Date: Nov 29, 2002

Mission: Terra MODIS Cloud Product validation.

Mission Objectives

Collect single layer cirrus cloud scenes for validating MODIS Cloud Top heights and Cloud Phase using CPL depolarization data.  Collect data for cirrus cloud microphysics studies in combination with ARM SGP instrumentation.

Flight Summary

Take-off was at 1445 UTC.  ER-2 landed at 1900 UTC.

ER-2 flew north from SAT to west-east oriented line over ARM SGP.  The 15 minute line was positioned with the Central Facility (CF) site about 1/4th of the way from the eastern end.  Cirrus level flow is west to east.  Starting at the eastern end, the ER-2 flew down and back along the 15 minute line, then down once again, breaking off about 4 minutes past the CF to head north towards the Terra line.  Skies along the east-west lines were mostly uniform thick single layer cirrus (sometimes opague to CPL) with cumuliform structure (cirro cumulus) in the subtropical air mass.   On the Terra line, the ER-2 ran a SSW bound line parallel to the Terra orbital track, meeting the Terra satellite (1720 UTC) over the CF.  Skies were single layer thick cirrus (nearly opague to CPL) at time of Terra overpass.  ER-2 proceeded on this line down to near San Antonio.  Met multi-layer cloud beginning about 1738 UTC.  Cirrus much more variable in thickness during this portion of the flight.

Highlights

Abundant uniform single layer cirrus over SGP CF instrumentation w/Terra overpass.

Instrument Status

• Modis Airborne Simulator (MAS): Operated. Good data.
• NPOESS Atmospheric Sounder Testbed (NAST-I): Not Flown.
• Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL): Operated. Good data.
• Scanner High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS): Good data.
• VIS video camera: Operated.  Good video collected.
• M/VIS mini video camera: Operated.  Good video collected.
• RC-10 Cameras: Operated 6" (b/w) camera for 6 minutes centered on each Terra overpass time  (1600 - 1606, 1631 - 1637, 1649 -1655, 1716 - 1722 UTC)

Additional Pilot Notes: Came out of cirrus cloud tops at 42000' on climbout.  Surface obscured most of flight.  Light turbulence occuring during much of the flight.