PACE-PAX

ER-2: 2.5 hour planned check flight, starting with a quick pair of lines over the USC_Seaprism site, followed by two long lines up and down the central valley. Expected cloud free throughout and moderate aerosol loads in central valley.

ER-2: 2.5 hour planned check flight, starting with a quick pair of lines over the USC_Seaprism site, followed by two long lines up and down the central valley. Expected cloud free throughout and moderate aerosol loads in central valley.
TO: Objectives: Evaluate payload performance over temperature and altitude range to facilitate planning for future science flights; demonstrate capability to perform maneuvers expected to be used during science flights (e.g. spirals, touch and go landings); check that facility instruments perform well in cloud.

TO: Profiles of aerosol scattering and absorption and size distributions together with scattering (polarized) phase functions above AERONET sites, with at least one spiral occurring during the PACE overpass for OCI and HARP2 aerosol retrieval algorithm validation.  Spirals planned at Fresno, SJED and Turlock with primary spiral in highest aerosol optical depths at SJED.

Coordinated TO + ER2 flight including an underpass of PACE over a marine stratocumulus covered ocean in the SPEXone swath for the ER2, followed by coordination with the Twin Otter offshore. Some overflight of aeronet in central valley with ER-2 as well.

Radiometry data and water samples for HPLC pigments analysis were collected at 2 stations. UCSB rapid response ship

Coordinated TO + ER2 + RS + RB + PACE operations. TO double sortie to Santa Barbara channel (Shearwater) and USC_SeaPRISM/Blissfully latter aligned with PACE overpass. ER2 overflies all in mostly cloud free conditions, including operations further north near a fire. PACE track along partly cloudy Sierra Nevada mts and over ocean near USC_SeaPRISM/Blissfully. TO RTB after refueling in Camarillo.

Twin Otter only flight out over the ocean to sample forecasted (smoke) aerosols above marine stratocumulus clouds west of the Monterey Bay during the PACE overpass (within OCI and HARP2 but not SPEXone swath).

Coordinated ER2+TO+EarthCARE; ER2+RB+RS+gliders. Smoke over SoCal Fires, lots of high AOD both inland and over USC_SeaPRISM. Good matchup with EarthCARE.

Short ER2 flight in Southern California focusing on extremely active Line, Airport and Bridge fires, with overpass of R/V Blissfully and HyperNAV offshore. Intense smoke from fires in eastern LA basin and downwind to the East and North, with imagery indicating creation of pyrocumulus. Overpass of Ivanpah Playa with possible moderate aerosol load. Over ocean is relatively cloud free with low aerosol optical depths.

No ER-2 for aircraft issue, TO, RB, RS operated during PACE overpass.

ER2 samples SoCal smoke on line with marine strat near coast, on to overpasses of blissfully, shearwater, hypernav but unfortunately clouds. Then up north for PACE track over clouds and return to hypernav location for time of PACE overpass. Cloud/cloud free unclear. After that RTB due to surface winds.

ER2+RV+RB+Glider+PACE+EarthCARE Generally very clear of clouds, although maybe cirrus near EarthCARE line. Very clear for ocean matchup, relatively low AOD under PACE line. JPL team at Ivanpah for successful er-2 overflight

RV+RB+Glider in PACE-Ohunderpass in generally cloud free conditions. No aircraft operations.

Planned ER2+TO+Shearwater+Blissfully operations mainly offshore in southern california. Perfect aligned EarthCARE track over Santa Barbara Channel (Orbit 1773). Double sortie of Twin Otter to get south. Unfortunately ER-2 flight scrubbed due to aircraft issue.

Planned ER2 +Shearwater and ER2+TO operations offshore in southern California (Shearwater) and in cloudy conditions near the Monterey Bay (TO). PACE track inland (20:20). Unfortunately ER-2 flight scrubbed due to NASA-wide grounding of all ER-2’s due to potential engine fire issue. Inspection showed no issue, to aircraft ready for next day. TO operations modified to be a short flight at the time of PACE overpass.

Hard down day. AFRC calls hard down due to crew hours. Twin Otter follows. Shearwater sails but does not sample at time of PACE overpass (cloudy anyway).

ER2 + Shearwater + HyperNAV in attempt to combine observations outside the Santa Barbara channel. Most likely unsuccessful due to clouds. This was the last chance at observations in the restricted flight area where the HyperNAV was located, which was why it was attempted (unsuccessfully) in potentially cloudy conditions. In the Central Valley, ER2 and Twin Otter coordinate for observations of smoke+dust, plus an overpass of Railroad Valley by the ER2.

Coordinated observations with ER-2 and Twin Otter with clouds and aerosols over land, then PACE and EarthCARE underpasses over land. Latter has some clouds. Clouds styme coordination with Gliders and R/V Shearwater in Santa Barbara channel.

Operations for Twin Otter aircraft only, offshore cloud observations during PACE and EarthCARE overpasses.

Last full coordination between ER-2, Twin Otter, Shearwater with PACE and EarthCARE overpasses. Generally cloud free with low aerosol optical depths. Note overflight of additional ground instrumentation in Reno, Nevada from DRI.

Last coordination between ER-2 and Twin Otter. ER-2 on PACE track. For the first time, overflights of R/V Rachel Carson in the Monterey Bay (PACE PVST PI Clarissa Anderson).

ER-2 (alone) flight with a long PACE track overflight along the Sierra Nevada mountains and California Central Valley. Generally cloud free, low aerosol loading over land and marine stratocumulus clouds over ocean. Good coordination with gliders.

Successful ER-2 (alone) flight with under flights by of PACE (offshore) and EarthCARE (California/Arizona border, orbit 1944). Generally cloud free onshore and limited cloud cover in offshore section. Also observations of smoke from “Happy” fire and Railroad Valley calibration reference.