NASA Earth Science UAS Mission Requirements

1. NASA Earth Science UAS Mission Requirements Don Sullivan NASA Ames Research Center dsullivan@gaia.arc.nasa.gov

2. Suborbital Science Program Add to the understanding and prediction of the Earth system. Suborbital observations fill time and space gap between surface observing networks and orbital platforms. • Objectives • Development of new space sensors and new remote-sensing techniques. • Satellite calibration/validation. • Targeted observations of ephemeral phenomena with variable temporal and spatial scales. • Atmosphere/near-space in-situ observations. • Improvement and validation of predictive Earth process models using satellite data. • Next-generation scientists with hands-on sensor hardware and field experiment experience. Sounding Rocket Program Balloon Program Aircraft & UAS Program

3. Earth Science Mission Types • Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry • Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems • Climate Change • Water and Energy • Weather • Earth Surface and Interior

4. UAS System Capabilities • High altitude, low altitude, stacked • Long range, long endurance • Varied payloads: remote sensing and in situ sampling • Global missions: poles, equator, remote • Over-the-horizon communications • Collaborative planning, scheduling and tracking,especially for multiple aircraft operations

5. “Suborbital Science Missions of the Future” Platform Requirements

6. Example Missions

7. Atmospheric Chemistry Missions

8. Cloud, Aerosol, Water Vapor, and Total Water Measurements, cont’d

9. Vegetation Structure, Composition, and Canopy Chemistry, cont’d

10. Active Fire, Emissions, and Plume Assessment, cont’d

11. Southern Ocean Carbon Cycle, cont’d

12. Hurricane

13. Antarctic Explorer, cont’d

14. What we did this weekend

15. When we should have been working on this presentation

16. Bandwidth and Spectrum Summary • HALE == Commercial Ku/Ka • MALE == License, arer wide • LAME == Commercial Iridium or equiv • Mixed need all… • NOBODY needs more Ch4 “notes”