Western Region Space Grant Conference-Reno

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Western Region Space Grant Conference-Reno Septemb
er 19, 2009
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Program Objectives

• Satellite Calibration and Validation
• Provide platforms to enable essential calibration
  measurements
• for the Earth observing satellites, and the
  validation of
• data retrieval algorithms.
• New Sensor Development
• Provide sub-orbital flight opportunities to test
  and refine new
• instrument technologies/algorithms, and reduce
  risk prior to
• committing sensors for launch into space.
• Process Studies
• Obtain high-resolution temporal and spatial
  measurements
• of complex local processes, which can be coupled
  to global
• satellite observations for a better understanding
  of the
• complete Earth system.

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Airborne Science Program
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NASA-NSERC StudentAirborne Research
Program(SARP)
July-August 2009

• George Seielstad
• Rick Shetter
• Alexandra Novak

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SARPs Objectives

• Inspire students to pursue STEM disciplines.
• Develop next generation of Earth System
  Scientistswith fresh research ideas.
• Demonstrate integration of science, engineering,
  and operations in major missions.
• Expose students to NASA programs.

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Students Institutions

• U Puerto Rico
• Montclair State U
• Rutgers U
• U Michigan
• Howard U
• Coastal Carolina U
• U Florida
• Loyola Marymount
• Slippery Rock U
• Carleton College
• U of Alaska Anchorage
• Randolph College
• U Iowa

• Montana State U
• UC Irvine
• Wellesley College
• Georgia Tech
• Michigan Tech U
• South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
• U North Dakota
• Brown U
• Texas AM U
• Arizona State U
• U Maryland
• UC Santa Cruz

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Students Concentrations

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Geoscience
• Environmental Science
• Engineering Mechanical, Chemical, Aerospace,
  Agriculture, Civil
• Atmospheric Sciences
• Marine Biology
• Meteorology
• Telecommunications

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SARPs Strength Students
29 Students, diverse in many respects
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Faculty

• UC Irvine Don Blake, Sherwood Rowland
  (chemistry)
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute John
  Ryan (oceanography)
• UC Davis Susan Ustin (agriculture)
• Florida State U Henry Fuelberg (meteorology)
• U Iowa Greg Carmichael (modeling)
• NASA Jeff Myers, Andy Roberts, Jack Kaye,
  Brenda Mulac, Marilyn Vasques, Ken Jucks, Jim
  Crawford, Barbara Schoeberl

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Faculty Commitment
Learning from each other (Nobel Prize
notwithstanding)
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Mentors
Crucial Strengths of SARP Fully committed to
students Extremely knowledgeable
Constantly accessible Guidance, not
spoon-feeding Personable
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End-to-End Mission

• Classroomlectures for context
• (See http//www.nserc.und.edu/learning/SARPmm.htm
  l)
• Hangarflight planning
• Aircraftdata acquisition
• Fieldsurface validation
• Laboratorydata analysis interpretation
• ClassroomStudent presentations

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Projects

• Evapotranspiration in Almond Orchard and Cotton
  Field, CA Central Valley
• Air Quality, CA Central Valley
• Algal Bloom, Monterey Bay, CA

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Evapotranspiration

• Continuing drought and additional competing uses
  make water Californias most precious resource.
• Allocation for irrigationin USs most productive
  ag regionsharply reduced.
• Irrigation demand driven by water crops transpire.

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Almond Orchard
System Integration Objective
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MASTER Monitors
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Analysis Interpretation
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COMPARISON
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(No Transcript)
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Presentation of Results
Students Conclusions, ET

• Fanjet irrigation more effective than drip
  irrigation, leading to higher ET.
• METRIC model underestimates ET compared to the
  CIMIS PM equation.

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Monterey Bay Features
MASTER Enhanced image (Square root linear 2)
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Conclusions, Monterey Bay

• Hypothesis rejected inconsistency in scaling
  between model and observed features.
• Unlikely cause inconsistency in orientation of
  observed features.
• No significant difference in between features.
• No definitive cause of features. Apparently
  wind-driven, possibly linked to supercritical
  atmospheric waves.
• Features not exclusively an atmospheric
  phenomenon.

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Central Valley, CA Dairies

• First in U.S. milk production (2006)
• 2.5 million cows in San Joaquin Valley
• A main source of VOCs and fine particulates.
• (SJV Air Pollution Control District, Aug. 2005)

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Data Acquisition
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Chromatograph Results
Propanol
Ethanol
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Conclusions Air Quality

• Silage piles contributing oxygenates to Central
  Valley Air Basin
• Methanol and ethanol concentrations from dairy
  perimeter consistent with concentrations in
  boundary layer.
• Grid study shows existence of even higher
  emissions than our case studys.

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Future 6-Week Program

• 1 week for lectures, limits per topic
• 1 week at DAOF for instrument integration, flight
  planning.
• 1 week of data acquisition from DAOF.
• 2 flights if DC-8 ?3 flights if fewer seats on
  aircraft.
• 3 days per project for surface measurements
• 2.5 weeks for data analysis
• 0.5 weeks for presentations

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NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Education
Flight Projects

• Airborne Research Experiences for Educators
  (AREE) - An airborne research and curriculum
  development experience for 10 (ten) middle and
  high school educators using the NASA DC-8
  aircraft
• Outcome To develop curriculum-based activities
  relating to NASA airborne research and Earth
  system science
• Educational goals mapped to NASA Education
  Strategic Coordination Framework, 2006 to
  inspire, engage, educate, and employ the future
  aerospace workforce
• Target Group Ten (10) secondary educators
  (grades 6-12)
• who specialize in Science, Technology,
  Engineering, or
• Math (STEM) disciplines
• Committed partnerships between Dryden FRC, Cal
  State
• Fullerton, NSERC, Johnson Space Center, UC
  Irvine and
• AEROI

AREE educator home locations by state
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AREE Project Outcomes

• Educators participated in an airborne and ground
  research campaign to learn how NASA uses airborne
  research to study Earth system science.
• 10 new curriculum units that engage students in
  the question How does data gathered through NASA
  airborne research campaigns help us understand
  interactions between Earth systems?
• 10 highly inspired AREE Master Teachers prepared
  and motivated to engage and educate high school
  students to pursue STEM
• and NASA-related careers through AREE curriculum
  
• units.
• 1500 middle and high school students motivated
• to achieve in math and science through inquiry-
• based investigations of NASA airborne research
• data.

Students and educators participated in airborne
research aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft
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AREE Future Projects

• Using NASA Airborne Science Program (ASP) Flight
  platforms to provide K-12 educators with the
  skills and knowledge to attract and retain
  students in STEM disciplines.
• Other AREE education flight projects will look to
  engage participants in airborne research aboard
  other ASP flight platforms including the DC-8,
  P-3B, and Global Hawk
• Developed AREE-extension programs will include
  pre- and in-service educators in summer workshops
  relating to NASA AREE-related outcomes
• To include a global climate change research and
  professional development experience
• A web-based Virtual Control Room Network
  highlighting ASP research campaigns
• Development of a professional online learning
  community and web-based platform to disseminate
  AREE-related curriculum
• Subsequent programs for K-12 students and higher
  education

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Airborne Research Experiences for Educators
(AREE)
An airborne research and curriculum development
experience for 10 (ten) middle and high school
educators using the NASA DC-8 aircraft
Thermal Infrared image
NASA AREE-related curriculum will engage 1500
middle and high school students across the
country in Earth system sciences in its inaugural
year
Images collected from the MASTER instrument
during the DC-8 SARP-AREE flight Wednesday July
22, 2009
DC -8 Flight Path
Flight Path
The MASTER instrument was used to collect remote
sensing data of algal blooms at Monterey Bay , CA
from 37,000 ft. AGL
MASTER (MODIS/ASTER) instrument
Visible Near Infrared image
Investigations invites students to engage in
inquiry-based activities.
Find Out More invites students to review related
NASA resources.
Images will engage K-12 students in the
differences between visible and infrared spectral
bands in the electromagnetic spectrum.
NASA DC-8 aircraft flying above Dryden Aircraft
Operations Facility in California
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Airborne Research Experiences for Educators
(AREE) Educators participated in an airborne
and ground research campaign to learn how NASA
uses airborne research to study Earth system
science. Educators incorporated these concepts
into their middle and high school curriculum
Atmospheric science team
Educators collected in situ dairy farm gas
emissions over the Central Valley via the Whole
Air Sampler from 1000 ft. AGL
Air samples were analyzed in the laboratory and
the results were incorporated into middle and
high school curriculum modules
Algal Bloom team
Rachael Fein (far left) will simulate airborne
and ground data collection to her 9th and 10th
grade mathematics and robotics students using
LEGO robots
Crop Classification team
Educators participated in collecting in situ data
from a boat in Monterey Bay, CA for algal bloom
research.
Crop Classification team
The MASTER instrument was used to measure
evapotranspiration of crops (i.e. cotton fields
and almond orchards) from 13,000 ft AGL
Based on his airborne and ground research
experience, educator Terry Nickerson incorporated
the concepts of remote sensing and color to study
vegetation into his Earth Science and Biology
high school curriculum
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• Wetland Education
• using
• Maps, Aerial Photography, and Satellite Imagery
• Catherine M. Lockwood Lawrence R. Handley
  Nathan Handley
• Chadron State College USGS National Wetlands
  IT Consultant
• Chadron, Nebraska Research Center Lafayette,
  Louisiana
• Lafayette, Louisiana

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WETMAAP
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Teacher Workshops

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Program Facts 1996-2008
Sites in 16 states, the District of Columbia,
Costa Rica and Panama Total Training Sessions
157 Total Participants 3,828 Average
per session 24.50
Workshops and Participants 1996-2008
Number of Workshops Number of Participants
Workshops (2 to 4 days) 26 519
Workshops ( 3 to 8 hours) 72 1135
Workshops (50 min to lt 3 hours) 42 1234
Presentations (20 min 30 min) 27 950
Total 157 3828
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Summary

• Education is a substantial part of ASP
• There are positive results
• There is senior management support
• This will continue