following a successful operational life of approximately seven years. During it's lifespan, AirMISR supported a variety of MISR and other scientific campaigns in North America and Southern Africa. Parts from AirMISR were used to construct the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI).

Instrument Type

Spectrometer/Radiometer

Instrument Subtype

Imaging Spectrometer/Radiometer

Specifications

Resolution

Spatial

7 m x 6 m

Spectral

443 nm, 555 nm, 670 nm, and 865 nm

Temporal

64 Hz

Platforms

Related Data Centers/Projects

Frequently Asked Questions

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