[meteorite-list] Air Force Gives NASA Scientists A Lift For Leonid Mission

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:06:16 2004
Message-ID: <200211211634.IAA10945_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

Air Force News Service

November 15, 2002

Air Force gives NASA scientists a lift for Leonid mission
By Rob Bardua, Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- Air Force flight
test experts, NASA researchers, and a team of 42
astrobiologists from seven countries depart here Nov. 15 for
a mission to Spain to observe and collect data on both of
this year's Leonid meteor showers. The scientists will look
for clues to the diversity of comets and their impact on the
chemistry of life's origin on Earth.

Dr. Michael Meyer, a senior scientist for astrobiology at
NASA headquarters in Washington is among the researchers who
are looking for answers as to whether meteors might have
showered the Earth with the molecules necessary for life's
origin.

According to Meyer, the team is eager to find out what
material from space rains down on Earth and what happens to
the organic matter when it interacts with the atmosphere.

The researchers are expecting to observe the first storm
peak Nov. 18 at 11 p.m. EST just after departing from
Torrejon Air Base, Spain. Then they will observe the second
storm at 5:30 a.m. Nov. 19 over the Great Lakes, en route
to Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

One of the aircraft the team will use is a specifically
modified NKC-135E Stratotanker, operated by Test Operations
here. The Stratotanker will fly with NASA's DC-8 airborne
laboratory aircraft and provide stereoscopic observations
and spectroscopic measurements of mid-infrared and optical
meteor missions.

In order to accomplish this, the NKC-135E aircraft is
equipped with more than 11 quartz-crystal windows designed
to support advanced technology optical data collection.

"There are very few aircraft with this many windows down the
center, and you can put all sorts of instruments and cameras
in the aircraft to conduct this mission," said Maj. Jon
Haser, Edwards' global operations flight commander, and
navigator for the mission. Haser, who has flown on two other
Leonid missions for the Air Force, said the team learned
after the first flight that the position and angle of where
the two aircraft fly are critical factors in determining
the quality of the research information that is collected.

"In the very first mission in 1998, we flew in a stacked
formation but the data that we collected wasn't quite as
good as what we had hoped for," said Haser. "So in 1999,
we changed the flight so that the two aircraft would fly
at 30-degree angle, about 60 miles apart, but at the same
altitude, and we were able to get much better data. It's
been that way ever since."

According to Haser, another reason the data has improved on
each mission is because they have been able to have many of
the same people on the flights and subsequently become more
familiar with each other.

"Flying with foreign scientists aboard a U.S. aircraft is
very different because they are not used to the normal Air
Force rules," said Haser. "At first, you don't know what
to expect from them, but the more you work with them, the
better everyone is able to get in-tune with what the
procedures are and what to watch for."

Meteor storms have historically eluded planned observation.
The Leonid storms offer an opportunity to plan viewing based
on heir predicted appearance. The Leonids are minute dust
particles shed by Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet swings
around the sun once every 33 years, leaving a trail of dust.
Each November, the Earth's orbit takes it through the slowly
dissipating trail. This year's Leonid mission is scheduled
to be the final one for NASA's astrobiology and planetary
program.

IMAGE CAPTION:
[http://www.af.mil/photos/images/021115_53.jpg (181KB)]
A modified NKC-135E Stratotanker aircraft, operated by Test
Operations at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is prepared for
a mission to take scientists up to observe an upcoming Leonid
meteor shower. The aircraft is equipped with more than 11
quartz-crystal windows designed to support advanced
technology optical data collection. (Photo by Rob Bardua)
Received on Thu 21 Nov 2002 11:34:28 AM PST