Platform

Sailplane
NCAR Sailplane

1: Campaigns
0: Data Products

NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory passes Antarctica's tallest peak, Mount Vinson, on Oct. 22, 2012, during a flight over the continent to measure changes in the massive ice sheet and sea ice. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger (Photography courtesy NASA Images)

Overview

The Explorer sailplane, owned and operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), is an all-metal, two-seat high-performance glider. It has a stall speed of 47 miles per hour and a maximum speed of 158 miles per hour, with a maximum weight capacity of 1,550 pounds. The sailplane is equipped as a cloud physics aircraft and collects measurements related to temperature, pressure, vertical wind, cloud and precipitation particle spectra and charge, and electric field properties.