Tropospheric CO measurement experiment from the second Space Shuttle flight

The MAPS experiment was designed to remotely measure the mixing ratio of carbon monoxide in the middle and upper troposphere using a gas filter radiometer as the sensing instrument. The asymmetrical worldwide distribution of CO is discussed as background, and the experimental scientific and technical objectives are briefly stated. The gas filter radiometer is described in detail, and the second Shuttle mission is summarized. Auxiliary and correlative data were obtained in order to evaluate the performance of the measurement system, to assess the effect of stratospheric ozone on the radiometer signals, and to determine the effect of the underlying surface. The experiment acquired about 32 hours of data between 38 deg N and 38 deg S, signal-to-noise ratios were as predicted and the instrument achieved satisfactory stability in spite of large temperature variations. Data reduction is in progress.