Augustine DeMeulenaere, U.S. Air Force Academy; Eli Harmon, U.S. Air Force Academy; Francis Chun, U.S. Air Force Academy
Keywords: Glints, spectra
Abstract:
During glint season over the past three years, multiple teams of cadet space researchers have collected spectra measurements of geostationary satellites using the technique of slitless spectroscopy using a single telescope on the campus of the United States Air Force Academy. The spectral data collected over that time showed that the satellite solar panels are the source of the glints observed. When compared to a reflectance blackbody reference, the glint spectra exhibited strong absorption of photons on the red portion of the visible spectrum and shows a definite peak reflectance toward the blue end. This study continues on the previous work, however this time we present measurements of glint spectra taken simultaneously from two separate telescopes, the Academys on-campus 16-inch, f/8.2 telescope and the Academys Falcon Telescope Network 20-inch, f/8.1 telescope located in Sterling, Colorado. The spectral data from the two different telescopes are compared to one another to determine similar features. Additionally, we analyze the measurements against reference blackbody to determine a relative percentage of solar energy absorbed by a satellites solar panels.
Date of Conference: September 11-14, 2018
Track: Poster