ER-2 Flight: 97046

Date: February 8, 1997

Mission: MAS-HIS Calibration. Snow detection.

Mission Objectives

Overfly Lake Huron for MAS/HIS cross-calibration. Overfly ground instrumentation: Park Falls CO site, Trout Lake, Fort McCoy, snow emissivity measurements with down-looking AERI at Madison and instruments at SSEC.

Flight Summary

Take-off was at 1600 UTC with landing at 2207 UTC.

ER-2 left Madison and flew to Lake Hudson. Three and 1/2 race tracks flown over Lake Huron with conditions of clear sky; northeast end of the racetrack pattern had lake ice. After Lake Huron a transit line was flown to Lake Superior. Lake Superior was mostly cloudy (stratus/fog). Pilot observed lake ice in clear scenes near Duluth (Fish Creek). Overpasses of Park Falls CO tower and Trout Lake (lake ice) were clear and occurred between approximately 1938 and 1944 UTC. Fort McCoy (land mapping) appeared to be at a boundary between clear and overcast conditions at overpass of 2005 UTC. Flight finished with two lines over Lake Mendota in support of ground based snow emissivity measurements. The Lake Mendota flight line was located between 43:05N, 89:30W and 43:07:30N, 89:25:30 W (89:22:30?). The first leg (2027 to 2029 UTC) was clear, the second (2035 to 2037 UTC) was clear with a few clouds. All ground instrumentation operative during SSEC overpass.

Highlights

Good calibration data collected over Lake Huron. ER-2 overpassed Lake Mendota snow site with downlooking AERI snow emissivity measurements.

Instrument Status

• Modis Airborne Simulator (MAS): Operated, data collected.
• Cloud Lidar System (CLS): Operated, data collected.
• High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS): Operated, data collected.
• Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (MIR): Operated in scanning mode, data collected.
• Tilt Scan CCD Camera (TSCC): Operated, data collected. Problems with camera shutter.
• RC-10 Camera: Operated over clear scenes (black and white - 6 and 12 inch lens).

Additional Pilot Notes:. Great day.