2008 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program

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NOAA and a DOE aircraft, and aircraft from Canada, France, Germany and Russia. This mission was an example of where ASP investments in data transmission and sensor web technologies have really paid off by uplinking and downlinking data from multiple aircraft, while in flight, and then sharing the data between the aircraft, as well as with the ground operations center. This allows a shared flight experience across the distributed science team, maximizing the data return per flight hour. We have also jumped in to help support the development of the Decadal Survey missions, including SMAP-VEX, PALs, LVIS, MASTER, Western States Fire Missions, Cold Land Process Experiment, AVIRIS, AMISA, UAVSAR and the Antarctica ATM/PARIS. These precursor support flights and missions were accomplished with the use of our core, new technology, and catalog aircraft suite. These earth science missions were augmented with support and funding from other NASA science divisions, Federal and State agencies, and with our international partners. We flew over much of the globe this year – from Tahiti to the North Pole to Antarctica to Sweden - and based or flew our aircraft over most of the Earth’s continents. This international activity would not have been possible without the very professional support we received from NASA’s Office of External Affairs and the U.S. State Department. This year we brought our Palmdale facility online and have already run some major missions from here. This has been a major stabilizing force to the entire Airborne Science Program. As of last year, both the DC-8 and SOFIA, our two biggest science aircraft in NASA, had no permanent housing. With the addition of the Global Hawks at DFRC, space had become an issue for the ER-2s as well. This new facility has contributed significantly to reducing our operational risk while stabilizing the program. By eliminating our aircraft basing uncertainty, the morale improved for those on the frontline, where the consequences of distraction can be lethal. Our NOVICE project on the WB-57 was very successful in allowing sensors with little flight maturity a chance to demonstrate their capability and improve their operations under actual flight conditions. It is important to note this mission was squeezed between two hurricanes bearing down on Houston, which speaks to the dedication of our program personnel and the science teams. This small demonstration concept was so successful that additional projects are now being formulated to continue these types of flights for the instrument developers. Our education and outreach programs are continuing, with the WETMAAP project for K-12, training teachers how to use remote sensing data in their classrooms. Education programs based at the University of North Dakota were also supporting undergraduate and graduate students, developing our future work force in remote sensing systems and applications. In fact, next year, UND participation will reach a new level with the development of a wholly student run airborne campaign on the DC-8. We are continuing to improve our operations and have started an Airborne Science Recognition Program for our personnel, as 4
the ASP is only as good as the people in it. I really believe we have the best of the best in conducting an airborne science program which is the envy of the international and interagency communities. Now we have a new recognition program to acknowledge those folks who manage to do the ‘almost impossible’ everyday and make it look easy. We never forget that the scientists are our customers who fund us to help them collect their data using suborbital assets. The members of the ASP team know that the funds we get from the science world could be used in other ways. We all feel the scientists are our advocates and have determined these assets are making a difference for them. We look forward to providing them more, and unique, ways to get the data needed to meet their objectives in the most cost effective manner possible. Andrew Roberts Airborne Science Program Director 5
Page 2 and 3: On the cover: In the foreground are
Page 5 and 6: TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary
Page 7 and 8: LIST OF FIGURES Fig. # Caption Page
Page 9 and 10: Fig. # Caption Page # 37 ESTO Suppo
Page 11: CONTRIBUTORS The contribution of th
Page 14 and 15: programs to train teachers in remot
Page 18 and 19: SCIENCE MISSIONS &
Page 21 and 22: ARCTAS Science Focus: Atmospheric C
Page 23 and 24: Figure 4 DC-8 Arrival in Thule, Gre
Page 25 and 26: sample downwind evolution of Canadi
Page 27 and 28: Figure 7 ACCLAIM instrument on the
Page 29 and 30: configurations and interfaces. SIMP
Page 31 and 32: Figure 8 2008 UAS proposed operatio
Page 33 and 34: Figure 10 The Oden Research Vessel
Page 35 and 36: California Fire Emergency Response
Page 37 and 38: Figure 13 AMS-Wildfire sensor data,
Page 39 and 40: Southern California Post Fire Evalu
Page 41 and 42: CALIPSO: Caribbean Validation Missi
Page 43 and 44: Cold Land Processes Science Focus:
Page 45 and 46: Science Focus: Astromaterials Spons
Page 47 and 48: ESA ATV Reentry Science Focus: Atmo
Page 49 and 50: SOGASEX Science Focus: Carbon Cycle
Page 51 and 52: presented unique challenges to a U.
Page 53 and 54: Figure 25 NOVICE instrument payload
Page 55: PROGRAM ELEMENTS: & SCIENCE REQUIRE
Page 58 and 59: s Figure 26 Airborne Science Progra
Page 60 and 61: Science & Requirements The Science
Page 62 and 63: Flight Requests The 2008 calendar y
Page 64 and 65: Collaborations and Partnerships The
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Interagency UAS Coordination As the
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Interagency Working Group for Airbo
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AIRBORNE SCIENCE
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NASA DC-8 In November 2007, the NAS
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NASA ER-2 NASA operates two ER- 2 (
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NASA WB-57 Fiscal Year 2008 saw muc
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NASA P-3 The P-3B Orion is based at
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NASA G-3 During FY 2008, the DFRC G
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Aerosonde The Aerosonde Mark 3 airc
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limited to 28,000 ft in the Nationa
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Twin Otter Twin Otter International
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PROGRAM ELEMENTS: & NEW TECHNOLOGIE
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ground control station, and is resp
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variety of atmospheric and remote s
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Figure 35 Flight Envelope with cont
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additional fuel bladders to the cen
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Wallops, VA Campaign Cleveland, OH
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RTMM is web-accessible, password pr
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B-200 High Spectral Resolution Lida
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Non-Deployment Teams Field Deployme
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AIRBORNE SCIENCE
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Airborne Sensor Technology Lab This
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Figure 43 Taken Oct. 4, 2007, 2-met
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Figure 45 B-200 aircraft trajectory
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Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility
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Media, Education & Outreach NASA Ea
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Figure 48 ARCTAS press article samp
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in Panama City in July and August,
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outside of NASA. This past year, NA
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APPENDICES In Memoriam Airborne Pro
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also helped pioneer the use of loca
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The Founding and Early History of t
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where you couldn’t find them, and
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Figure 52 Early remote sensing payl
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This aircraft was designated NASA 9
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Personnel from both countries were
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APPENDIX D Acronyms & Abbreviations
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DCS DESDynI DFRC DHS DOD DOE DSS Di
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L LAABS LAC LALE LaRC LIDAR LIST LV
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REVEAL RFI RPI RSD RSP RTMM RVSM Re
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2008 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program

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