17 Oct 2002
BAE Systems Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), launched May 2002, on board the Earth Observing System (EOS) Aqua Observatory, has successfully completed all engineering checkout and calibration operations and is now transmitting continuous, uninterrupted data to the Project Science Team, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the parent organisation of the National Weather Service.
AIRS, a new generation, space-borne research tool designed to make highly accurate measurements of air temperature and humidity on a global scale, was developed for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) by BAE Systems Information & Electronic Warfare Systems (IEWS) business unit.
"AIRS is one of the 'crown jewels' of EOS," said Paul Morse, BAE Systems Engineering director. "It was an absolute thrill to see the quality of the 'First Light' data and to know all of our hard work had paid off. We are immensely proud of our role in developing this instrument of international significance."
"The 'First Light' data from the AIRS spectrometer and its two companion instruments - the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil - are exceeding the expectations of the world's meteorological community," said Dr. Moustafa Chahine, science team leader at JPL. The results, project scientists say, will substantially increase accuracy of short-term weather predictions; improve tracking of severe weather events, like hurricanes; and allow advances in climate research.
"The three sounding instruments working together will comprehensively capture a continuous detailed picture of Earth's atmosphere for use in global weather prediction and climate studies," said Chahine.
AIRS uses high-performance infrared detectors to obtain complete 3-D observations of weather from the surface through clouds and up to the top of the atmosphere with "unprecedented accuracy" said Morse.
With nearly 2,400 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena.
According to Dr. Chahine, "The accuracy of computer models is dependent upon the quality of today's weather information. AIRS will effectively multiply the existing 4,000 weather balloons by 100, giving us global coverage over land and sea from space with the same data quality as ground-launched balloons. This additional data will dramatically reduce errors that have traditionally limited the range of current weather forecast models."
Following a short science validation phase, AIRS data will be integrated into existing weather prediction models by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction and six of the world's leading weather prediction centres. Data will also be distributed to the World Meteorological Organisation in Switzerland, where it will be made available to more than 100 countries.
About BAE SYSTEMS:
BAE Systems is a systems company, innovating for a safer world. BAE Systems employs nearly 100,000 people including Joint Ventures, and has annual sales of around 13 billion. The company offers a global capability in air, sea, land and space with a world-class prime contracting ability supported by a range of key skills. BAE Systems designs, manufactures, and supports military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, space systems, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, guided weapon systems and a range of other defence products. BAE Systems is dedicated to making the intelligent connections needed to deliver innovative solutions.
BAE Systems North America is a high-technology U.S. company employing more than 22,000 Americans who live and work in 29 states and Washington, D.C. The company is dedicated to solving our customers needs with both highly innovative and leading-edge solutions across the defence electronics, systems, information technology and services arenas.
BAE Systems Information & Electronic Warfare Systems employs more than 4,600 people at eight major facilities in five states. The business unit is a major producer of aircraft self-protection systems and tactical surveillance and intelligence systems for all branches of the armed forces. Other major business areas include microwave, mission and space electronics; infrared imaging; and automated mission planning systems.
