2008 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program

Decadal Survey
Support Missions
In 2007, the National Research Council
published its Decadal Survey report
entitled, “Earth Science and Applications
from Space: National Imperatives for
the Next Decade and Beyond,” in which
fifteen new NASA satellite missions were
recommended. As the Science Mission
Directorate has worked during 2008 to
address these missions, establishing science
teams and planning and designing the
missions, the Airborne Science program has
worked in parallel to prepare to support the
new missions.
• LVIS instrument on the B-200 as a
demonstration of capabilities suitable for
DESDYNI.
• ACCLAIM instrument on the Langley UC-
12 and Learjet 25 in test and preparation
for ASCENDS instrument selection. (See
Fig. 7)
• SIMPL instrument on the Learjet 25 and
ER-2 (future) for Lidar mapping, as a
forerunner to LIST, and a demonstration
for potential ICESAT gap-filler missions.
The Airborne Science Program flew a
number of science missions and instrument
test flights in FY08 comprising approximately
190 flight hours that support development
of systems for upcoming Decadal Survey
science missions. These include:
• PALS instrument on the Twin Otter as
part of SMAPVEX 08, in support of the
Surface Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)
mission. MAPIR and other instruments
were also flown on the P-3, also as part of
SMAPVEX 08.
• AVIRIS instrument on the ER-2 over the
Sierra Nevada, Monterey Bay, and other
locations, as a precursor to HYSPIRI flights
planned for 2009.
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