Charge-coupled devices (CCD's) are presently the technology of choice for most imaging applications. In the 23 years since their invention in the 1970s, they have evolved to a sophisticated level of performance. However, as all technologies, they will be supplanted one day. This paper explores the Active Pixel Sensor (APS) as a possible successor to the CCD. An active pixel is defined as a detector array technology that has at least one active transistor within the pixel unit cell. The APS eliminates the need for nearly perfect charge transfer - the Achilles' heel of CCDs. This perfect charge transfer makes CCDs radiation 'soft', difficult to use under low light conditions, difficult to manufacture in large array sizes, difficult to integrate with on-chip electronics, difficult to use at low temperatures, difficult to use at high frame rates, and difficult to manufacture in non-silicon materials which extend wavelength response. With the active pixel, the signal is driven from the pixel over metallic wires rather than being physically transported in the semiconductor. This paper makes a case for the development of APS technology. The state of the art is reviewed and the application of APS technology to future space-based scientific sensor systems is addressed.


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