OVERVIEW

The Pushbroom Imager for Cloud and Aerosol Research and Development (PICARD) is a VNIR-SWIR airborne imaging spectrometer that primarily acquires imagery from the NASA ER-2 high altitude research aircraft. Operating over a wavelength range of 400-2500nm, the dual Offner spectrometers are mounted to a single four-mirror anastigmat telescope, designed to produce a distortion-free 50-degree field of view over cloud scenes. This wide field of view from high altitude provides a synoptic view of regional-scale atmospheric phenomena, and enables easier cross-comparisons with satellite imagery (e.g. MODIS, VIIRS, etc.) PICARD is designed to operate in conjunction with the Enhanced MODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS) on the ER-2, with the two data sets being merged post-fight, for a combined spectral range of 0.400 - 14.133µm. Data acquired by PICARD will be used to simulate existing satellite imager products, validate radiances and geophysical retrieval algorithms (with a particular emphasis on cloud micro-physics and their role in global climate dynamics), and to prototype future imager requirements.

The principal scientific investigator for PICARD is Dr. Steven Platnick, the EOS Senior Project Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

The PICARD instrument is maintained and operated by the Airborne Sensor Facility (ASF) located at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, with additional staff located at Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California. PICARD operates under the oversight of the EOS Project Science Office at NASA Goddard (Dr. Steven Platnick, PI.). Instrument scheduling is coordinated by the ASF, with formal arrangements made via the NASA Airborne Science Program Flight Request process.

RECENT CAMPAIGNS

Cal / Val Spring 2023 Complete

The Calibration / Validation Spring 2023 Campaign has been completed and Level-1B processing is underway.

• View this Campaign

RELATED INSTRUMENTS

eMAS

The multispectral airborne spectrometer which simulates the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) at 50m resolution.

• Visit the website

• + National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• + Science Mission Directorate
• + Airborne Science Program
• + Ames Research Center
• + Ames Earth Science Division

• + Office of the Inspector General
• + Freedom of Information Act
• + Privacy Policy and Important Notices
• + E.E.O. Data Posted Pursuant to the No Fear Act
• + Accessibility

• NASA Official: Matt Fladeland
• Project Manager: James Jacobson
• Website Curator: Eric Fraim
• Last Updated: March 21, 2024