ER-2 Flight: 97045

Date: February 6, 1997

Mission: Underfly ADEOS with Tilt Scan camera. Overfly clouds over snow, lake ice. Snow detection. MAS-HIS Calibration.

Mission Objectives

Overfly thin to thick clouds over snow. Monitor transition from clouds over snow to clear snow to lake ice of Hudson Bay. Collect data for cross-calibration of MAS and HIS instruments. Underfly ADEOS for cross-calibration between POLDER and TSCC. Overfly ground instrumentation, including snow emissivity measurements with AERI at Madison and instruments at SSEC.

Flight Summary

Take-off was delayed by 1 hour until 1700 UTC due to problems with local navigation aids (TACAN) at the airport, precluding an underflight of ADEOS (overpass at 1702 UTC).

ER-2 left Madison and flew northward to Hudson Bay. On that transit, it flew dissipating cloud in N. Wisconsin (with snow cover below), a weak cold front over Lake Superior, and then into clear snow covered conditions in S. Canada. Hudson Bay had about 50% broken low cloud cover. After flying eastward across Hudson Bay, the ER-2 flew southward towards the north end of Lake Michigan. Pilot (Jim Barrilleaux) adjusted the flight pattern to cover clear water over the western shore of the Lake. Probably also picked up some shoreline as well. From there, pilot turned west and flew to Madison where he lined up on a 270 degree heading to overfly Lake Mendota. At this time cloud was dissipating over S. WI and Madison had broken, dissipating cloud. All ground instrumentation operative during SSEC overpass.

Highlights

Interesting data over Hudson Bay for cloud mask testing. ER-2 overpassed Lake Mendota ground site.

Instrument Status

• Modis Airborne Simulator (MAS): Operated, data collected.
• Cloud Lidar System (CLS): Operated, data collected.
• High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS): Operated, data collected. 2nd tape failed at 2202 UTC
• Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (MIR): Operated in scanning mode, data collected.
• Tilt Scan CCD Camera (TSCC): Operated, data collected.
• RC-10 Camera: Operated over clear scenes (black and white - 6 and 12 inch lens). 12" Data OK. 6" partial failure.

Additional Pilot Notes:. Pilot reported he could not see any cloud shadows over Madison on overpass. He reported cloud shadows over Hudson Bay. Some lake ice at northern end of Lake MI. At 2135 visible water with very thin low cloud.