Defense and Environmental Objectives for the Russian American Observational Satellites (RAMOS) Program

The Russian American Observational Satellites (RAMOS) program represents a new direction for cooperative space-based research and development between the Russian Federation and the United States. The objective of the RAMOS project is to engage in a joint program employing simultaneous stereo-optical techniques from two co-orbiting satellites to address global defense and environmental issues. The satellites are equipped with American- and Russian-made passive electro-optical sensors operating over a spectral range from infrared (IR) to ultraviolet (UV) which can conduct near-simultaneous stereo-optical radiometric, spectrometric, and polarimetric measurements. The defense objectives will demonstrate the capability for improved target observation and reduced “false alarm” events in early warning systems; the environmental objectives will demonstrate the ability to detect, observe and characterize fast-changing events (e.g., hurricanes, volcanic plumes). A joint Russian-American science team is active in defining these objectives and preparing plans for the experiments. Underlying this program is the goal of demonstrating the ability of the American and Russian defense agencies and their contractors to cooperate in important space-based experiments, compare calibrations, and compare independent analyses. In this paper we present the RAMOS program definition as it existed at the successful completion of a Joint Preliminary Design Review in June, 2003. The Missile Defense Agency, the sponsoring organization, announced plans in February 2004 to bring the RAMOS program to an orderly closure prior to the Critical Design Review