A star camera system that includes an optical system configured to focus radiation from a star to be imaged onto a collector. Specifically, the collector is in the form of an electron bombarded active pixel sensor (EBAPS) configured to provide high gain. The EBAPS comprising a photocathode disposed in a vacuum is configured to release electron into a vacuum when exposed to radiation focused thereon by the optical system. In addition, the EBAPS includes an active pixel sensor anode disposed distant from the photocathode in the vacuum. An electric field is generated by a voltage source to direct electrons from the photocathode to the active pixel sensor anode to thereby generate an image of the star.

An asteroid characterization and imaging system comprising at least one light collecting aperture positioned to collect intensity time history data and a data analysis unit configured to detect an occultation event and process said intensity time history data. Embodiments according to the present invention include a method of detecting, characterizing and imaging a near-Earth object comprising collecting intensity time history data by at least one light collecting aperture positioned to observe a star, detecting a stellar occultation event, recording said intensity time history data, processing said intensity time history data, predicting at least one of a set of object characteristics, and imaging said near-Earth celestial object.

An asteroid characterization and imaging system comprising at least one light collecting aperture positioned to collect intensity time history data and a data analysis unit configured to detect an occultation event and process said intensity time history data. Embodiments according to the present invention include a method of detecting, characterizing and imaging a near-Earth object comprising collecting intensity time history data by at least one light collecting aperture positioned to observe a star, detecting a stellar occultation event, recording said intensity time history data, processing said intensity time history data, predicting at least one of a set of object characteristics, and imaging said near-Earth celestial object.

An image-based navigation system is arranged to obtain a terrain image of a target terrain from one or more image sensors at a low altitude imaging location. The terrain image includes at least one celestial image feature and at least one terrain feature. Map database information stored in at least one hardware memory device is accessed and compared to the at least one celestial image feature and the at least one terrain feature in the terrain image to determine absolute location coordinates of the imaging location.

An image-based navigation system is arranged to obtain a terrain image of a target terrain from one or more image sensors at a low altitude imaging location. The terrain image includes at least one celestial image feature and at least one terrain feature. Map database information stored in at least one hardware memory device is accessed and compared to the at least one celestial image feature and the at least one terrain feature in the terrain image to determine absolute location coordinates of the imaging location.

A system of navigation employing an emergency longitude slide ruler for stellar navigation is described. The emergency longitude slide ruler is equipped with several wheels having rulers with settings including of the longitude slide ruler of the present invention include year, date, hour, minutes, star angle measurement degree wheel, a longitude wheel, a circumpolar star field identifier wheel, star meridian transit angles wheel, and a time zone wheel. All wheels are of diminishing diameters and are laid on top of each other in descending circumference with minute gradations allowing each consecutive wheel to line up with its larger adjacent wheel according to proper settings to eventually indicate longitude. The system presents an efficient and expedient means by which an individual with very limited knowledge of navigation and celestial bodies can determine his or her location, including longitude.

A system of navigation employing an emergency longitude slide ruler for stellar navigation is described. The emergency longitude slide ruler is equipped with several wheels having rulers with settings including of the longitude slide ruler of the present invention include year, date, hour, minutes, star angle measurement degree wheel, a longitude wheel, a circumpolar star field identifier wheel, star meridian transit angles wheel, and a time zone wheel. All wheels are of diminishing diameters and are laid on top of each other in descending circumference with minute gradations allowing each consecutive wheel to line up with its larger adjacent wheel according to proper settings to eventually indicate longitude. The system presents an efficient and expedient means by which an individual with very limited knowledge of navigation and celestial bodies can determine his or her location, including longitude.

The present invention provides a method for imparting unique identifiers that do not overlap each other to individual position spaces in the case of latitude and longitude information or even in the case of height information also included in addition thereto. A longitude line passing through the coordinate origin is divided by the length of one side of a unit grid, and a latitude value inside unit grids is calculated. An accumulated error is calculated in a case where latitude values inside the unit grids are accumulated for one round in a longitude line direction of a celestial body, and an error per unit grid is calculated based on the calculated accumulated error. The number of unit grids included in one block in the longitude line direction is specified so that a reference error per block is equal to or smaller than one thousandth of the accumulated error, and thus a reference latitude is set. A reference longitude is set by the same calculation process for each latitude line that is determined based on the set reference latitude, reference points are specified sequentially from the coordinate origin based on the set reference latitude and reference longitude, and a unique identifier is imparted to each unit grid located in a block with the reference points set as its vertices.

The present invention provides a method for imparting unique identifiers that do not overlap each other to individual position spaces in the case of latitude and longitude information or even in the case of height information also included in addition thereto. A longitude line passing through the coordinate origin is divided by the length of one side of a unit grid, and a latitude value inside unit grids is calculated. An accumulated error is calculated in a case where latitude values inside the unit grids are accumulated for one round in a longitude line direction of a celestial body, and an error per unit grid is calculated based on the calculated accumulated error. The number of unit grids included in one block in the longitude line direction is specified so that a reference error per block is equal to or smaller than one thousandth of the accumulated error, and thus a reference latitude is set. A reference longitude is set by the same calculation process for each latitude line that is determined based on the set reference latitude, reference points are specified sequentially from the coordinate origin based on the set reference latitude and reference longitude, and a unique identifier is imparted to each unit grid located in a block with the reference points set as its vertices.

Disclosed is a single star-based orientation method using a dual-axis level sensor, which includes a calibration process and an actual calculation process.