MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS)

1. Overfly Rustenburg Platinum mines (25° 30´ S, 27° 30´ E),
2. Overfly a prescribed burn of the Madikwe Game Reserve at the time of the TERRA overpass at 0840 UTC (25° 30´ S, 26° 11´ E),
3. Overfly Terra ground track into northeastern Botswana (22°S, 26°48’E),
4. Overfly the Selibe-Phikwe copper and nickel mines in Botswana (parallel to the Terra ground track; 21° 39´ S, 27° 54´ E to 25° 30´ S, 27° 05´ E),
5. Overfly Waterkloof Air Base in Pretoria for photographs at the request of the RSA Air Force.

The mission was coordinated with JRA and Terra over Madikwe at 0840 UTC, and with JRB over Selibe-Phikwe at 0923 UTC.

The RC-10 camera was turned on over Rustenburg, Madikwe, Selibe-Phikwe, Pilansberg, and Waterkloof.

N/A

• No sites flown on this mission

The ER-2 pilot reported cloudy skies over the early part of the flight up the Blyde River Canyon and over the escarpment, and some altocumulus clouds near Madikwe, but clear skies dominated the region throughout much of the rest of the flight.

A high pressure cell was situated to the southeast of the subcontinent, extending a ridge northwestwards and causing an influx of low level moisture into the northeastern areas of South Africa and southeastern Zimbabwe. A low was centered over the southwestern Cape. This low, coupled with an upper-level trough to the west of the country, caused extensive cloud over the western parts of the country. Although it was generally subsident to the east, a band of middle level moisture was being trapped beneath an inversion at about 16000 ft. over eastern Namibia and the central and southeastern parts of Botswana. It was cloudy over the northern and eastern parts of the Northern Province in the morning, clearing partially during the afternoon. Partly cloudy over central and southeastern Botswana and Gauteng. The cloudy weather over the western areas spread across the southern areas and a few light showers resulted in these areas.

• AirMISR: not on aircraft; being repaired
• CLS: Lidar worked properly, but navigation data not recorded
• LAS: failed prior to take off
• MAS: worked well
• MOPITT-A: CO bands worked well, but CH4 bands were not working (software error)
• SHIS: not on aircraft due to instrument problem in interferometer
• SSFR: worked well
• RC-10: worked well