NASA's flying lab to study air over Arctic

Valley Press on ^ | Tuesday, April 1, 2008. | ALLISON GATLIN

[BenLurkin]

PALMDALE - Its exterior bristling with sensors and collection equipment, its interior packed with scientific instruments, NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory is prepared to take off this morning to study the air over the Arctic Circle. The aircraft will participate in the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites - or ARCTAS - mission, a study of the makeup of the Arctic atmosphere and how it is affected by pollutants.

"As of today, we're ready to go. We're really excited," Frank Cutler, Dryden DC-8 project manager, said Monday as researchers completed the final checks on their instruments.

The mission is a joint effort with the National Aeronautic and Space Association, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and a number of other universities and research firms. It is part of the space agency's participation in the International Polar Year, an international scientific research effort focused on the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Atmospheric changes in the higher latitudes - such as beyond the Arctic Circle - are more evident than at lower latitudes and seem to be particularly sensitive to climate change issues, said Bob Curry, Dryden's director of science missions.

Changes in this region may be indicative of larger atmospheric changes overall.

The region also tends to be where a lot of pollutants coalesce, he said.

The cabin of the DC-8 airliner, which has been modified for use as a flying laboratory, has been filled with 22 different instruments, one of the largest loads ever installed into this aircraft, Cutler said.

"The combined suite of instruments gives you a huge amount of data," Curry said. The equipment is capable of measuring more than 40 different chemical constituents in the air.

[rellimpank]

-—I bet it’ll find something to justify expanding its budget-—

[Eyes Unclouded]

Funny how that works. Although sometimes I wonder if we had spent all the money we spend on social programs like welfare on science...

[denydenydeny]

Apparently NASA doesn’t have the money for a real space program but has unlimited funds to investigate Global Warming. *eyeroll*

[Mark]

If only Algore was on board.

[Parley Baer]

I did not know there were any DC-8’s still in service. Intersting.

[BlueDragon]

Where else to base an aircraft dedicated to studying things in Arctic regions, but by George, the Mojave Desert!

Wait, George is closed, nevermind...

[BlueDragon]

Here's a pic of the first DC-8, on it's first takeoff.

Studying air pollutants, huh? Expecting to find some? Needing to find some, to give a huge herd of grant writing pros,
on hand behind the effort, something to do?
Hmmm...

[BlueDragon]

Found another one, of the genuine NASA flying lab sort

Aircraft in glide mode here, engines shut down before
obviously staged photo op.

[Man50D]

I hope the flying lab doesn’t melt from global warming.

[taxesareforever]

Looking for a cuddly polar bear drowning due to ice melt. Hee hee hee.

[MediaMole]

Hey, NASA, how about some global warming over here? It’s so cold that the opening of the spring softball season has been pushed back three weeks.

Heck, all our ponds are still frozen solid and the kids’ spring fishing clinics may need to be turned into ice fishing clinics.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Apparently NASA doesn’t have the money for a real space program but has unlimited funds to investigate Global Warming. *eyeroll*"

NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This is well within NASA's charter.

I agree that NASA has done a crappy job in running the space program, but they "do" have other legitimate duties as an agency.

[Yo-Yo]

Nah, that's not a staged glide mode. The original JT3C turbojet engines (same engine is called the J57 on the B-52) were real smokers at full thrust.

NASA's DC-8 is a -72 that was re-engined with CFM56 turbofan engines. The CFM-56 doesn't smoke.

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[BlueDragon]

Nah, that's not a staged glide mode.

it was a joke. but then you knew that, and where highlighting the change of engines, that took place in '85-'86 or somewhere about that time? Had been a Alitalia plane. Then a Braniff plane, then sold to another outfit which [I assume] refitted the engines and sold it to NASA.

Borrowed from a model collector ---

[RightWhale]

An excellent effort to do real science.

[Yo-Yo]

Oh, that's different.

"Never mind."