Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
In-flight performance of the water vapor monitor onboard the sofia observatory
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Yuen, Lunming Hang, Richard Sisson, David Roellig, Thomas L. |
| Copyright Year | 2012 |
| Description | NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) airborne observatory flies in a modified B747-SP aircraft in the lower stratosphere above more than 99.9% of the Earth's water vapor. As low as this residual water vapor is, it will still affect SOFIA's infrared and sub-millimeter astronomical observations. As a result, a heterodyne instrument has been developed to observe the strength and shape of the 1830Hz rotational line of water, allowing measurements of the integrated water vapor overburden in flight. In order to be useful in correcting the astronomical signals, the required measured precipitable water vapor accuracy must be 2 microns or better, 3 sigma, and measured at least once a minute. The Water Vapor Monitor has flown 22 times during the SOFIA Early Science shared-risk period. The instrument water vapor overburden data obtained were then compared with concurrent data from GOES-V satellites to perform a preliminary calibration of the measurements. This presentation will cover the.results of these flights. The final flight calibration necessary to reach the required accuracy will await subsequent flights following the SOFIA observatory upgrade that is taking place during the spring and summer of 2012. |
| File Size | 178051 |
| Page Count | 1 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20120015912 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t2w42rd7d |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2012-06-10 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Astrophysics Goes Satellites Flight Characteristics Airborne Equipment Boeing 747 Aircraft Sofia Airborne Observatory Heterodyning Monitors Stratosphere Infrared Astronomy Water Vapor Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |