DC-8 mission planning

A number of tasks needed to be performed to operate the DC-8 aircraft in the Arctic Ozone Expedition during 1989. These included development of improved navigational computer programs and performing advanced planning for flight tracks. The missions required further work in the field to plan flight tracks and to establish a data archive. The DC-8 aircraft was operated during the deployment phase of the Arctic Ozone Expedition. Data were collected revealing the presence of extensive systems of polar stratospheric clouds. The data also showed the evolution of the chlorine and nitrogen chemistry within the Arctic vortex. A navigational computer code was improved so that the DC-8 navigators could perform their function more efficiently.