2009 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program
2009 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program
2009 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY<br />
<strong>NASA</strong>’s <strong>Airborne</strong> <strong>Science</strong> <strong>Program</strong> had another<br />
busy year in FY09. The program flew missions and<br />
instrument tests on five core aircraft, eight catalog<br />
aircraft, and two new technology unmanned aircraft<br />
systems. The program completed a total of seventy<br />
flight requests for almost 1900 flight hours. More<br />
than a dozen different customer communities were<br />
served in all six focus areas of <strong>NASA</strong> Earth <strong>Science</strong><br />
and related aerospace fields.<br />
In <strong>2009</strong> we focused significant effort on the<br />
Cryosphere and completing IPY related missions.<br />
Greenland and Iceland ice monitoring missions were<br />
successful far-field missions for the G-III carrying<br />
the L-band UAVSAR and a new Ka-band SAR.<br />
The Characterization of Arctic Sea Ice Experiment<br />
(CASIE) mission proved our new SIERRA UAS,<br />
flying out of Svalbard, Norway. Operation Ice<br />
Bridge saw the P-3 in Greenland in the Spring while<br />
the DC-8 was outfitted for a major Fall mission<br />
over Antarctica, flying from Punta Arenas, Chile.<br />
The G-III with UAVSAR completed its first fully<br />
operational year with over 500 hours, including<br />
flights in Alaska.<br />
In addition to launching the mid-size SIERRA<br />
UAS, our Global Hawk UAS was readied for its first<br />
science mission – GloPac – to take place in early<br />
2010. Other missions, Pre-GRIP and GRIP, are in<br />
the pipeline for Global Hawk as well.<br />
The DC-8 was the laboratory home during summer<br />
<strong>2009</strong> for the inaugural session of the Student<br />
<strong>Airborne</strong> Research <strong>Program</strong> (SARP), headed by<br />
the National Suborbital Education and Research<br />
Center (NRERC). With this success, we are planning<br />
another program for 2010.<br />
<strong>Program</strong>matically, the <strong>Airborne</strong> <strong>Science</strong> <strong>Program</strong><br />
was impacted significantly in <strong>2009</strong> by the American<br />
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which<br />
has provided funds for needed upgrades and new<br />
capabilities. These efforts will provide payload<br />
portability and similar capability for near-real<br />
time data downlink on all platforms. Many of the<br />
outcomes from this program are expected during<br />
2010.<br />
Finally, the <strong>Airborne</strong> <strong>Science</strong> <strong>Program</strong> is looking<br />
forward to continued Operation Ice Bridge efforts,<br />
to participating in Earth Venture-1 missions, and to<br />
supporting upcoming satellite missions, including<br />
Decadal Survey missions.<br />
1