Abstract: An apparatus for simulating a blackbody utilizes several plates to absorb and reflect electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation entering the apparatus from a certain view is reflected from one plate to another, until the direction of travel of the electromagnetic radiation is reversed. Each time the electromagnetic radiation is reflected, the majority of the electromagnetic radiation is absorbed resulting in a negligible amount of incoming electromagnetic radiation escaping the apparatus.

Abstract: A scanning method and apparatus for providing a geometrically corrected large angle whiskbroom scan of a portion of the earth's surface using a linear array of radiation-sensitive detectors mounted in a low earth orbiting satellite contemplate: scanning a portion of the earth's surface with the array to define an irregularly-shaped swath on the surface which represents a field of view of the array, defining a regularly-shaped ground area of interest within the field of view of the array, dividing the area of interest into a number of pixel lines fewer in number than the number of detectors in the array and extending generally perpendicularly to the array, subdividing each pixel line into a plurality of pixels, each of which encompasses at least a portion of the field of view, selectively combining outputs from the detectors to provide a data signal representative of each pixel, and reconstructing a representation of the ground area of interest from the data signal.