HR: 17:15h
AN: C34A-06    [Abstracts]
TI: ICESat Elevation Validation at the White Sands Missile Range
AU: * Webb, C E
EM: webb@csr.utexas.edu
AF: Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, 3925 W Braker Ln Suite 200, Austin, TX 78759 United States
AU: Urban, T J
EM: urban@csr.utexas.edu
AF: Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, 3925 W Braker Ln Suite 200, Austin, TX 78759 United States
AU: Neuenschwander, A L
EM: amy@csr.utexas.edu
AF: Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, 3925 W Braker Ln Suite 200, Austin, TX 78759 United States
AU: Magruder, L A
EM: magruder@csr.utexas.edu
AF: Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, 3925 W Braker Ln Suite 200, Austin, TX 78759 United States
AU: Schutz, B E
EM: schutz@csr.utexas.edu
AF: Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, 3925 W Braker Ln Suite 200, Austin, TX 78759 United States
AB: The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) on-board the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) has been shown to produce range measurements with a precision of 2-3 centimeters, depending on the surface characteristics within the illuminated laser footprint. These measurements are combined with knowledge of the position and orientation of the GLAS instrument, obtained through precision orbit and attitude determination, to yield geodetic elevations. These results are examined at the White Sands Missile Range, in New Mexico, which serves as a principal calibration/validation site for ICESat. In addition to hosting arrays of passive retro-reflectors and active detectors that provide horizontal position and timing information for the laser footprints, this site was surveyed early in the mission with the Airborne Laser Topographic Mapper (ALTM). ICESat-derived elevations from this area are compared to those that make up this independent, high-resolution topographic data set. Examples from several laser campaigns, at various off-nadir pointing angles, are shown, and the observed differences are discussed relative to the larger context of assessing ICESat elevation accuracy.
DE: 0758 Remote sensing
DE: 0794 Instruments and techniques
DE: 1240 Satellite geodesy: results (6929, 7215, 7230, 7240)
DE: 1241 Satellite geodesy: technical issues (6994, 7969)
DE: 1243 Space geodetic surveys
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005