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MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS)

FLIGHT SUMMARY INFORMATION

Flight Track Map
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Flight: 03-922
Date: 11 December 2002
Location: Texas / Louisiana / Gulf of Mexico
Deployment: TX-2002
Principal Investigators: Drs. Paul Menzel & Chris Moeller (UWISC)
Additional Sensors: CPL, MVIS, RC-10 (dual), SHIS, VIS

Data Evaluation
Overall quality is good
AQUA Underflight @19:16

Processing Information
Level-1B Data in HDF format is available
Flight Line Summary
Spectral Band Configuration
Spectral Response Function Table

Browse Imagery
Flight Tracks: 13
Scanlines: 65883

Browse Imagery Table
Click a Flight Track number to view a quicklook image
Lat/Lon ranges are for the BEG-END scanline nadir pixels
Flight
Track
Time Span
(GMT)
Heading
(Deg)
Lat Range
(Deg North)
Lon Range
(Deg West)
Length
(scanlines)
Altitude
(meters)
1 17:26 - 17:42 90.3 29.701 - 29.771 95.646 - 93.520 5871 19461
2 17:42 - 17:51 104.7 29.768 - 29.521 93.486 - 92.274 3474 19967
3 17:53 - 18:07 26.7 29.586 - 31.101 92.117 - 91.235 5236 19908
4 18:09 - 18:36 172.4 31.119 - 28.308 91.003 - 90.263 9999 19914
5 18:36 - 18:48 171.3 28.308 - 26.996 90.263 - 89.933 4672 19909
6 19:05 - 19:31 343.6 26.889 - 29.847 89.903 - 90.659 9999 20001
7 19:31 - 19:42 341.9 29.847 - 31.003 90.659 - 90.966 3854 19900
8 19:43 - 19:57 213.3 31.003 - 29.789 91.114 - 91.952 5222 19968
9 19:58 - 20:00 206.0 29.771 - 29.563 91.963 - 92.066 825 19953
10 20:02 - 20:04 280.6 29.515 - 29.575 92.257 - 92.530 851 20016
11 20:04 - 20:12 246.7 29.571 - 29.286 92.594 - 93.423 2872 19969
12 20:12 - 20:39 248.2 29.286 - 28.294 93.424 - 96.350 9999 19880
13 20:39 - 20:47 248.4 28.294 - 27.989 96.350 - 97.205 3009 19927
Images 01 through 13 in sequence
Flight Summary Report

Mission Objectives

Collect subtropical cirrus scenes over southern Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico w/Aqua (1916 UTC) to evaluate MODIS Cloud products, collect photo of LA coast for geomorphology, and coordinate with WB-57 for MAS/MASTER L1B comparisons.

Flight Summary

Take-off at 1700 UTC.  ER-2 landed at 2130 UTC.

ER-2 flew east from SAT to western Louisiana muddy coast photo line (mostly cloudy with cirrus so no photo shoot), then on east to eastern Louisiana to pick up Aqua orbital track on a SSE bound 38 minute leg down to about 27 deg N in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).  Skies on this line were single layer thin cirrus over Louisiana then thin and thick cirrus overcast over patches of low and mid level cumulus overcast interspersed with patches of single layer cirrus over water.  ER-2 reversed course to return on same line with similar sky conditions.  Met the Aqua satellite with cirrus over patches of low and mid level cumulus.  From northern end flew to western Louisiana coast for another run of photo line (mostly cloudy with cirrus so no photo shoot).  WB-57 did not get airborne so rendevous over buoy 42019 in western GOM was canceled and ER-2 returned to SAT.

Highlights

Single layer cirrus over land near Aqua overpass.  Cirrus over mid and low cloud w/Aqua.

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: Good video data.
  • M/VIS mini video camera: Good video data.
  • RC-10 Cameras: B/W (1910-1921 UTC).
Additional Pilot Notes

Westerly crosswinds strong (20 to 40 knots) causing ER-2 heading to be off aircraft track, about 2deg at southern end up to 5 deg at northern end.  Elevated haze layer again observed above clouds (clouds to haze to clear to haze going up from horizon) on northbound leg.

GOES Satellite Image
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Flight 03-922

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Sample Imagery
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Track #06
Gulf of Mexico
(South of Louisiana)
Click to load the full resolution image Flight Direction Indicator
R: 2.15µm
G: 1.64µm
B: 0.55µm