Satellite Calibration

Over the summer of 2005, I interned at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, CA, working to improve calibration techniques for earth-observing satellites. I worked toward establishing a permanent ground station in Nevada to continuously monitor relevant conditions. This data is used to calibrate sensor output from instruments on NASA’s Terra platform as it passes over bi-weekly. I worked with an electrical engineer to develop robust, inexpensive radiometers for deployment in the desert to obtain widespread ground reflectivity data. After characterizing all known factors of using colored LEDs as wavelength-specific sensors, I demonstrated successful data acquisition in the Nevada desert. Through all this, I learned a great deal about instrument development and obtaining data in the field.