The authors present in detail the laboratory apparatus and techniques that
were used to complete a full radiometric calibration of two space-based lig
htning detectors: the optical transient detector (OTD) and the lightning im
aging sensor (LIS) that were developed at the National Aeronautics and Spac
e Administration Marshall Space Flight Center These instruments are nadir-s
taring imagers that are optimized to detect and locate lightning from low E
arth orbit during day and night conditions. The radiometric calibration con
sisted of characterizing the pixel response to steady and transient optical
sources, sensor field of view, and sensor spectral response. The transient
optical signals produced in the calibration laboratory were used to derive
estimates of sensor lightning detection efficiency.