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NASA’s ER-2 Earth Resources aircraft is a fixed-wing jet aircraft that serves as a bridge between satellite and in-situ observations. NASA operates two ER-2 aircraft. The ER-2 has a maximum flight duration of 12 hours and can operate at an altitude of up to 70,000 feet, affording the platform a unique vantage point to collect observations at a height above 95% of the atmosphere. The ER-2 can support 2,900 pounds of payload, with a single pilot occupant.
Type
Jet
Data Center
GHRC DAAC
LP DAAC
ORNL DAAC
Launch
1981
Objective
Collect remote sensing and in situ data on Earth resources
Instruments Aboard NASA ER-2
| Instrument Name | Operational Date(s) | Spectral Resolution | Type of Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) | 4 Bands: 10.7 GHz, 19.35 GHz, 37.1 GHz, 85.5 GHz |
Spectrometer/Radiometer | |
| Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer - Classic (AVIRIS-C) | 1987 - 2025 | 400 to 2500 nm |
Spectrometer/Radiometer |
| Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer - Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) | 2012 - present | 5 nm |
Spectrometer/Radiometer |
| Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) | 2000 - present | 1064, 532, and 355 nm |
Profiler/Sounder |
| Cloud Radar System (CRS) | Radar | ||
| ER-2 Doppler Radar (EDOP) | Doppler Radar | ||
| Enhanced MODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS) | Jan. 1995 - present | 38 spectral channels at 0.445-14.1 µm |
Spectrometer/Radiometer |
| ER-2 X-band Doppler Radar (EXRAD) | Doppler Radar | ||
| 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 | |
| High-Altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP) | 13.47 GHz, 13.91 GHz, 33.72 GHz, 35.56 GHz |
Radar | |
| Hyperspectral Thermal Emissions Spectrometer (HyTES) | July 2012 - November 2023 | 25 - 40 Thz |
Spectrometer/Radiometer |
| Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) | Spectrometer/Radiometer | ||
| Lightning Instrument Package (LIP) | Field Mills and Conductivity Probes | ||
| Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS) | April 1 - September 30, 1998 | 0.42-12.56 μm |
Spectrometer/Radiometer |
| MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER Spectrometer) | 1998 - present | 50 spectral channels in the 0.4-13 μm wavelength |
Spectrometer/Radiometer |
| NPOESS Aircraft Sounder Testbed - Microwave Temperature Sounder (NAST-MTS) | 50 - 56 GHz |
Profiler/Sounder | |
| Pushbroom Imager for Cloud and Aerosol Research and Development (PICARD) | Sept. 2024 - present | Spectrometer/Radiometer | |
| Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM) | 186 THz, 242 THz, 285 - 857 THz |
Spectrometer/Radiometer | |
| TROPICS Millimeter-wave Sounder (TMS) | May 25, 2023 - present | W-band 92 GHz; F-band 114 to 119 GHz; G-band 183 and 204 GHz |
Earth Observation Satellite |
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