Static and dynamic thermal infrared signatures measured during the FESTER experiment: First results

The First European South African Experiment (FESTER) was conducted over about a 10 month period at the Institute of Maritime Technology (IMT) in False Bay, South Africa. One of the principal goals was recording of static and dynamic thermal infrared signatures under different environmental conditions for both validations of existing thermal equilibrium signature prediction codes, but also to aid development of dynamic thermal signature models. A small scientific work boat (called Sea Lab) was used as the principal target and sensor platform. Painted metal plates of different thicknesses were also used as infrared targets on-board Sea Lab to study static/dynamic thermal signatures and were also fitted with pyrgeometers, pyrometers and iButton temperature sensors/loggers. First results focused on the variable of thermal signatures as function of environmental conditions and the accuracy of calculated source temperatures (from measured radiometric temperatures) compared to the physical temperature measurements of the plates.