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The Airborne Science Program within
the Earth Science Division is responsible for providing
aircraft systems that further science and advance the use
of satellite data. The primary objectives of this program
are to:
- Conduct in-situ atmospheric measurements with varying
vertical and horizontal resolutions
- Collect high-resolution imagery for focused process
studies and sub-pixel resolution for spaceborne calibration.
- Implement "sensor web" observational strategies
for conducting earth science missions including intelligent
mission management, and sensor networking.
- Demonstrate and exploit the capabilities of uninhabited
and autonomous aircraft for science investigations
- Test new sensor technologies in space-like environments
- Calibrate/validate space-based measurements and
retrieval algorithms
To meet these observing objectives, we need a suite of sustained,
ongoing platforms and sensors on which investigators can
rely from year to year; from these known capabilities the
Science Mission Directorate can develop observing strategies.
However, an ongoing capability will be resource-constrained
and eventually technology-constrained, so that not all observing
requirements will be met with the limited core capability.
Therefore the program will facilitate access to other platforms
or sensors on a funds-available, as-needed basis, to accommodate
unique and/or occasional requirements. The program will
also look constantly for new, evolving technologies to demonstrate
their applicability for Earth science. Depending on the
success of the demonstrations and the observing needs, the
core capability is expected to evolve and change over time.
The speed and extent of change will be balanced against
the need for established, known capabilities for long-term
planning.
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