Abstract
A unique opportunity exists during the 2017 total solar eclipse that traverses the United States to study atmospheric chemistry by obtaining high altitude aircraft and balloon based measurements during this once-in-a-lifetime event. The Total Eclipse Aircraft Mission (TEAM) is a high altitude aircraft mission concept that is intended to acquire complementary measurements to those taken from high-altitude balloon platforms along the eclipse path using the University of North Dakota's Citation Research Aircraft. Initial plans are to accurately measure temperature, O3, OH-, and NOX as a function of eclipse obscuration. One of the mission architectures under consideration includes a flight that begins and ends in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The research jet would ascend to its mission altitude in the lower stratosphere at an altitude of approximately 13 km, and begin gathering data while total eclipse is still over the Pacific Ocean. The aircraft would then intercept the eclipse line over Nebraska just before totality in that region, and be overtaken by the eclipse. The jet would return to its base in Grand Forks as total eclipse proceeds toward the southeastern portion of the United States, all the while collecting atmospheric data within the stratosphere. This paper will present the TEAM mission objectives, mission architecture, and outline the schedule, cost, and risk associated with this mission, along with tentative high-level functional and operational performance requirements.
Total Eclipse Aircraft Mission (TEAM)
A unique opportunity exists during the 2017 total solar eclipse that traverses the United States to study atmospheric chemistry by obtaining high altitude aircraft and balloon based measurements during this once-in-a-lifetime event. The Total Eclipse Aircraft Mission (TEAM) is a high altitude aircraft mission concept that is intended to acquire complementary measurements to those taken from high-altitude balloon platforms along the eclipse path using the University of North Dakota's Citation Research Aircraft. Initial plans are to accurately measure temperature, O3, OH-, and NOX as a function of eclipse obscuration. One of the mission architectures under consideration includes a flight that begins and ends in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The research jet would ascend to its mission altitude in the lower stratosphere at an altitude of approximately 13 km, and begin gathering data while total eclipse is still over the Pacific Ocean. The aircraft would then intercept the eclipse line over Nebraska just before totality in that region, and be overtaken by the eclipse. The jet would return to its base in Grand Forks as total eclipse proceeds toward the southeastern portion of the United States, all the while collecting atmospheric data within the stratosphere. This paper will present the TEAM mission objectives, mission architecture, and outline the schedule, cost, and risk associated with this mission, along with tentative high-level functional and operational performance requirements.