From time to time, some non-experts come up with strange suggestions for satelli

Question

From time to time, some non-experts come up with strange suggestions for satellite missions, which reveal a very limited understanding of remote sensing techniques. Explain in concise and convincing sentences:
Given that an atmospheric correction algorithm can be devised based on different path lengths through the atmosphere, such as for the ATSR series of satellite radiometers, would it not be a good idea to have two satellites in adjacent orbits each carrying a MODIS type radiometer, with a constant horizontal cross-track separation of 500 km measured orthogonally to the orbital planes of the satellites? This would allow the ocean temperature at the same place in the overlapping part of each satellite radiometer swaths to be measured by the two radiometers through two atmospheric path lengths, but why is this not feasible?

Explanation / Answer

MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) has high temporal and low spatial resolution.

The 36 band spectrometer provides scans with some unique features; Due to the panoramic "Bow-tie" effect, the scans overlap partially at off nadir angles.Due to the nature of imaging by MODIS type satellites, two satellites in adjacent orbits moving orthogonally, will provide varying quality images of the same surfaces. The images can be superimposed to have a larger spatial extend coverage. However, the same result can be achieved by the latest generation satellites, such as the VIIRS-Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suites satellites.

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