Profils experimentaux de I'horizon infrarouge de la terre

This paper presents experimental ir horizon profiles of the earth seen fromoutside the atmosphere. Measurements were made from a capsule which reached 175 km. The attitude was controlled during the whole flight by means of agyroscopic device. Seven spectral channels were studied, especially: ozone (9.6 micro), CO(2) (14-16 micro), the range of atmospheric window (11micro), and a broad channel (1-50 micro) that was the only one of the firstexperiment in 1965. The spatial limit of resolution is 0.16 degrees , and theattitude in space of the capsule has been reconstructed with an accuracy equalto 0.05 degrees due to a star mapper. Results are expressed as variations ofradiance with respect to tangential height for the different spectral channels.