Convective Processes Experiment

The Microwave Atmospheric Sounder for Cubesat (MASC) is an airborne cross-track scanning microwave sounder developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It measures microwave radiances across eight channels near the 118 GHz oxygen and 183 GHz water vapor lines. These measurements are used to derive atmospheric temperature and humidity. It has a spatial resolution of 15 km at 183 GHz and 20 km at 118 GHz. MASC scans at 30 revolutions per minute. MASC was designed as a 6U CubeSat and as a prototype for the TEMPEST-D EVI-2 technology demonstrator.

The High Altitude Monolithic Microwave integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) is an airborne microwave sounder developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory through the NASA Instrument Incubator Program. HAMSR measures brightness temperature, which can be used to derive three-dimensional profiles of atmospheric temperature, water vapor, and cloud liquid water. It operates across 25 spectral channels in three microwave bands (50-60 GHz, 118 GHz, 183 GHz) and has a sampling frequency of 5 seconds. HAMSR has a horizontal spatial resolution of 2 km at nadir and a field of view of approximately 40 km at an altitude of 20 km.

Dropsondes, also known as dropwindsondes, are in situ instruments released from aircraft. They are equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and sensors that collect vertical profiles of pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. Dropsondes are important during field investigations because they enable researchers to collect vertical profiles in remote locations and during severe weather. Typically, dropsondes have a vertical resolution of 5 meters and provide wind speed and direction measurements every 0.25 seconds, while temperature, pressure, and humidity are recorded every 0.5 seconds.

The Microwave Temperature and Humidity Profiler (MTHP) is an airborne microwave radiometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It was designed as an improved version of the Microwave Temperature Profiler (MTP), adding an additional frequency band to measure humidity. MTHP collects measurements ahead of the flight path and above and below the aircraft to generate vertical temperature and humidity profiles. It measures temperature in the 60 GHz channel and humidity in the 183 GHz channel. MTHP has a scan rate of 1.5 seconds.

The Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN) is an airborne lidar developed by NASA Langley Research Center. DAWN uses a pulsed, solid-state laser operating at 2 micrometers to detect atmospheric aerosol backscatter. It also provides vertical profiles of horizontal winds below the aircraft and line-of-sight winds at each azimuth angle. Typically, DAWN delivers profiles with a 60-m resolution and emits pulses at 10 Hz.

The Airborne Third Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-3) is an airborne Doppler dual-polarization radar. It measures Doppler velocity and radar reflectivity at three frequencies: 13.4 GHz, 35.6 GHz, and 94 GHz. These measurements are used to determine the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation characteristics. APR-3 has a horizontal resolution of 700-800 meters at an altitude of 10 km and a vertical resolution of 60 meters. It was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and replaced the APR-2.