2008 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program

This aircraft was designated NASA 928. It was
later converted to support high altitude test
programs for various government agencies,
including DOD, and continues in operation to
this day.
At 45+ years of age, NASA 926 and NASA
928 are the only two WB-57Fs still flying in the
world today. The WB-57F high altitude aircraft
has operating altitude capabilities well in excess
of 60,000 feet. I remember on one mission
flown out of JSC to photograph the comet
Kahoutek as it passed by, the aircraft reached
an altitude of 69,000 feet, although with a
reduced fuel load.
The WB-57F provided another critical
dimension to the data acquisition program
by closely simulating data acquisition from an
orbiting spacecraft from its normal operating
altitude of 60,000 feet and above. At above
90% of the earth’s atmosphere, the range
of sensor performance is extended and
performance from orbital altitudes can be
more easily extrapolated.
University of Michigan C-47
A contract with the Environmental Research
Institute of Michigan (ERIM) from FY69 through
the first part of FY72 (as I remember) enabled
the aircraft program to obtain multi-spectral
data with the ERIM multi-spectral scanner.
This multi-spectral data collection system
was composed of four detector assemblies,
one installed at each end of two dual-channel
scanners that provided calibrated radiation
references through 18 multi-band data channels
in the 0.3 to 14.0 micrometer wavelength
region. The system was an airborne imaging
system that registers the spectral properties
of a terrain scene in absolute measurements.
The airborne system was installed in a
C-47 aircraft operated by the Willow Run
Laboratories.
It was a very important tool for the
remote sensing program as it provided
the first integrated scanning system for
simultaneously viewing a spectrum range of
interest to the remote sensing community.
It also provided the design criteria critical
for the selection of the 24 bands for
the program Multi-spectral Scanner and
Data System (MSDS) design that was
introduced into the flight program in the
third quarter of FY71. The MSDS flight
program provided the decision-making data
for selection of the ERTS (later renamed
Landsat) spectral bands. The C-47 sensor
complements includes several cameras, two
double ended multi-spectral imagers and a
radiation thermometer.
Bell 47G Helicopter (NASA 949)
The Bell Helicopter was incorporated into
the program in 1973 to support ground
truth data collection for various missions
and was ferried/flown from Ellington Field
to the test sites, primarily in the Midwest.
Very long ferry flights. A Skylab S-191
prototype field spectrometer system
was integrated into the vehicle and was
used for providing calibration data during
underflights of Skylab. The Bell was a
contributor to the Earth Resources Aircraft
Program until it was phased out in 1982.
Sensor Development
From the initial six rudimentary remote
sensing instruments on board the CV
240, the program progressed to the
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