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STATUS: 04.26.2012

Spacecraft Status

Happy Birthday, AIM! Five years old and still going strong! The spacecraft continues to perform nominally. We have several uploads awaiting bitlock and we have scheduled more TDRS relay satellite contacts. All other systems are healthy.

Instrument Status

The SOFIE instrument continues to operate nominally.  SOFIE observations have provided the first observational evidence that ice particles comprising PMCs contain small amounts of meteoric smoke. The Figure below demonstrates that the majority of SOFIE extinction ratios are not explained model predictions for PMC particles composed of pure ice, but can be explained by simulations considering a mixture of ice and meteoric smoke. The model results considered particles with an axial ratio of two, Gaussian size distributions with median radii from 2 to 80 nm (larger radii towards the left), and a meteoric smoke composition of Mg0.1Fe0.9O. The example shown is for SOFIE observations at the peak PMC altitude for the Southern PMC season of 2009-10, and similar results are found for other observations in both hemispheres.  The SOFIE observations are used to simultaneously retrieve the PMC particle size and the volume content of smoke in ice. The results indicate that PMC particles contain 0.01 – 3% smoke by volume,  and show that retrieved PMC particle sizes are smaller (~24%) when accounting for smoke compared to assuming pure ice.  

SOFIE Extinction Ratios


CIPS
continues to perform well, with no health issues. We successfully transition to northern hemisphere pointing in March, and are ready for the next season to begin in May. The figure below summarizes the CIPS retrievals of PMC ice water content for all seasons thus far observed, at a latitude of 85° N/S. We are introducing a new data product, level 3E. This product contains all CIPS observations within 100 km of specific ground-based observing stations, which are listed in the table below. This product is currently being tested, and will be available prior to the start of the NH 2012 season.

#

Name

latitude

longitude

1 Alomar 69.278 16.009
2 IAP 54.117 11.772
3 SvalSat 78.230 15.395
4 Sondrestrom 66.997 -50.615
5 Poker Flat 65.117 -147.461
6 Eureka 80.00 -86.25
7 Davis -68.574 77.976
8 Rothera -67.568 -68.123
9 McMurdo -77.847 166.671
10 Syowa -69.000 39.583
11 Andoya 69.294 16.020
12 MISU 59.365 18.058
13 Royal Observatory 55.920 -3.190
14 Thurso 58.600 -3.530
15 Athabasca 54.720 -113.286
16 La Ronge 55.1 -105.3


CIPS Data

Mission Status Archive

Spacecraft & Instrument Status

2012
09.12.12

07.20.12
04.26.12

02.10.12

2011
09.24.11
07.18.11
06.01.11
05.08.11
02.15.11


2010
12.03.10
11.05.10
10.01.10
09.10.10
08.10.10
06.07.10
04.25.10

03.18.10
01.22.10

2009
11.13.09
10.13.09
09.12.09
08.08.09
07.17.09
06.25.09
05.01.09
04.03.09
03.16.09
03.01.09
02.10.09
01.19.09

2008
12.22.08
12.05.08
11.01.08
10.01.08
09.03.08
08.15.08
08.01.08
07.11.08
07.04.08
06.27.08
06.20.08
06.13.08
06.06.08
05.30.08
05.23.08
05.16.08
05.09.08
05.02.08
04.25.08
04.18.08
04.11.08
04.04.08
03.28.08
03.21.08
03.14.08

04-25-07 - 02.07.08

Summary Status

Science Status

Spacecraft, Instrument and Science Processing System

 
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The AIM mission is a part of
NASA's Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum.

Responsible Official: James M. Russell III

Web Curator: Emily M. W. Hill
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