NASA HS3 underway for 2013

[stormhunter7]

The Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) is underway tonight.
http://espo.nasa.gov/missions/hs3

last check the AV6 was at:
Aircraft: Global Hawk AV6 (NASA872)
Last Update (utc): 2013-08-21T02:16:40Z
Last Update Delta: (About 42 seconds ago)
Latitude: 17.415 (17° 24' 52.91")
Longitude: -50.914 (50° 54' 51.12")
Pressure Altitude (ft): 60563.90 (18459.88 m)
Heading (deg): 88.10
Ground Speed (kts): 323.84
Total Temperature (c): -55.60 (217.55 k)

[stormhunter7]

Pretty excited to see what the data from the dropsondes show... think we will finally know whats going on out here in the Atlantic and there are some other instruments aboard the AV6 aircraft that are part of the scientific project for HS3.



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[Hurricaneman]

I like that they're doing this, it gives us data like moisture content, if there's an anticyclone and the conditions ahead of a tropical system even way out

[stormhunter7]

This page may give you a better idea of what NASA HS3 is all about. Useful information

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurri ... index.html

[stormhunter7]

More Saharan Dust Blowing This Week: An HS3 Mission Focus:

http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/mor ... hZ5Fxusj2w

[stormhunter7]

Mission Update: The flight is done, but has the dust settled?

http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/mis ... hfSKRusj2x

So what did we see? We have an instrument on the plane called the Cloud Physics Lidar or CPL. Dr. Matt McGill at NASA Goddard is the principal investigator for CPL. CPL did indeed see lots of that dust up to altitudes of about 2 miles. Hence, we got a nice dusty flight.

[stormhunter7]

http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nas ... hgZchusj2z

The Cloud Physics Lidar, or CPL, instrument analyzed the SAL and showed an elevated dust layer between about 1.5 and 2.8 miles (2.5 and 4.5 km) overrunning the remnants of Erin. The low-level clouds associated with what was left of Erin were located below 1.2 miles (2 km).



http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files ... k=jUJ6cEZX
The Global Hawk’s Cloud Physics Lidar analyzed the Saharan Air Layer and showed an elevated dust layer (dark blue shading between 1.5 to 2.8 miles). The red shading beneath shows low-level clouds associated with Erin’s remnants. Lighter shading near 9.3 miles are thin cirrus clouds.
Image Credit: NASA