Jeffrey Halverson UMBC Gary Wick NOAA ESRL Michael

Jeffrey Halverson, UMBC Gary Wick, NOAA ESRL Michael Black, NOAA HRD GRIP DROPSONDE SYSTEMS OVERVIEW

NASA & NOAA DROPSONDE PI RESPONSIBILITIES Jeffrey Halverson, UMBC – NASA DC-8, Global Hawk Dropsonde Science PI; will base out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL Gary Wick, NOAA ESRL – Global Hawk Dropsonde Instrument PI; will work from Global Hawk Operations Center at NASA Dryden Michael Black, NOAA HRD - Global Hawk Dropsonde Instrument PI; NOAA P-3 and G-IV dropsonde scientist

DROPSONDE DEPLOYMENT BY AIRCRAFT – GRIP, NOAA, PREDICT, USAF AGENCY AIRCRAFT SYSTEM SAMPLING NASA DC-8 G. Hawk AVAPS III UT >> sfc 300 (~30/mission) UT/LS >> sfc 500 (~ 60/mission) NOAA PREDICT USAF P-3 G-IV G-V P-3 C-130 AVAPS LMT >> sfc UT >> sfc AVAPS LMT >> sfc • UT = upper troposphere • LS = lower stratosphere • LMT = lower/middle troposphere EXPENDABLES

DC-8 DROPSONDES • NCAR design • Manufactured by Vaisala, Inc. • GPS winds • 2 Hz sampling of P, T, RH • 12 min descent from 12 km • 4 simultaneous channels • 400 -406 MHz telemetry • 300 transmission channels available

DC-8 AVAPS SYSTEM • Single rack w/ PC, telemetry chassis, color monitor • Install at rear bulkhead • Storage space for dropsondes • Requires install of GPS antenna, telemetry antenna on a/c fuse • Requires a/c power • Single operator capable, two operators desirable • 2 swivel chairs • Launch tube behind operator • Entire rack shipped intact from NCAR • GRIP operators (6 weeks) – Prof. Robert Pasken (SLU) & Halverson’s grad student

DC-8 DROPSONDE DATA PRODUCTS • Color Skew T/log P • R/T generation on a/c • NCAR ASPEN software • D-files (ASCII text) • TEMP DROP messages in R/T • Transmission of messages to GTS – bandwidth requirements • Minimal post-processing • Quicklooks available to Science Team immediately after flight •

GRIP DC-8 AVAPS INTEGRATION, FLIGHT READINESS ISSUES • AVAPS is proven technology on DC-8 (CAMEX-3, CAMEX-4, NAMMA) • Dropsondes on order from Vaisala • Installation & flight testing @ DFRC done by NCAR technician • NCAR has budgeted several days for in-field tech support if needed • NCAR does final QC of data post-mission in consultation w/ Halverson

GLOBAL HAWK DROPSONDE OVERVIEW

PRELIMINARY GLOBAL HAWK SONDE SPECIFICATIONS Size: 4. 56 cm dia. X 30. 5 cm length Mass: ~175 g (TBD) Fall rate: ~12 m/s at surface Sensors based on Vaisala RS-92 radiosonde sensor module Temperature: +60° to -90 ° C , 0. 1 ° C resolution Humidity: 0 to 100 %, 1 % resolution Pressure: 1080 to 3 mb, 0. 1 mb resolution 2 Hz update rate Winds based on OEM GPS receiver and position 4 Hz update rate Stable cone parachute design Remote control of power on/off and sonde release Designed for extreme environmental conditions Aircraft Dropsonde MIST Dropsonde

GLOBAL HAWK DROPSONDE SYSTEM AVAPS electronics Dropsonde launcher location

GLOBAL HAWK SYSTEM ELECTRONICS

GRIP GLOBAL HAWK DROPSONDE STATUS 500 sondes to be built by NCAR for GRIP (50 -60 per flight) Initial fit of main launcher envelope occurred mid. January Environmental and ground testing scheduled for early May with first test flight planned for mid-May NCAR field support planned for entire mission Mission operations led initially by Michael Black and Gary Wick from NOAA Schedule is tight but work currently progressing well Test fit of launcher envelope into GH Zone 61 (Picture courtesy Dave Fratello)

GRIP DROPSONDE OPERATIONS – MULTI -AIRCRAFT CONSTRAINTS • Many a/c will be releasing dropsondes in confined airspace, so close inter-agency coordination is essential • Daily coordination through CARCAH is required • Plan in advance the separation of dropsonde transmission frequencies – assign unique transmission blocks to each a/c • Dropsonde releases to be done only over water • Drops should be made from level flight; turns permitted after release • DC-8 AVAPS operator must notify Mission Manager in advance of intent to drop; MM will secure flight deck’s permission to drop • Each a/c will broadcast intent to drop on common VHF frequency • Ensure separation of stacked a/c during drops from high altitude