Study of the photosensitivity of new photothermoplastic materials under conditions that most closely approximate the taking of pictures of earth fromspace

An apparatus has been developed for determining the photosensitivity of pho tographic materials from an optical test image with contrasts, frequencies, and radiances that occur when pictures of earth are made from space. The s ensitometric photosensitivity and exposure index have been determined for n ew high-resolution photothermoplastic materials with a compact structure on a rigid substrate. For various versions of the materials, these quantities equal 12.5-50 and 10-40 lux(-1) sec(-1), respectively. (C) 1999 The Optica l Society of America. [S1070-9762(99)00707-1].