New Focus on Space Object Identification Published June 15, 2010 By Mary Rodriguez Directed Energy KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico -- A just-released Air Force Research Laboratory software update will significantly aid the identification of space objects. Improvements to Physically Constrained Iterative Deconvolution software promise image processing results at resolutions considerably higher than previous products were able to provide. A primary function of PCID involves its capacity to remove the substantial atmospheric blurring that frequently impacts telescopic observation of space objects. This processing enhancement will, in turn, assist scientists in determining details associated with spacecraft configuration, mission, and status. The upgraded PCID software also exhibits dramatically decreased run times, achieved via supercomputing, software engineering, and optimization. Specifically, the software now processes imagery at speeds 20 times faster than those attainable 2 years ago, and 300 times faster than the original code could achieve. Based on its newly advanced role in space object identification, the PCID software has undergone transition for image analyst use in providing U.S. Strategic Command and other organizations with a wealth of valuable space object information.