Magruder Lori, Neumann Thomas, Kurtz Nathan
Applied Research Laboratories University of Texas at Austin Austin TX USA.
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics University of Texas at Austin Austin TX USA.
Earth Space Sci. 2021 May;8(5):e2020EA001555. doi: 10.1029/2020EA001555. Epub 2021 May 18.
The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimetry System (ATLAS) onboard the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) is the newest Earth observing satellite for global elevation studies. The primary objectives for ICESat-2 follow the objectives of its predecessor, ICESat and also focus on providing cryospheric measurements to determine ice sheet mass balance, and monitor both sea ice thickness and extent. However, the global observations support secondary science objectives as well such as biomass estimation, inland water elevation, sea state height and aerosol concentrations. Since launch of ICESat-2, ATLAS has collected more than a trillion measurements. This study provides a mission overview, a description of the operational components that enable the altimeter products for science, on-orbit observatory performance, and assessment of the spacecraft attitude control systems that enable repeat measurements to within 10 m and pointing control within ±45 m. These metrics should be considered for ground-based validation campaigns or science investigations.
搭载在美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的冰、云和陆地高程卫星-2（ICESat-2）上的先进地形激光测高系统（ATLAS）是用于全球高程研究的最新地球观测卫星。ICESat-2的主要目标延续了其前身ICESat的目标，同时专注于提供冰冻圈测量数据，以确定冰盖质量平衡，并监测海冰厚度和范围。然而，全球观测数据也支持诸如生物量估算、内陆水位、海况高度和气溶胶浓度等次要科学目标。自ICESat-2发射以来，ATLAS已经收集了超过一万亿次测量数据。本研究提供了任务概述、对生成用于科学研究的测高仪产品的操作组件的描述、在轨天文台性能，以及对航天器姿态控制系统的评估，该系统能够实现重复测量误差在10米以内，指向控制误差在±45米以内。在进行地面验证活动或科学调查时应考虑这些指标。
