2009 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program
2009 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program
2009 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program
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<strong>NASA</strong>’s<br />
DC-8<br />
The <strong>NASA</strong> DC-8 completed its second year<br />
of operations flying from its new home at the<br />
Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility (DAOF)<br />
located in Palmdale, California. The University<br />
of North Dakota, National Suborbital Education<br />
and Research Center (NSERC) under cooperative<br />
agreement with <strong>NASA</strong>, continues to promote<br />
and support science operations using the DC-8<br />
<strong>Airborne</strong> <strong>Science</strong> Laboratory.<br />
The <strong>NASA</strong> DC-8 aircraft flew 47 flight hours<br />
during FY09 in its support of the following major<br />
missions: TM (Telemetry) Relay, SARP (Student<br />
<strong>Airborne</strong> Research <strong>Program</strong>), and Operation ICE<br />
Bridge instrument integration missions. Operation<br />
Ice Bridge flights continued into FY10. The<br />
aircraft remained reliable throughout the year<br />
accomplishing all planned missions.<br />
Technology improvements to the DC-8 aircraft<br />
also continued throughout FY09. Aircraft facilities<br />
and hardware upgrades on the DC-8 included:<br />
• Installation of new high reliability data<br />
system servers and UPS systems.<br />
• Upgraded Iridium communications system<br />
that was increased from 4 channels to 8<br />
channels increasing the bandwidth to19.2<br />
KB/second.<br />
• New high speed dual channel Broadband<br />
Global Area Network (BGAN) Inmarsat<br />
communications systems providing 864<br />
KB/second possible bandwidth.<br />
• Yoke-mounted tablet computers linked to<br />
the aircraft data network that enable flight<br />
situational awareness and communications<br />
for the pilots.<br />
• New distribution system for pulse-persecond<br />
(PPS) timing data and National<br />
Maritime Electronics Association (NMEA)<br />
GPS data.<br />
New facility instruments are:<br />
- Three stage EdgeTech Hygrometers for<br />
relative humidity measurements<br />
- Heitronics Infrared Radiation Pyrometers<br />
for IR surface temperature measurements<br />
- Rosemount temperature probes for Total<br />
and Static Air temperature<br />
- High resolution cabin pressure transducers<br />
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