Concept Development and Risk Reduction for MISTiC Winds, A Micro-Satellite Constellation Approach for Vertically Resolved Wind and IR Sounding Observations in the Troposphere
MISTiC Winds is an instrument and constellation mission approach to simultaneously observe the global thermodynamic state and the vertically resolved horizontal wind field in the troposphere from LEO SSO. The instrument is a wide-field imaging spectrometer operated in the 4.05−5.75 	...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-09-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/18/2169 |
| _version_ | 1798025838077149184 |
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| author | Kevin Maschhoff John Polizotti Hartmut Aumann Joel Susskind Dennis Bowler Christopher Gittins Mark Janelle Samuel Fingerman |
| author_facet | Kevin Maschhoff John Polizotti Hartmut Aumann Joel Susskind Dennis Bowler Christopher Gittins Mark Janelle Samuel Fingerman |
| author_sort | Kevin Maschhoff |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | MISTiC Winds is an instrument and constellation mission approach to simultaneously observe the global thermodynamic state and the vertically resolved horizontal wind field in the troposphere from LEO SSO. The instrument is a wide-field imaging spectrometer operated in the 4.05−5.75 μm range, with the spectral resolution, sampling, radiometric sensitivity, and stability needed to provide temperature and water vapor soundings of the atmosphere, with 1 km vertical resolution in the troposphere-comparable to those of NASA’s atmospheric infrared sounder (AIRS). These instruments have much higher spatial resolution (<3 km at nadir) and finer spatial sampling than current hyperspectral sounders, allowing a sequence of such observations from several micro-satellites in an orbital plane with short time separation, from which atmospheric motion vector (AMV) winds are derived. AMVs for both cloud-motion and water vapor-motion, derived from hyperspectral imagery, will have improved velocity resolution relative to AMVs obtained from multi-spectral instruments operating in GEO. MISTiC’s extraordinarily small size, low mass (<15 kg), and minimal cooling requirements can be accommodated aboard an ESPA-class microsatellite. Low fabrication and launch costs enable this constellation to provide more frequent atmospheric observations than current-generation sounders provide, at much lower mission cost. Key technology and observation method risks have been reduced through recent laboratory and airborne (NASA ER2) testing funded under NASA’s Instrument Incubator Program and BAE Systems IR&D, and through an observing system simulation experiment performed by NASA GMAO. This approach would provide a valuable new capability for the study of the processes driving high-impact weather events, and critical high-resolution observations needed for future numerical weather prediction. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:26:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-72b42afc61334e3092ee9c1b08232cbf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:26:27Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-72b42afc61334e3092ee9c1b08232cbf2022-12-22T04:09:37ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922019-09-011118216910.3390/rs11182169rs11182169Concept Development and Risk Reduction for MISTiC Winds, A Micro-Satellite Constellation Approach for Vertically Resolved Wind and IR Sounding Observations in the TroposphereKevin Maschhoff0John Polizotti1Hartmut Aumann2Joel Susskind3Dennis Bowler4Christopher Gittins5Mark Janelle6Samuel Fingerman7BAE Systems, P.O. Box 868, Nashua, NH 03061, USABAE Systems, P.O. Box 868, Nashua, NH 03061, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 02771, USABAE Systems, P.O. Box 868, Nashua, NH 03061, USABAE Systems, P.O. Box 868, Nashua, NH 03061, USABAE Systems, P.O. Box 868, Nashua, NH 03061, USAUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USAMISTiC Winds is an instrument and constellation mission approach to simultaneously observe the global thermodynamic state and the vertically resolved horizontal wind field in the troposphere from LEO SSO. The instrument is a wide-field imaging spectrometer operated in the 4.05−5.75 μm range, with the spectral resolution, sampling, radiometric sensitivity, and stability needed to provide temperature and water vapor soundings of the atmosphere, with 1 km vertical resolution in the troposphere-comparable to those of NASA’s atmospheric infrared sounder (AIRS). These instruments have much higher spatial resolution (<3 km at nadir) and finer spatial sampling than current hyperspectral sounders, allowing a sequence of such observations from several micro-satellites in an orbital plane with short time separation, from which atmospheric motion vector (AMV) winds are derived. AMVs for both cloud-motion and water vapor-motion, derived from hyperspectral imagery, will have improved velocity resolution relative to AMVs obtained from multi-spectral instruments operating in GEO. MISTiC’s extraordinarily small size, low mass (<15 kg), and minimal cooling requirements can be accommodated aboard an ESPA-class microsatellite. Low fabrication and launch costs enable this constellation to provide more frequent atmospheric observations than current-generation sounders provide, at much lower mission cost. Key technology and observation method risks have been reduced through recent laboratory and airborne (NASA ER2) testing funded under NASA’s Instrument Incubator Program and BAE Systems IR&D, and through an observing system simulation experiment performed by NASA GMAO. This approach would provide a valuable new capability for the study of the processes driving high-impact weather events, and critical high-resolution observations needed for future numerical weather prediction.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/18/2169atmospheric motion-vector windsvertical wind profileinfrared temperature soundingwater vapor soundingmoisture sounding |
| spellingShingle | Kevin Maschhoff John Polizotti Hartmut Aumann Joel Susskind Dennis Bowler Christopher Gittins Mark Janelle Samuel Fingerman Concept Development and Risk Reduction for MISTiC Winds, A Micro-Satellite Constellation Approach for Vertically Resolved Wind and IR Sounding Observations in the Troposphere Remote Sensing atmospheric motion-vector winds vertical wind profile infrared temperature sounding water vapor sounding moisture sounding |
| title | Concept Development and Risk Reduction for MISTiC Winds, A Micro-Satellite Constellation Approach for Vertically Resolved Wind and IR Sounding Observations in the Troposphere |
| title_full | Concept Development and Risk Reduction for MISTiC Winds, A Micro-Satellite Constellation Approach for Vertically Resolved Wind and IR Sounding Observations in the Troposphere |
| title_fullStr | Concept Development and Risk Reduction for MISTiC Winds, A Micro-Satellite Constellation Approach for Vertically Resolved Wind and IR Sounding Observations in the Troposphere |
| title_full_unstemmed | Concept Development and Risk Reduction for MISTiC Winds, A Micro-Satellite Constellation Approach for Vertically Resolved Wind and IR Sounding Observations in the Troposphere |
| title_short | Concept Development and Risk Reduction for MISTiC Winds, A Micro-Satellite Constellation Approach for Vertically Resolved Wind and IR Sounding Observations in the Troposphere |
| title_sort | concept development and risk reduction for mistic winds a micro satellite constellation approach for vertically resolved wind and ir sounding observations in the troposphere |
| topic | atmospheric motion-vector winds vertical wind profile infrared temperature sounding water vapor sounding moisture sounding |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/18/2169 |
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