Optimizing Site Locations for Determining Shape from Photometric Light Curves

As satellites become smaller or too far away to visually resolve their physical details via high-resolution imagery, other techniques must be used to characterize and describe them. One promising method is analyzing how the reflected light from a satellite varies as a function of time or phase angle. By analyzing the photometric intensity of the reflected light versus the solar phase angle of the space object, we hope to see a characteristic distribution that is indicative of a certain shape. One way to enhance the analysis is to obtain as many observations of a satellite either through multiple passes over time or by observing a particular satellite pass from numerous locations. This paper is a case study limited to the following questions: Given a certain scenario and a central sensor location, what is the optimal arrangement of four deployable telescopes for determining the shape of the satellite from its photometric signature? Presented at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference, held in Maui, HI, on 1-4 Sep 2010. Sponsored in part by Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). The original document contains color images.