HARDWARE IMAGE MOTION COMPENSATION FOR A SCANNING, SPACE-BORNE SENSOR

It will be shown that, for scanning sensors in low orbit with few-degree FOVs, several-second observing times, and about 100 microradian resolution, hardware features (zoom optics, accurately orientable satellite, two-axis scan mirror) can reduce picture-to-picture misregistrations caused by platform motion to or below a few hundredths of a pixel per second. This gives the designer great flexibility in choosing between hardware and software features to produce data of the desired quality. The results best apply to a scanner, but can also be useful for starers, especially starers that are "dithered" to improve resolution. © 1990.