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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 | ||
| 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 |
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