China's Aviation Remote Sensing Placed in Advanced World RanksOctober 14 was a memorable day in China's aviation remote sensing history. Two satellite remote sensors-CCD camera and infrared multi-spectrum scanner, carried in the "Resource No.1" Satellite, have both exceeded the designed two years' life. Still working normally at present, its remote-control functions are all stable, without any damage to all pieces of equipment and parts of the two sets of instrument, the two sensors are expected to extend their services for a long time. This achievement is rarely seen in the international resource remote-sensing satellite research history. It marks that China has stepped into the world-advanced ranks of earth resource satellite remote sensing.In 1986, China decided to research and manufacture its own resource satellite and assigned the task of researching and manufacturing satellite remote sensor, one of the most important technologies, to the Beijing Space Electromechanical Research Institute. After over a decade's hard work, the Institute finally succeeded in developing the two satellite remote sensors of high reliability and long life. On October 14, 1999, CCD camera and infrared multi-spectrum scanner were shot up to the skies by the "Resource No.1" satellite. And the CCD camera successfully sent back image data on next day. Currently, the two satellite remote sensors are operating at the orbit 778 km from the Earth alongside the "Resource No.1" satellite, making observations of the Earth day and night. With the resolution ratio of 78 meters in near visible infrared band and short-wave infrared band, and imaging breadth of 120 kilometers, the infrared multi-spectral sensors, which can cover the whole globe once every 26 days, making it the infrared multi-spectral remote sensor with the highest space resolution ratio in China. By PD Online Staff Huang Ying |
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