Quiz 1

• Kinetic temperature


  An "external" manifestation of the average translational energy of the molecules constituting a body
• Kinetic temperature is false
• How much the energy is radiating, varies with temperature of that black body and the wavelength that riches it
• Atmospheric windows manipulates the selection of the optimum spectral bands within which to measure thermal energy signals
• The atmospheric effect causes thermal scanner to restrict its operation to 3 to 5 m or 8 to 14 m range of wavelengths
• Typical Average Emissivity of Asphaltic concrete is between 0.92 - 0.94m3
• Why do thermal sensors have poor spectral resolutions?

  The 8- to 14-m region of spectral radiant exitance is of particular interest since it not only includes an atmospheric window but also contains the peak energy emissions for most surface features on earth. That is, the ambient temperature of earth surface features is normally about 300 K, at which temperature the peak emissions will occur at approximately 9.7 m. For these reasons, most thermal sensing is performed in the 8- to 14-m region of the spectrum.
• Forward Looking Infrared system

  • Can be used to acquire oblique views of the terrain ahead of an aircraft
  • Operates on the same basic principles as an across-track line scanning system
  • Mirror points forward and optically sweeps the field of view of a linear array of thermal detectors across the scene of interest
  • Extremely portable (typically weighing less than 30 kg)
  • Can be operated on a wide variety of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters as well as from ground based mobile platforms
• Civilian use of FLIR


  • Fire fighting
  • Electrical transmission line maintenance
  • Law enforcement activities
  • Nighttime vision systems for automobiles