G-III
Gulfstream III

The Airborne Expendable Conductivity Temperature Depth Probe (AXCTD) is an in situ expendable CTD sensor that is deployed from an aircraft. AXCTDs are released from the aircraft into the ocean, where they release a CTD probe to collect measurements of conductivity and temperature up to a depth of 1000 meters. These measurements are sent to the aircraft by radio operating in the 170-173 MHz frequency range. AXCTDs have a typical sampling rate of about 4 Hz and have a vertical resolution of less than 1 meter.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

The Airborne Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN-A) is an airborne interferometric synthetic aperture radar. GLISTIN-A operates in the Ka-band (35.6 GHz), which allows the instrument to penetrate the top layers of snow and reduces atmospheric attenuation. GLISTIN-A provides measurements of glacial and land ice surface topography and elevation with a spatial resolution of about 3 meters. It is ideal for measuring ice sheet elevation and studying glacial topographic changes due to its high spatial resolution and accuracy.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

The AirMOSS P-band Radar is an airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It was based on the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) L-band radar and has been part of the UAVSAR instrument suite since the AirMOSS investigation was completed in 2015. AirMOSS collects radar data to measure root-zone soil moisture, permafrost, underground structures, and subsurface changes. It operates over the 280-440 MHz frequency range and can detect up to 1.2 m below the land surface. AirMOSS has a slant range resolution of 7 m and a range swath width of 7 km at a nominal altitude of 12,500 m.

The Airborne Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN-A) is an airborne interferometric synthetic aperture radar. GLISTIN-A operates in the Ka-band (35.6 GHz), which allows the instrument to penetrate the top layers of snow and reduces atmospheric attenuation. GLISTIN-A provides measurements of glacial and land ice surface topography and elevation with a spatial resolution of about 3 meters. It is ideal for measuring ice sheet elevation and studying glacial topographic changes due to its high spatial resolution and accuracy.

The High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) is an airborne lidar system developed by NASA's Langley Research Center. HALO operates on four wavelengths (1645, 1064, 935, 532 nm) and combines Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) with High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) techniques to measure lidar backscatter and depolarization ratio. It provides vertical profiles of aerosol and cloud optical properties, atmospheric water vapor, and methane at a data rate of 2 Hz. HALO has a nominal spatial resolution of 12 km horizontally and 315 m vertically at an altitude of 10 km.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

The Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM) is an airborne push-broom spectrometer developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). PRISM was designed to provide the necessary spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution to characterize events in coastal zones that satellite observations cannot offer. The spectrometer within PRISM operates in the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared range (350-1050 nm) to capture imagery over coastal ocean regions. PRISM also includes a two-channel radiometer operating in the shortwave infrared (1240 and 1640 nm) wavelengths to deliver accurate ocean color measurements. It features a high temporal resolution (167 Hz) and can fly below cloud cover at various altitudes, enabling it to resolve spatial features down to 30 cm.

The Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) is an airborne lidar system designed specifically to provide multi-wavelength measurements of cirrus clouds, sub-visual cirrus clouds, and aerosols. It measures lidar backscatter at three wavelengths: 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm. These measurements can be used to determine cloud optical depth, particle size distribution, extinction profiles, aerosol layers, and other properties. CPL has a vertical resolution of 30 m and a typical horizontal resolution of 200 m. It has a measurement sampling rate of 1 Hz.

GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Airborne Simulator (GCAS) is an airborne push-broom instrument with two spectrometers. It was developed by the Radiometric Calibration and Flight Development Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as a simulator for the GEO-CAPE mission. The first spectrometer in GCAS operates in the ultraviolet to visible (300-490 nm) range for air quality observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), formaldehyde (HCHO), and other trace gases. The second spectrometer operates in the visible to near-infrared (480-900 nm) range to provide measurements of ocean color. GCAS has a typical spatial resolution of 250m across track and 500m along track at an altitude of 9 km, with a frame rate of 12 Hz.

The High Spectral Resolution Lidar 2 (HSRL-2) is an airborne lidar developed by NASA's Langley Research Center. HSRL-2 measures aerosol backscatter at 355, 532, and 1064 nm wavelengths and aerosol extinction at 355 and 532 nm wavelengths. It has a horizontal resolution of 1-2 km and a vertical resolution of 15 m, with measurements taken approximately every 0.5 seconds. It replaced the original High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL).

GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Airborne Simulator (GCAS) is an airborne push-broom instrument with two spectrometers. It was developed by the Radiometric Calibration and Flight Development Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as a simulator for the GEO-CAPE mission. The first spectrometer in GCAS operates in the ultraviolet to visible (300-490 nm) range for air quality observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), formaldehyde (HCHO), and other trace gases. The second spectrometer operates in the visible to near-infrared (480-900 nm) range to provide measurements of ocean color. GCAS has a typical spatial resolution of 250m across track and 500m along track at an altitude of 9 km, with a frame rate of 12 Hz.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

The Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer—Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) is an airborne imaging spectrometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It captures visible and infrared imagery primarily used for terrestrial ecology research. It operates between 380 and 2510 nm at a spectral resolution of 5 nm. It has a horizontal resolution of 8 m and a swath width of 4 km at an altitude of 8 km. Its measurement frequency is 100 Hz. It was designed to replace the AVIRIS Classic (AVIRIS-C).

The High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) is an airborne lidar system developed by NASA's Langley Research Center. HALO operates on four wavelengths (1645, 1064, 935, 532 nm) and combines Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) with High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) techniques to measure lidar backscatter and depolarization ratio. It provides vertical profiles of aerosol and cloud optical properties, atmospheric water vapor, and methane at a data rate of 2 Hz. HALO has a nominal spatial resolution of 12 km horizontally and 315 m vertically at an altitude of 10 km.

GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Airborne Simulator (GCAS) is an airborne push-broom instrument with two spectrometers. It was developed by the Radiometric Calibration and Flight Development Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as a simulator for the GEO-CAPE mission. The first spectrometer in GCAS operates in the ultraviolet to visible (300-490 nm) range for air quality observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), formaldehyde (HCHO), and other trace gases. The second spectrometer operates in the visible to near-infrared (480-900 nm) range to provide measurements of ocean color. GCAS has a typical spatial resolution of 250m across track and 500m along track at an altitude of 9 km, with a frame rate of 12 Hz.

The Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer—Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) is an airborne imaging spectrometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It captures visible and infrared imagery primarily used for terrestrial ecology research. It operates between 380 and 2510 nm at a spectral resolution of 5 nm. It has a horizontal resolution of 8 m and a swath width of 4 km at an altitude of 8 km. Its measurement frequency is 100 Hz. It was designed to replace the AVIRIS Classic (AVIRIS-C).

The Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM) is an airborne push-broom spectrometer developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). PRISM was designed to provide the necessary spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution to characterize events in coastal zones that satellite observations cannot offer. The spectrometer within PRISM operates in the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared range (350-1050 nm) to capture imagery over coastal ocean regions. PRISM also includes a two-channel radiometer operating in the shortwave infrared (1240 and 1640 nm) wavelengths to deliver accurate ocean color measurements. It features a high temporal resolution (167 Hz) and can fly below cloud cover at various altitudes, enabling it to resolve spatial features down to 30 cm.

The Airborne Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN-A) is an airborne interferometric synthetic aperture radar. GLISTIN-A operates in the Ka-band (35.6 GHz), which allows the instrument to penetrate the top layers of snow and reduces atmospheric attenuation. GLISTIN-A provides measurements of glacial and land ice surface topography and elevation with a spatial resolution of about 3 meters. It is ideal for measuring ice sheet elevation and studying glacial topographic changes due to its high spatial resolution and accuracy.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

The High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) is an airborne lidar system developed by NASA's Langley Research Center. HALO operates on four wavelengths (1645, 1064, 935, 532 nm) and combines Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) with High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) techniques to measure lidar backscatter and depolarization ratio. It provides vertical profiles of aerosol and cloud optical properties, atmospheric water vapor, and methane at a data rate of 2 Hz. HALO has a nominal spatial resolution of 12 km horizontally and 315 m vertically at an altitude of 10 km.

The Aerosol Wind Profiler (AWP) is an airborne Doppler lidar system developed at Langley Research Center. It measures lidar backscatter to retrieve vertical profiles of winds and aerosols. AWP operates at the 2052.92 nm wavelength and has a pulse repetition rate of 200 Hz. It provides vertical profiles at a resolution of less than 100 meters with 2 km spacing between each profile.

The Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) is a system mounted on aircraft that uses dropsondes and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to collect in situ atmospheric profiles. It provides measurements of temperature, pressure, and humidity every 0.5 seconds, and wind data every 0.25 seconds. AVAPS features a vertical resolution of about 10 meters and can launch dropsondes every 20 seconds. Developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for the NASA Global Hawk, it can also be used on other aircraft such as the DC-8 and P-3.

The Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer—Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) is an airborne imaging spectrometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It captures visible and infrared imagery primarily used for terrestrial ecology research. It operates between 380 and 2510 nm at a spectral resolution of 5 nm. It has a horizontal resolution of 8 m and a swath width of 4 km at an altitude of 8 km. Its measurement frequency is 100 Hz. It was designed to replace the AVIRIS Classic (AVIRIS-C).

The High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) is an airborne lidar system developed by NASA's Langley Research Center. HALO operates on four wavelengths (1645, 1064, 935, 532 nm) and combines Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) with High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) techniques to measure lidar backscatter and depolarization ratio. It provides vertical profiles of aerosol and cloud optical properties, atmospheric water vapor, and methane at a data rate of 2 Hz. HALO has a nominal spatial resolution of 12 km horizontally and 315 m vertically at an altitude of 10 km.

The High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) is an airborne lidar system developed at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). It uses the HSRL technique at 532 nm and the standard backscatter technique at 1064 nm to provide profile measurements of aerosol backscatter, extinction, and depolarization. The profiles of aerosol backscatter and depolarization typically have a vertical resolution of 30 m and a horizontal resolution of about 1 km. For the extinction profiles, the vertical resolution is 300 m with a horizontal resolution of approximately 6 km. HSRL is usually flown during investigations to validate observations from the CALIPSO spaceborne lidar.

The Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) is a system mounted on aircraft that uses dropsondes and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to collect in situ atmospheric profiles. It provides measurements of temperature, pressure, and humidity every 0.5 seconds, and wind data every 0.25 seconds. AVAPS features a vertical resolution of about 10 meters and can launch dropsondes every 20 seconds. Developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for the NASA Global Hawk, it can also be used on other aircraft such as the DC-8 and P-3.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.

The High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) is an airborne lidar system developed by NASA's Langley Research Center. HALO operates on four wavelengths (1645, 1064, 935, 532 nm) and combines Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) with High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) techniques to measure lidar backscatter and depolarization ratio. It provides vertical profiles of aerosol and cloud optical properties, atmospheric water vapor, and methane at a data rate of 2 Hz. HALO has a nominal spatial resolution of 12 km horizontally and 315 m vertically at an altitude of 10 km.

The MethaneAIR is an airborne imaging spectrometer designed as a simulator for the MethaneSAT satellite instrument. It includes two imaging spectrometers, one operating from 1592 to 1680 nm and the other from 1236 to 1319 nm. The longer-wavelength spectrometer detects methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption at 1.65 and 1.61 μm, respectively, while the other measures oxygen (O₂) absorption at 1.27 μm to constrain the optical path. It provides measurements of the total-column dry-air mole fractions of CH4 and CO2, as well as retrievals of total-column amounts to identify regional and large-scale emission sources. MethaneAIR has a nominal spatial resolution of 5 x 25 meters and a frame rate of 10 Hz.