2008-05-16 (Flight #2006) |
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Aircraft Flight SummaryDate: 2008-05-16 |
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CAR - (QuickLook)
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Flight Mission Details
This was the transit flight out of Chico California to NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Refueled at Fallons Airforce Base -- a 30 minutes flight from Chico. Preflight goals included testing active roll correction for the CAR instrument en route Chico to Fallons, then conduct BRDF measurements at Railroad Valley Playa in Nevada during Terra overpass.
P-3B instrument payload:
CAR - Cloud Absorption Radiometer measured angular distribution of scattered radiation and acquired imagery of land surface features en route from California to Virginia.
CREW:
Pilot: Michael Singer and George Postell.
Flight Engineer: John Doyle
Others: Charles Gatebe, Eric Wilcox, Duncan Kahle, Bill.
Flight Path, Timing, and Measurements
Approximate time in UTC (California time - 8 hours). Activities during CAR flight 2006 on May 16, 2008 out of Chico Airport, California heading east to Virginia. Observations by CAR operator/PI/Flight Scientist, Charles Gatebe.
16:00 -- Engine on (at Chico, CA).
16:01 -- Take off.
16:02 -- Dustan Hellwig and Duncan Kahle testing the roll correction software.
16:40 -- Landed at Fallons Airforce base for refuelling. Continue testing the software on the ground.
17:44 -- Taxing.
17:48 -- take off.
17:55 -- CAR power on.
18:00 -- Unidentified lake in Nevada.
18:05 -- very clear. no clouds.
18:15 -- arriving at Railroad Playa site
18:30 -- setting up for BRDF at ~182 m agl.
18:31 -- BRDF circle #1. Filter wheel at 2.2µm.
18:33 -- BRDF circle #2
18:35 -- BRDF circle #3
18:38 -- BRDF circle #4. Filter wheel at 1.6µm.
18:40 -- BRDF circle #5
18:42 -- BRDF circle #6
18:46 -- end of BRDF. Heading to 600 m agl for second set of BRDF. No clouds.
18:49 -- BRDF circle #1. Filter wheel at 1.6µm.
18:51 -- BRDF circle #2
18:56 -- BRDF circle #3
18:58 -- BRDF circle #4. Filter wheel at 2.2µm
19:00 -- BRDF circle #5
19:03 -- BRDF circle #6
19:04 -- end of BRDF at 600 m agl.
19:12 -- BRDF circle #1 at <3000 m agl. Filter wheel at 2.2 µm.
19:14 -- BRDF circle #2
19:16 -- BRDF circle #3
19:19 -- BRDF circle #4. Filter wheel at 1.6 µm.
19:23 -- adjusted location of circles.
19:24 -- BRDF circle #5
19:26 -- BRDF circle #6
19:29 -- End of BRDF. Heading straight to Virginia.
19:32 -- bad data packets noted.
20:07 -- clear sky.
20:08 -- Small puffs starts observed.
20:14 -- red soil.
20:16 -- parallel to a highway.
20:25 -- Cumulus clouds below -- towards the horizon.
20:39 -- clouds above, snow below.
20:48 -- snow/cloud over Rocky mountains. Good case for snow/cloud differentiation.
21:59 -- cirrus clouds above the plane.
22:01 -- irrigation ponds.
22:30 -- CAR scanning in the starboard from zenith to nadir.
22:31 -- close CAR door.
22:32 -- CAR powered off.
22:35 -- CAR power on again to try testing the active roll correction software.
22:45 -- Doing roll correction. Seems to work, but sign is wrong.
22:55 -- testing active roll with CAR code. Bug in the LabVIEW found.
23:00 -- Problem fixed
23:01 -- testing active roll using CAR software. Bad packets observed. Roll correction fails, but code more stable.
23:07 -- stopped active roll tests.
23:08 -- Cryopump off. CAR instrument power off.
24:55 -- landed at Wallops Flight Facility.
