Abstract

The LITE instrument is a shuttle-based lidar system that will be used to determine global distributions of aerosols. LITE will make quantitative measurements of cloud tops, tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols, and temperature. The first step in achieving global lidar coverage for measuring atmospheric constitutients important for understanding the earth's biosphere, is to design, build and fly a space-qualified Nd:YAG lidar system¹. This paper will discuss the analytical and experimental results of the NASA/Langley LITE laser transmitter design which minimizes parasitic lasing, size, and weight while maximizing efficiency and reliability.

© 1990 Optical Society of America