| Pipeline Processing of Infrared-Array-Camera Images from the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) (2008) | |||||||||||||
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| Abstract. The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), the fourth and final element of NASA’s Great Observatory program, is scheduled for launch into an Earth-trailing solar orbit in December 2001. Its Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) will provide 5.12 × 5.12 arcminute images of the celestial sky in four infrared bands centered at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 μm simultaneously. Two InSb and two Si:As focal-planearray (FPA) systems, each with 256 × 256 pixels, are used for raw image acquisition in the two shortest and two longest wavelength bands, respectively. The pixels are read out in four multiplexed channels, opening up the possibility of four separate bias drifts in the image data. Prior to distribution of the data to the relevant observers, the raw images will undergo several stages of automated processing at Caltech’s SIRTF Science Center (SSC) to remove instrument artifacts and transform them into basic calibrated data (BCD) products. The image-data processing will be done for each band independently, and will include the following steps: 1) transformation of InSb data into the positive “sense”; 2) conversion of the integer image data to real numbers; 3) truncation correction; 4) detection and correction of wrapped-around negative data; 5) barrel-shift and Fowler-sampling number normalization; 6) electronic bandwidth correction; 7) latentimage detection; 8) dark-current subtraction; 9) dark-current channel-offset normalization; 10) linearity correction; 11) non-uniformity correction; 12) cosmic-ray/radiation-hit detection; 13) engineering-toastronomical | |||||||||||||
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