NASA’s Calibration Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory Pathfinder, or CLARREO Pathfinder mission, reached a significant milestone this summer by achieving first light.
First light showcases a mission’s ability to successfully power on and capture data, in this case detailed spectral data, validating years of preparation and pre-launch testing. This moment marks the first time the instrument aboard the International Space Station collected science data measurements from space.
The CLARREO Pathfinder instrument is a hyperspectral imaging spectrometer capable of measuring sunlight reflected by Earth and the Moon with an uncertainty that is 5 to 10 times lower than existing sensors. The first measurements, taken over the western coast of Canada, captured a rich combination of ocean, land, and clouds. The CLARREO Pathfinder gathered reflected sunlight measurements over a period of five continuous minutes, resulting in an image that is about 43.5 miles wide and about 1,367 miles long.
The red-green-blue image composite below was created from CLARREO Pathfinder measurements in the red, green, and blue parts of the spectrum. The left side of the image corresponds to the western-most point of the yellow line in the map above, and the right side corresponds to the eastern-most point. Different types of clouds can be seen over the ocean on the left side and over land on the right side.
The data cube below illustrates a data set offered by hyperspectral measurements. The top of the data cube highlights a small …