Due to the lapse in federal government funding, NASA is not updating this website. We sincerely regret this inconvenience.
The NASA DC-8 is a Douglas DC-8 jetliner that has been modified to support NASA’s Airborne Science objectives. The DC-8 has a maximum flight duration of 12 hours and can operate up to an altitude of 42,000 ft. It can support a payload of up to 30,000 lbs and can seat up to 45 researchers and flight crew members.
The DC-8 is outfitted with a navigational recording system which in combination with the Research Environment for Vehicle-Embedded Analysis on Linux (REVEAL) system provides detailed flight parameters such as airspeed, altitude, roll/pitch/yaw angles, ground speed, flight level wind speed, temperature, and many others.
The DC-8 was retired in April 2024.
Type
Jet
Data Center
GHRC DAAC
ORNL DAAC
Launch
1987
Objective
Research studies of Earth's surface and atmosphere
Instruments Aboard NASA DC-8
| Instrument Name | Operational Date(s) | Spectral Resolution | Type of Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) (AIRSAR) | Polarization - Full |
Imaging Radar | |
| Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) | 4 Bands: 10.7 GHz, 19.35 GHz, 37.1 GHz, 85.5 GHz |
Spectrometer/Radiometer | |
| Airborne Second Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-2) | Profiler/Sounder | ||
| Airborne Rain Mapping Radar (ARMAR) | Profiler/Sounder | ||
| Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) | Varies by instrument model |
Altimeters | |
| Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) | Profiler/Sounder | ||
| Cloud and Aerosol Particle Characterization (CAPAC) | In Situ/Laboratory Instrument | ||
| Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS) | Spectrometer/Radiometer | ||
| Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN) | Profiler/Sounder | ||
| Differential Absorption LIDAR (DIAL) | Profiler/Sounders | ||
| Dropsonde (Dropsonde) | Profiler/Sounder | ||
| High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) | June 2019 - present | 1645, 1064, 935, 532 nm |
Altimeter |
| High Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) | 25 sounding channels in three bands: 50-60 GHz, 118 GHz, 183 GHz |
Profiler/Sounder | |
| Jet Propulsion Laboratory Standing Acoustic Wave Hygrometer (JPL SAW) | |||
| Ku-Band Radar Altimeter (KBRA) | Altimeter | ||
| Heitronics KT19 Infrared Pyrometer (KT19 Pyrometer) | Pyrometer | ||
| Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) | Spectrometer/Radiometer | ||
| Lightning Instrument Package (LIP) | Field Mills and Conductivity Probes | ||
| Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) | 2017 - present | Altimeter | |
| Multicenter Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS) | Profiler/Sounder | ||
| MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER Spectrometer) | 1998 - present | 50 spectral channels in the 0.4-13 μm wavelength |
Spectrometer/Radiometer |
| Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) | Recorder/Logger | ||
| Precipitation and Imaging Probe (PIP) | Spectrometer/Radiometer | ||
| Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR) | Spectrometers/Radiometers | ||
| Snow Radar | Profilers/Sounder |
Frequently Asked Questions
Earthdata Forum
Our online forum provides a space for users to browse thousands of FAQs about research needs, data, and data applications. You can also submit new questions for our experts to answer.
Submit Questions to Earthdata Forumand View Expert Responses