The NASA-ER2 meteorological measurement system: Instrumentaion, calibration and intercomparison results

The NASA ER-2 aircraft is used as a platform for high altitude atmospheric missions. The Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) was designed specifically for atmospheric research to provide accurate, fast response, in situ measurements of pressure, temperature, and the three dimensional wind vector. The MMS consists of three subsystems: an air motion sensing system to measure the velocity of the air with respect to the aircraft, a high resolution Inertial Navigation System (INS) to measure the velocity of the aircraft with respect to the Earth, and a Data Acquisition System, to sample, process and record the measured quantities. Details of each of these systems are given. The location of the MMS instrumentation is illustrated. The calibration of the MMS is discussed and results on an intercomparison of MMS measurements, Vaisala radiosonde observation and radar tracking data are given. An illustration of the MMS measurement of vertical wind is given.