New Version of HEAT: Calibration and Visualization Tool for Thermal Imagers on Hayabusa2 and Hera

The Hayabusa2/Hera Exploration Assistant for Thermal Imagers (HEAT) is a powerful tool for understanding asteroid thermal characteristics. HEAT serves as a versatile solution for the calibration and conversion of data from thermal infrared imagers, TIR and TIRI, on the Hayabusa2 and Hera spacecraft, targeting asteroids 162173 Ryugu and 65803 Didymos, along with its moon Dimorphos. HEAT enables the production of brightness temperature images and the thermal inertia of the asteroid’s surface. In response to evolving mission needs, HEAT has undergone significant enhancement. Python-based wrapping is introduced to HEAT to improve usability and accommodate the expansion of the capabilities of TIRI, which has seven bands, a mode closed shutter, and 3D visualization capabilities. The development tool prioritizes user-friendliness, cross-platform compatibility, and efficient data handling, making it an indispensable resource for asteroid research. By implementing thread parallelization utilizing OpenMP, we substantially reduced the calculation time for the thermal data. The architecture-independent nature of our parallelization approach ensures compatibility with various computational resources, contributing to the scalability and adaptability of HEAT for future missions. Moreover, the 3D and 2D visualization address the need for improved data interpretation and analysis. Users now have access to an easy-to-use 3D visualization and crater detection tool, empowering them to explore and manipulate 3D models. This tool also incorporates advanced features, such as Laplacian smoothing and dynamic color mapping, ensuring that the visual representation of celestial bodies’ thermal behavior is accurate and insightful. The future goals of HEAT are to develop customized algorithms for detecting depressions and improve graphical user interfaces for data analysis. This promises to further improve the usability of HEAT.