Standard calibration procedure for pencil beam infrared sensors on spinning satellites, volume 1

A standard procedure for the calibration of pencil beam IR sensors, based on a simplified laboratory test program that, in conjunction with a suitable software, allows the determination of the unit's operative characteristics in standard laboratory conditions, was developed. The sensor parameters so defined, processed by a computer program together with other input parameters available at the spacecraft control operative center, provide an effective use of the sensor for attitude reconstruction beyond the conditions simulated in laboratory. The procedure simplifies the required tests, and gives better accuracy thanks to the quantity of the available input data processed by the computer.