Joint Airborne Science Sensor Integration Working Group (JASSIWG)

The Airborne Science Program has initiated a multi-center working group to examine the differences in engineering requirements and processes across the airborne science fleet, and to assess the potential benefits for common information and design requirements among the aircraft. The name of this working group is the Joint Airborne Science Sensor Integration Working Group (or JASSIWG), and is made up of representatives from six NASA centers, as well as the Aerospace Corporation and NSERC.

The goal of the working group is to improve access to NASA airborne platforms from the science community by coordinating and streamlining aircraft instrument integration requirements and technical information between the platforms. This streamlining will allow a more consistent access experience by the science community, and will encourage migration of science instruments across the NASA fleet. It has the added advantage of reducing redundant activities and fostering communication across the NASA centers, as well as improving science management operations.

During FY08, the working group held is first meeting and determined the scope and products for the initial phase of effort. The initial products included:

• A common format for the instrument Payload Information Form. .DOC
• A common format for Experimenter Handbooks. .DOC
• JASSIWG FY08 Activities Final Report. .PDF

Current activity includes analysis and comparison of instrument design requirements from each platform, with a determination of any feasible commonality that exists across the platforms, and a plan for developing a set of common design guidelines for use by the instrument community.

Feedback from the community on the JASSIWG activities is welcome. Please e-mail Mike Gaunce with your comments or suggestions.

TheThe third JASSIWG working group meeting will be held in Palmdale, CA, on June 11-12, 2009.