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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Supersonic Flight Testing to Assess Ground Recording Systems for NASA's Low Boom Flight Demonstrator

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has performed two supersonic flight test campaigns in preparation for the extensive ground measurements that will be taken during Quesst Phase 2 to verify the low boom from the X-59. The first test campaign was Carpet Determination In Entirety Measurements (CarpetDIEM) Phase II, with F/A-18B aircraft and a subscale ground sensor array and the second campaign was CarpetDIEM Phase III,with both F-15B and F/A-18D aircraft and a geographically large scale ground sensor array. CarpetDIEM Phase II served to evaluate prototypes of the state-of-the-art Ground Recording System (GRS) which NASA is developing in order to record the low boom of X-59. The prototype GRS measured both N-wave and evanescent wave sonic booms which were1.4±1.1PLdB from co-located truth sources during these flights. CarpetDIEM Phase II was also used to down select two NASA developed unattended trigger concepts, one based on Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and the other utilizing satellite communications. Both unattended trigger concepts performed well, with the ADS-B based concept being chosen at the conclusion of CarpetDIEM Phase II for integration with the GRS. CarpetDIEM Phase III was primarily a logistics risk-reduction effort for Quesst Phase 2, but also sought to evaluate the capabilities, including the newly implemented ADS-B unattended trigger, and ruggedness of the GRS during a long-term deployment. The F-15B stood in for the X-59, flying two different X-59flight profiles, including an accelerating climb maneuver. The GRS successfully self-triggered to capture 80% of sonic booms generated from both steady and dynamic flight maneuvers. Low booms, defined by the project as being≤80 PLdB, were recorded by the GRS near the end of CarpetDIEM Phase III. The GRS measured low booms were found to be within0.4±0.1PLdB of a co-located truth source.

Forrest L Carpenter IV↗

NASA NTRS2002

The Star Formation History of Orion and its Environs

During the Winter and Fall 2001 observing campaigns, we obtained multifilter photometry using the Quest camera on the 1mt Schmidt of the Venezuelan National Observatory, to continue the survey of the Orion clouds. In the Winter 2001 season, we obtained photometry for 9 scans at DEC=+5, 3 scans at DEC=-5, and 2 scans at DEC=-3, while 2 additional scans at DEC=-3 were obtained during the Fall 2001 observing campaign (the width of each scan is 2.3 arc minutes). The photometric survey has not been completed this season because the instrument was damaged by lightening on Sep 2001 and operations were suspended until Dec 2001. Observations are still under way. Nonetheless, we have enough scans at -3 and +5 to start selecting candidates for spectroscopic follow up on the next season. Spectra of more than 300 objects was obtained with the FAST spectrograph on the Mt Hopkins 48 inch telescope during observing campaigns Jan-March 2001, and Oct-Dec 2001. Bad weather prevented observations with Hydra on the WIYN telescope on KPNO in Jan 2001. The FAST spectra are been analyzed to select the young population of the regions. Observations in the JHKL bands were obtained for a sample of 20-30 objects in Ori Ia and Ib from scan centered at DEC=-l, with the StellIRCam on the Mt Hopkins 48 inch telescope on Nov 2001. L band observations will be effective for picking up objects surrounded by accretion disks, in which inner disk holes prevent having any excess at shorter wavelength bands. Observations at 10 micrometers and 18 micrometers were obtained in que mode for a sample of 20 objects in Ori Ia and Ib in the same regions as the near IR photometry with the Gemini-South telescope. These new data is presently been reduced and analyzed, together with data from the observing campaigns of 2000. Analysis of Hydra fields at strips centered at DEC=-1 and +1 have confirmed 105 more candidates as low mass pre-main sequence objects. In addition, every target was detected at 10 micrometers and a few at 18 micrometers. With these data, combined with our optical and JHKL photometry, we will construct spectral energy distributions. This will allow us to begin studying the structure of disks around low mass T Tauri stars in the distributed population of the Orion clouds, for direct comparison with that of Taurus. Ours is the first determination of the infrared emission of protoplanetary disks around low mass stars in the Orion region.

Calvet, Nuria↗

NASA NTRS2006

The Australian National Airborne Field Experiment 2005: Soil Moisture Remote Sensing at 60 Meter Resolution and Up

Spatially-distributed soil moisture observations have applications spanning a wide range of spatial resolutions from the very local needs of individual farmers to the progressively larger areas of interest to weather forecasters, water resource managers, and global climate modelers. To date, the most promising approach for space-based remote sensing of soil moisture makes use of passive microwave emission radiometers at L-band frequencies (1-2 GHz). Several soil moisture-sensing satellites have been proposed in recent years, with the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission scheduled to be launched first in a couple years. While such a microwave-based approach has the advantage of essentially allweather operation, satellite size limits spatial resolution to 10's of km. Whether used at this native resolution or in conjunction with some type of downscaling technique to generate soil moisture estimates on a finer-scale grid, the effects of subpixel spatial variability play a critical role. The soil moisture variability is typically affected by factors such as vegetation, topography, surface roughness, and soil texture. Understanding and these factors is the key to achieving accurate soil moisture retrievals at any scale. Indeed, the ability to compensate for these factors ultimately limits the achievable spatial resolution and/or accuracy of the retrieval. Over the last 20 years, a series of airborne campaigns in the USA have supported the development of algorithms for spaceborne soil moisture retrieval. The most important observations involved imagery from passive microwave radiometers. The early campaigns proved that the retrieval worked for larger and larger footprints, up to satellite-scale footprints. These provided the solid basis for proposing the satellite missions. More recent campaigns have explored other aspects such as retrieval performance through greater amounts of vegetation. All of these campaigns featured extensive ground truth collection over a range of grid spacings, to provide a basis for examining the effects of subpixel variability. However, the native footprint size of the airborne L-band radiometers was always a few hundred meters. During the recently completed (November, 2005) National Airborne Field Experiment (NAFE) campaign in Australia, a compact L-band radiometer was deployed on a small aircraft. This new combination permitted routine observations at native resolutions as high as 60 meters, substantially finer than in previous airborne soil moisture campaigns, as well as satellite footprint areal coverage. The radiometer, the Polarimetric L-band Microwave Radiometer (PLMR) performed extremely well and operations included extensive calibration-related observations. Thus, along with the extensive fine-scale ground truth, the NAFE dataset includes all the ingredients for the first scaling studies involving very-high-native resolution soil moisture observations and the effects of vegetation, roughness, etc. A brief overview of the NAFE will be presented, then examples of the airborne observations with resolutions from 60 m to 1 km will be shown, and early results from scaling studies will be discussed.

Kim, E. J.↗

NASA NTRS2022

Estimation of Fire-induced CO Plume Age from NAST-I During the FIREX-AQ Field Campaign

Ultra-spectrally resolved infrared measurements from aircraft and space-based observations contain information about tropospheric carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3), as well as other trace species. A methodology for retrieving these tropospheric trace species from such remotely sensed spectral data has been developed and validated for the National Airborne Sounder Testbed-Interferometer (NAST–I). The Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) field campaign was conducted during August 2019 to investigate the impact of wildfire and biomass smoke on air quality and weather in the continental United States. NAST–I CO and O3 measurements from the recent FIREX-AQ field campaign are presented and used to estimate wildfire plume age. Results show enhanced levels of CO in the evolving plume as it is transported away from the fire ground site, and its plume age is associated with the plume distance in both the vertical and horizontal directions from the wildfire location. These results are enabled by the moderate-vertical and high-horizontal resolution obtained from the NAST–I IR spectrometer onboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft. This study advances our knowledge of fire-induced plumes with their evolution and age characterized in three-dimensional space using information from NAST–I retrieved CO and O3 and relative changes in their concentrations.

plume age↗

NASA NTRS2013

Comet C2012 S1 (ISON): Observations of the Dust Grains From SOFIA and of the Atomic Gas From NSO Dunn and Mcmath-Pierce Solar Telescopes

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is unique in that it is a dynamically new comet derived from the Oort cloud reservoir of comets with a sun-grazing orbit. Infrared (IR) and visible wavelength observing campaigns were planned on NASA's Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and on National Solar Observatory Dunn (DST) and McMath-Pierce Solar Telescopes, respectively. We highlight our SOFIA (+FORCAST) mid- to far-IR images and spectroscopy (approx. 5-35 microns) of the dust in the coma of ISON are to be obtained by the ISON-SOFIA Team during a flight window 2013 Oct 21-23 UT (r_h approx. = 1.18 AU). Dust characteristics, identified through the 10 micron silicate emission feature and its strength, as well as spectral features from cometary crystalline silicates (Forsterite) at 11.05-11.2 microns, and near 16, 19, 23.5, 27.5, and 33 microns are compared with other Oort cloud comets that span the range of small and/or highly porous grains (e.g., C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) and C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) to large and/or compact grains (e.g., C/2007 N4 (Lulin) and C/2006 P1 (McNaught)). Measurement of the crystalline peaks in contrast to the broad 10 and 20 micron amorphous silicate features yields the cometary silicate crystalline mass fraction, which is a benchmark for radial transport in our protoplanetary disk. The central wavelength positions, relative intensities, and feature asymmetries for the crystalline peaks may constrain the shapes of the crystals. Only SOFIA can look for cometary organics in the 5-8 micron region. Spatially resolved measurements of atoms and simple molecules from when comet ISON is near the Sun (r_h< 0.4 AU, near Nov-20-Dec-03 UT) were proposed for by the ISON-DST Team. Comet ISON is the first comet since comet Ikeya-Seki (1965f) suitable for studying the alkalai metals Na and K and the atoms specifically attributed to dust grains including Mg, Si, Fe, as well as Ca. DST's Horizontal Grating Spectrometer (HGS) measures 4 settings: Na I, K, C2 to sample cometary organics (along with Mg I), and [OI] as a proxy for activity from water (along with Si I and Fe I). State-of-the-art instruments that will also be employed include IBIS, which is a Fabry-Perot spectral imaging system that concurrently measures lines of Na, K, Ca II, or Fe, and ROSA (CSUN/QUB), which is a rapid imager that simultaneously monitors Ca II or CN. From McMath-Pierce, the Solar-Stellar Spectrograph also will target ISON (320-900 nm, R approx. 21,000, r_h<0.3 AU). Assuming survival, the intent is to target ISON over r_h<0.4 AU, characteristic of prior Na detections.

Oort cloud comets↗

NASA NTRS2013

The Evolution and Role of the Saharan Air Layer During Hurricane Helene (2006)

The Saharan air layer (SAL) has received considerable attention in recent years as a potential negative influence on the formation and development of Atlantic tropical cyclones. Observations of substantial Saharan dust in the near environment of Hurricane Helene (2006) during the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Activities (AMMA) Experiment (NAMMA) field campaign led to suggestions about the suppressing influence of the SAL in this case. In this study, a suite of satellite remote sensing data, global meteorological analyses, and airborne data are used to characterize the evolution of the SAL in the environment of Helene and assess its possible impact on the intensity of the storm. The influence of the SAL on Helene appears to be limited to the earliest stages of development, although the magnitude of that impact is difficult to determine observationally. Saharan dust was observed on the periphery of the storm during the first two days of development after genesis when intensification was slow. Much of the dust was observed to move well westward of the storm thereafter, with little SAL air present during the remainder of the storm's lifetime and with the storm gradually becoming a category-3 strength storm four days later. Dry air observed to wrap around the periphery of Helene was diagnosed to be primarily non-Saharan in origin (the result of subsidence) and appeared to have little impact on storm intensity. The eventual weakening of the storm is suggested to result from an eyewall replacement cycle and substantial reduction of the sea surface temperatures beneath the hurricane as its forward motion decreased.

Hurricane Helene↗

NASA NTRS2015

Viability of a Reusable In-Space Transportation System

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently developing options for an Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) that expands human presence from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) into the solar system and to the surface of Mars. The Hybrid in-space transportation architecture is one option being investigated within the EMC. The architecture enables return of the entire in-space propulsion stage and habitat to cis-lunar space after a round trip to Mars. This concept of operations opens the door for a fully reusable Mars transportation system from cis-lunar space to a Mars parking orbit and back. This paper explores the reuse of in-space transportation systems, with a focus on the propulsion systems. It begins by examining why reusability should be pursued and defines reusability in space-flight context. A range of functions and enablers associated with preparing a system for reuse are identified and a vision for reusability is proposed that can be advanced and implemented as new capabilities are developed. Following this, past reusable spacecraft and servicing capabilities, as well as those currently in development are discussed. Using the Hybrid transportation architecture as an example, an assessment of the degree of reusability that can be incorporated into the architecture with current capabilities is provided and areas for development are identified that will enable greater levels of reuse in the future. Implications and implementation challenges specific to the architecture are also presented.

Jefferies, Sharon A.↗

NASA NTRS2020

UAS Integration in the NAS Project: Overview of Flight Test Series 6

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System (UAS-NAS) Project has conducted a series of flight test campaigns intended to support the reduction of barriers that prevent unmanned aircraft from flying without the required waivers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The 2019 Flight Test Series 6 (FT6) campaign furthered this path and supported three test configurations: 1) Radar Characterization, 2) Scripted Encounters and 3) Full Mission. Radar Characterization assessed the performance of Honeywell’s low size, weight, and power (low SWaP) radar system; Scripted Encounters investigated the timing of Detect and Avoid (DAA) alerting thresholds using a Department of Defense (DoD) Group 3 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) equipped with low SWaP sensors and three different live intruder aircraft flown at varying encounter geometries; and Full Mission validated human-in-the-loop simulations by collecting pilot performance data from a ground control station while controlling a live unmanned aircraft on a mission in both virtual and live air traffic controlled airspace. The subject pilot observed a research display that presented DAA advisories to maintain separation from live and virtual aircraft. The test was conducted over a twenty-week period within the R-2508 special use airspace located near Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), CA. Over 240 encounters were flown during the test series and FT6 proved to be invaluable for the purposes of planning, managing, and executing this type of integrated flight test in both live and virtual environments. Data collected from FT6 was provided to the RTCA Special Committee 228 (SC-228) to help inform the Phase 2 Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS). FT6 was the final test series for the UAS-NAS project that began in 2012. This paper provides an overview of FT6 and its success can be directly attributed to the diligent work of the men and women who supported this effort.

UAS in the NAS↗

NASA NTRS2015

First SNPP Cal/Val Campaign: Satellite and Aircraft Sounding Retrieval Intercomparison

Satellite ultraspectral infrared sensors provide key data records essential for weather forecasting and climate change science. The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite Environmental Data Record (EDR) is retrieved from calibrated ultraspectral radiance so called Sensor Data Record (SDR). It is critical to understand the accuracy of retrieved EDRs, which mainly depends on SDR accuracy (e.g., instrument random noise and absolute accuracy), an ill-posed retrieval system, and radiative transfer model errors. There are few approaches to validate EDR products, e.g., some common methods are to rely on radiosonde measurements, ground-based measurements, and dedicated aircraft campaign providing in-situ measurements of atmosphere and/or employing similar ultraspectral interferometer sounders. Ultraspectral interferometer sounder aboard aircraft measures SDR to retrieve EDR, which is often used to validate satellite measurements of SDR and EDR. The SNPP Calibration/Validation Campaign was conducted during May 2013. The NASA high-altitude aircraft ER-2 that carried ultraspectral interferometer sounders such as the NASA Atmospheric Sounder Testbed-Interferometer (NAST-I) flew under the SNPP satellite that carries the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS). Here we inter-compare the EDRs produced with different retrieval algorithms from SDRs measured by the sensors from satellite and aircraft. The available dropsonde and radiosonde measurements together with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis were also used to draw the conclusion from this experiment.

Zhou, Daniel K.↗

NASA NTRS2014

High Spectral Resolution Lidar and MPLNET Micro Pulse Lidar Aerosol Optical Property Retrieval Intercomparison During the 2012 7-SEAS Field Campaign at Singapore

From August 2012 to February 2013 a High Resolution Spectral Lidar (HSRL; 532 nm) was deployed at that National University of Singapore near a NASA Micro Pulse Lidar NETwork (MPLNET; 527 nm) site. A primary objective of the MPLNET lidar project is the production and dissemination of reliable Level 1 measurements and Level 2 retrieval products. This paper characterizes and quantifies error in Level 2 aerosol optical property retrievals conducted through inversion techniques that derive backscattering and extinction coefficients from MPLNET elastic single-wavelength datasets. MPLNET Level 2 retrievals for aerosol optical depth and extinction/backscatter coefficient profiles are compared with corresponding HSRL datasets, for which the instrument collects direct measurements of each using a unique optical configuration that segregates aerosol and cloud backscattered signal from molecular signal. The intercomparison is performed, and error matrices reported, for lower (0-5km) and the upper (>5km) troposphere, respectively, to distinguish uncertainties observed within and above the MPLNET instrument optical overlap regime.

MPL↗

NASA NTRS1997

Snow Parameters Derived from Microwave Measurements During the BOREAS Winter Field Campaign

Passive microwave data have been used to infer the snow-covered area and snow water equivalent (SWE) over forested areas, but the accuracy of these retrieved snow parameters cannot be easily validated for heterogeneous vegetated regions. The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study Winter Field Campaign provided the opportunity to study the effect of boreal forests on snow parameter retrieval in detail. Microwave radiometers (18, 37, and 92 GHz) were flown on board the Canadian National Aeronautical Establishment's Twin Otter. Flight lines covered both the southern study area near Prince Albert and the northern study area near Thompson, Canada. During the 1994 winter campaign, extensive ground-based snow cover information, including depth, density, and grain size, was collected along most of the flight lines, jointly by U.S. and Canadian investigators. Satellite data collected by the special sensor microwave imager are also used for comparison. Preliminary results reconfirmed the relationship between microwave brightness temperature and SWE. However, the effect of forest cover observed by the aircraft sensors is different from that of the satellite observations. This is probably due to the difference in footprint averaging. There were also several flight lines flown over Candle Lake and Waskesiu Lake to assess lake ice signatures. Preliminary results show the thickness of the lake ice may be inferred from the airborne microwave observations. The microwave signature relationship between lake ice and snow matches the results from radiative transfer calculations.

Chang, A. T. C.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Integrated Campaign Probabilistic Cost, Schedule, Performance, and Value for Program Office Support

This paper describes an integrated assessment tool developed at NASA Langley Research Center that incorporates probabilistic analysis of life cycle cost, schedule, launch performance, on-orbit performance, and value across a series of planned space-based missions, or campaign. Originally designed as an aid in planning the execution of missions to accomplish the National Research Council 2007 Earth Science Decadal Survey, it utilizes Monte Carlo simulation of a series of space missions for assessment of resource requirements and expected return on investment. Interactions between simulated missions are incorporated, such as competition for launch site manifest, to capture unexpected and non-linear system behaviors. A novel value model is utilized to provide an assessment of the probabilistic return on investment. A demonstration case is discussed to illustrate the tool utility.

Cornelius, David↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Surface Pressure Results for the NATO AVT-298 SWiFT Configuration in the National Transonic Facility

A high Reynolds number wind tunnel test of the Swept Wing Flow Test (SWiFT) configuration was conducted in the National Transonic Facility at the NASA Langley Research Center during the summer of 2023. The test campaign was the culmination of an international collaboration under the NATO AVT-298 research task group. The main objective of the test was to investigate Reynolds number scaling effects on the low-speed stability & control characteristics of the SWiFT model. Surface pressure results corroborate the force & moment results and help to provide more insight into the observed flow behavior. The effect of angle of attack and Reynolds number on the low-speed surface pressure results are analyzed particularly around the leading edge of the model. The onset and progression of flow separation on the wings particularly near the wing crank is also investigated, as well as the cause of an observed double-stall behavior. Finally, the transonic results showed a slight forward movement of the shock location with decreased shock strength as Reynolds number was increased. The data acquired from the test will ultimately help improve computational aerodynamic analysis and design tools for application to future BWB-type vehicle configurations.

NATO AVT-298↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Surface Pressure Results for the NATO AVT-298 SWiFT Configuration in the National Transonic Facility

NATO AVT-298↗

NASA NTRS1990

Preliminary results from the MAESTRO 1 Campaign over the Black Forest

The Joint Research Center (JRC) Ispra and the European Space Agency (ESA) have co-sponsored the deployment of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), C-, L-, and P-band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in Europe in mid-August 1989. This deployment represents the first opportunity for European agencies and institutes to evaluate the current state of the art of multifrequency polarimetric imaging technology over European Test Sites. Of particular interest to the Joint Research Center (JRC) Ispra is the Black Forest Test Site at Freiburg in the Federal Republic of Germany. This Test Site incorporates the Villingen region of the Black Forest to the south-west of Germany. This paper reports upon the activities undertaken in preparation for the MAESTRO 1 Campaign in the Black Forest Test Site. In particular this paper reports upon the ground data collection campaign for the Freiburg Test Site where extensive and intensive ground data measurements were undertaken. These measurements were based upon standard ground data collection protocols developed for forestry by the JRC and utilized throughout Europe for the MAESTRO 1 Campaign. The paper then goes on to present preliminary results derived from the SAR data using the JRC-developed software for polarimetric data interpretation, POLTOOL.

Churchill, P. N.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Zero-G Experiments of the BionicWingsat - A 2U-Cubesat with Deployable, Biologically-Inspired Wings

In this paper, recent testing of a novel deployable structure with several potential applications in space will be described, with the focus on performed deployment experiments in a DLR Zero-g flight campaign and in ground tests. Through a cooperative effort of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a biologically-inspired structurally-integrated membrane featuring distributed functional elements has been developed and integrated into the 2U CubeSat called BionicWingSat. Such a membrane structure could be useful for all sorts of applications in which a relatively flat area is desirable such as solar sails, drag sails, or solar shades. For SmallSats and CubeSats, the design proposed also has the desirable property of being self-deploying without the need for powered deployment mechanisms. Building on previous work inspired by the wings of earwigs, the research presented in this paper focuses on testing of developed design concepts for such structural systems. To do so 24 fully integrated wings on two BionicWingSats in 2U Cubesat format were experimentally deployed in a microgravity environment during a dedicated DLR Zero-g flight campaign in 2021. The results of these experiments, the built hardware and test articles, the test arrangement, as well as a comparison to ground tests are discussed in this paper.

Spacecraft structures↗

NASA NTRS2010

The Proposed Mars Astrobiology Explorer - Cacher [MAX-C] Rover: First Step in a Potential Sample Return Campaign

Sample return from Mars has been advocated by numerous scientific advisory panels for over 30 years, most prominently beginning with the National Research Council s [1] strategy for the exploration of the inner solar system, and most recently by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG s) Next Decade Science Analysis Group [2]. Analysis of samples here on Earth would have enormous advantages over in situ analyses in producing the data quality needed to address many of the complex scientific questions the community has posed about Mars. Instead of a small, predetermined set of analytical techniques, state of the art preparative and instrumental resources of the entire scientific community could be applied to the samples. The analytical emphasis could shift as the meaning of each result becomes better appreciated. These arguments apply both to igneous rocks and to layered sedimentary materials, either of which could contain water and other volatile constituents. In 2009 MEPAG formed the Mid-Range Rover Science Analysis Group (MRR-SAG) to formulate a mission concept that would address two general objectives: (1) conduct high-priority in situ science and (2) make concrete steps towards the potential return of samples to Earth. This analysis resulted in a mission concept named the Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher (MAX-C), which was envisioned for launch in the 2018 opportunity. After extensive discussion, this group concluded that by far the most definitive contribution to sample return by this mission would be to collect and cache, in an accessible location, a suite of compelling samples that could potentially be recovered and returned by a subsequent mission. This would have the effect of separating two of the essential functions of MSR, the acquisition of the sample collection and its delivery to martian orbit, into two missions.

Allen, Carlton C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Wildfire-Induced CO Plume Observed during FIREX-AQ Experiment 1 and 2

The Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX AQ) field campaign was conducted during August 2019 to investigate the impact of wildfire and biomass smoke on air quality and weather in the continental United States. Ultra-spectral resolved infrared measurements contain information about tropospheric carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3), as well as other trace species. A methodology of retrieving these tropospheric trace species from such remotely sensed spectral data has been developed and validated for the National Airborne Sounder Testbed-Interferometer (NAST I). NAST I CO and O3 measurements from the recent FIREX AQ field campaign are presented herein and used to estimate wildfire plume age. Results show enhanced CO plume evolution and transport away from fire ground site, and its plume age associated with the plume distance in both vertical and horizontal directions from the wildfire location, as enabled by the moderate-vertical and high-horizontal resolution obtained from the NAST I remotely sensed IR spectrometer onboard NASA ER 2 aircraft. This study advances our knowledge of fire-induced plume with its evolution and age in 3-dimensional space.

remote sensing↗