METEOROLOGICAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

The Meteorological Measurement System (MMS), within the NASA Ames Atmospheric Science Branch (code SGG), is a PI-led airborne instrument that provides calibrated, science quality, in situ state measurements of static pressure, static temperature, and three-dimension wind. Accurate measurements of these quantities require judicious choices of sensor locations, repeated laboratory & flight calibrations, proper corrections for compressibility, adiabatic heating and flow distortion.

Primary Products 1-20 Hz Typical value Precision Accuracy
Pressure ~ 60 mb ± 0.003 mb ± 0.3 mb ~ 0.5%
Temperature ~180 K ± 0.05 K ± 0.3 k ~ 0.2%
Horizontal Wind ~ 30 m s-1 ± 0.1 m s-1 ±1 m s-1 ~3.3%
Vertical Wind < 1 m s-1 ± 0.05 m s-1 ± 0.3 m s-1

Derived Parameter:

Potential Temperature, True-Air-Speed, Turbulence Dissipation Rate, Reynolds Number

Measured Parameters:

GPS Positions, Velocities, Accelerations, Pitch, Roll, Heading, Angle-of-Attack, Angle-of-Sideslip, Dynamic Total Pressures, Total Temperatures

Integrated Platforms: ER-2, DC-8, WB-57F, GLOBAL HAWK, SIERRA UAV, ALPHAjet

Timeline:

TIME MISSION LOCATION PLATFORM
Nov 2023 - Mar 2024 ASIA-AQ Asia DC-8
Oct - Nov 2023 EcoDemonstrator Seattle, WA DC-8
Apr - Aug 2023 AEROMMA Palmdale, CA & Dayton, OH DC-8
Feb - Mar 2023 SABRE Fairbanks, AK WB-57
Summer 2022 ACCLIP Korea WB-57
Summer 2022 DCOTSS Salina, KS ER-2
Feb 2022 SABRE Houston, TX WB-57
Summer 2021 ACCLIP 2021 Houston, TX WB-57
Summer 2021 DCOTSS Salina, KS ER-2
Summer 2019 FIREX-AQ & SARP2019 Boise, ID & Salina, KS DC-8
Aug 2018 HIWC & SARP2018 Fort Lauderdale, FL & Kona, HI DC-8
Apr - May 2018 ATom-4 Pacific & Atlantic, Pole-to-Pole DC-8
Sep - Oct 2017 ATom-3 Pacific & Atlantic, Pole-to-Pole DC-8
Jan - Feb 2017 ATom-2 Pacific & Atlantic, Pole-to-Pole DC-8
Oct  2016 POSIDON  Guam WB-57
July - Aug 2016 ATom-1 Pacific & Atlantic, Pole-to-Pole DC-8
Oct 2015 VIRGAS Houston, TX WB-57
2013 - ongoing AJAX NASA Ames Alpha Jet
Mar 2015 ATTREX-4  NASA Dryden Global Hawk
Aug - Sep 2013 SEAC4RS   Houston, TX DC-8 & ER-2
Jan - Mar 2014 ATTREX-3  Guam Global Hawk
Feb - Mar 2013 ATTREX-2  NASA Dryden Global Hawk
May - Jun 2012 DC3   Salina, KS DC-8
Oct - Nov, 2011 ATTREX-1  NASA Dryden Global Hawk
May 2011 RRV Rail Road Valley, NV SIERRA
Mar 2011 MACPEX  Houston, TX WB-57
Sep 2010 GRIP  Fort Lauderdale, FL & St. Croix DC-8
Apr - May 2010 GloPac   NASA Dryden Global Hawk
Jul 2009 CASIE  Svalbard, Norway SIERRA
Sep 2008 NOVICE  Houston, TX WB-57
Jun 2007 TC4  San Jose, Costa Rica DC-8 & WB-57
Aug - Sep 2006 NAMMA  Sal, Cape Verde DC-8
Jan - Feb 2006 CR-AVE  San Jose, Costa Rica WB-57
Jun 2005 AVE Houston2  Houston, TX WB-57
Apr - May 2004 MidCix  Houston, TX WB-57
June - Jul 2002 CRYSTAL-FACE  Key West, FL ER-2 & WB-57
Aug - Sep 2001 CAMEX4  Jacksonville, FL DC-8
Jan - Mar 2000 SOLVE  Kiruna, Sweden ER-2
Aug - Sep 1998 CAMEX3  Cocoa Beach, FL DC-8
Aug - Nov 1997 SONEX  Bangor, ME , Shannon, Ireland & Azores DC-8
Apr - Nov 1997 POLARIS  Fairbanks, AK & Hawaii ER-2
Apr - May 1996 SUCCESS  Salina, KS ER-2 & DC-8
May 1995 - Sep 1996 STRAT  Hawaii ER-2
Apr - Nov 1994 ASHOE/MAESA  Christchurch, NZ ER-2
Apr - May 1993 SPADE-2 NASA Ames ER-2
Oct - Nov 1992 SPADE-1 NASA Ames ER-2
Oct 1991 - Mar 1992 AASE-2 Fairbanks, AK & Bangor, ME ER-2
Dec 1988 - Feb 1989 AASE  Stavanger, Norway ER-2
Aug - Oct 1987 AAOE Punta Arenas, Chile ER-2
Dec 1986 - Mar 1987 STEP Darwin, Australia ER-2