NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Dryden Flight Research Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546-0001

May 30, 2003

TO: Distribution

FROM: Earth Science Enterprise Suborbital Science Manager

SUBJECT: FY 2004 Suborbital Science Flight Program Development

The Suborbital Science Office of the Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) announces the annual call for requests to use the NASA/ESE suborbital observing capabilities in FY 2004, to further ESE's research into understanding the Earth system and apply Earth system science to improve prediction of weather, climate and natural hazards, as only NASA can.

Changes in the Suborbital Science Program

The Suborbital Science Program is undergoing significant change in content and nature, in accordance with the NASA Vision and Mission and to improve alignment with national imperatives such as the Climate Change Research Initiative and the President's Management Agenda. In the past, we allocated flight time on a small core of NASA assets through this annual Flight Request Call Letter. In the future, suborbital data collection will be achieved through two paths: requests for flight time from a diverse catalog of proven federal and commercial sources, and focused science solicitations using innovative platforms. This approach will permit NASA to devote more resources toward discovery-based Earth science.

FY 2004 will be a transition year that will use the traditional Call Letter to allocate flight hours from an interim catalog, as well as seeing a new solicitation for Suborbital Science missions in the fall. The interim catalog is based on recent flight safety reviews with various aircraft service procedures, commercial product verification and validation program tasks, and interagency agreements. The new solicitation will be focused on suborbital science requirements from the ESE Focus Areas. Because the new solicitation is still in the formulation stage, and procedures to establish, maintain and exploit the catalog of sources are not yet finalized, we will appreciate your patience as we work through experimental procedures to allocate and schedule the suborbital science flights.

Included as an attachment is a policy statement on use of in-house and commercial assets specifically addressed to suborbital data collection.

Accessible Assets

Accessible suborbital capabilities ­ platforms, sensors and commercial products ­ are catalogued on the ESE Suborbital Science web page: http://www.earth.nasa.gov/science/suborbital/.

The NASA ER-2, P3-B, and DC-8 continue to be available but with fewer flight hours due to funding constraints. The Stennis Space Center Learjet 23 also remains available, but is now allocated through the Suborbital Science program as part of the core fleet rather than directly through the Stennis Space Center. Non-NASA platforms for which blocks of pre-negotiated flight hours are available include the commercial Twin Otter, Sky Research Cessna Caravan, and the Department of Energy (DOE) KingAir. Access to other platforms will be negotiated whenever needed and feasible.

We encourage investigators to use Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and we are currently looking into providing blocks of flight hours for one or more vehicles as a convenience to users. Because UAVs are subject to a number of regulatory and airspace restrictions, early coordination with the listed Point of Contact is essential to ensure that airworthiness and airspace considerations are addressed in a timely manner.

User Fees

All suborbital assets are subject to user fees which are assessed by the organization operating the asset. This is true whether the request is for a NASA or non-NASA sensor or platform. Investigators performing non-NASA research or using NASA 'facility' sensors sponsored by another research program may be subject to additional fees. The total cost for each flight request will be estimated by the Suborbital Science Office, based on the requirements specified in the Flight Request for flight lines, environmental conditions, target sites, deployment sites, payload accommodations, facility sensors, etc., and provided to the investigator's sponsor for review and approval in late Summer 2003.

All Flight Requests must include the name and contact information of a funding sponsor who can review and approve the user fee expense. For ESE investigators, the sponsor is the program manager who has issued your grant or contract. Pre-coordination with your sponsor is strongly recommended.

Once a Flight Request is approved and scheduled, the user fees must be forwarded to the performing organization before the flight actually occurs. For ESE funded researchers using NASA assets, the fees will normally be withheld from the investigator's budget and sent by his/her sponsor directly to the NASA aircraft or sensor organization. For researchers using non-NASA assets, payment of the fees will vary and the Suborbital Science business managers are prepared to assist the investigator through the financial procedures.

Submitting a Request

The Flight Request Form is available on-line from the Suborbital Science Program Home Page: http://www.earth.nasa.gov/science/suborbital. No data collections or flights will be scheduled without a Flight Request.

The Suborbital Science Program will accept Flight Requests from:

• NASA researchers and program managers;
• Investigators with a current or pending grant, contract or cooperative agreement for NASA research;
• Research program managers of the other federal agencies of the Interagency Coordinating Committee for Airborne Geoscience Research and Applications;
• Investigators who require NASA's unique assets (Specific and explicit rationale for use of the NASA assets must be provided with the request, and the full cost may be charged.)

If you experience problems with the form, have questions about submitting the Flight Request or need additional information about the available assets or preliminary cost estimates, please contact Michael Craig at (650) 604-6586 or Michael.S.Craig@nasa.gov. Questions regarding the Suborbital Science Program can be addressed to the undersigned at (202) 358-0758 or Cheryl.L.Yuhas@nasa.gov.

Completed flight requests are due COB July 25, 2003.

Cheryl Yuhas

Enclosures

Distribution:

ATTACHMENT A

Suborbital Data Collection Policy on use of NASA and Non-NASA Assets

Purpose: This policy guidance is addressed to NASA Earth Science managers planning or sponsoring collection of Earth science data from suborbital platforms. The intention is to align NASA-sponsored activities and institutional facilities with the Agency's vision and mission, the President's Management Agenda, all relevant federal policies, and the Agency budget.

Background: The Earth Science Enterprise recognizes the potential of commercially provided remote sensing data and services as sources of acquiring research-quality data and encourages the use of such data sources, products, and services by Principal Investigators where the capabilities meet the scientific requirements and is competitive in both schedule and cost.

Suborbital observation requirements may be satisfied from diverse sources, including but not limited to NASA, other federal agencies, universities and commercial sources. The procedure has been for a NASA-sponsored Principal Investigator to request the use of a platform based on its flight performance and other capabilities to support the sensor(s) needed to meet the research objective. Requests are submitted for review and approval through the Suborbital Science Program Manager through a web interface accessible at /centers/dfrc/Research/AirSci/.

In most investigations, Principal Investigators provide their own sensors through competitively selected research announcements. In some areas, the research Program Managers have chosen to invest in one or more sensors of particular value to their research objectives, subsequently making them available to investigators funded by their research program. This is most common in terrestrial remote sensing and the EOS Program, where Principal Investigators have requested use of NASA-developed sensors that are deployed on a NASA-supplied suborbital platform.

Separate from the Suborbital Science Program was the Commercial Remote Sensing Program, which encompassed both space and suborbital sources and employed a separate data request system. With the completion of the Commercial Remote Sensing Program, ESE encourages investigators to continue to explore commercial sources, focusing access to the airborne remote sensing solutions through the Suborbital Science Program.

In all investigations, it has been and will continue to be the Principal Investigator who determines what sensor best meets the requirements of his or her research.

Approach: To encourage use of commercial airborne sources, the approach is dual: to provide information of the sensor capability/dataset characteristics, and to provide space on the Flight Request. The current Flight Request form has been modified to include commercial sources as a specific option, providing equivalent access and awareness of the commercial sources. The Suborbital Science asset list, available from the Suborbital Science program web page, will include commercially available remote sensing systems and platforms. While procedures to maintain this 'catalog' of NASA and non-NASA suborbital assets are not yet finalized, our objectives are both to ensure fair treatment of potential data sources and to provide research-qualified capabilities for ESE investigators. Information to assist investigators in determining the best match between sensor/platform and their requirements will be actively solicited from all sources.

When Flight Requests are submitted, they are expected to be based on competitively-selected NASA investigations and identify a NASA (or federal agency partner) sponsor. Each request is then individually evaluated by the platform/sensor operators for feasibility and assessed a user fee. All relevant funding sponsors, including the funding sponsors of requested NASA sensors, review the request for adherence to the objectives of the approved investigation, and to NASA strategic goals and policies. Final approval is given by the Suborbital Science Manager.

Occasionally, NASA remote sensing systems have been available to support acquisitions that are beyond the scope of NASA's Earth Science research on a non-interference, reimbursable basis. Requests for using NASA remote sensing systems and platforms for data acquisitions that are not associated with specific NASA funded research will no longer be approved unless it is necessary for reasons of national security or public safety, no commercially available source of the measurements meets the requirements of the investigator, or an interagency/international agreement to collaborate using the NASA asset has been concluded.

The objective is to provide the Earth science community with access to the broadest set of viable suborbital sources of quality Earth observations to support research within the limits of available funding.

Questions about this policy or the Suborbital Science program may be addressed to Cheryl Yuhas, 202-358-0758.

ATTACHMENT B - Platforms

*User Fees are per flight hour; Mission Peculiar Costs, to include actual travel and shipping to deployment sites, overtime, and engineering installation costs, are additional.

** The User Fees for the ER-2 and DC-8 are both under review due to changes in the baseline funding for these aircraft in FY04. The FY04 User Fees will be posted on the Suborbital Science website after program budget decisions are made in Summer 2003.

ATTACHMENT C ­ Other Non-NASA Aircraft Platform Services

This table of platforms is provided for information only as a service to investigators. The list represents those platforms for which agreements for access by ESE investigators are in place or in work, or have recently been approved by NASA Aviation Management as airworthy and safely operated. The list should not be considered all-inclusive, but any platform selected by investigators must comply with NASA aviation safety policies, including the Non-NASA Aircraft Safety Policy.

Each of these providers schedule their own platforms, and many include a formal request and allocation system, similar to the NASA/ESE Flight Request system. Investigators may conclude their own arrangements with a provider of their choice, to be paid from existing grant/contract funds, or may use the ESE Flight Request for assistance in scheduling and pricing from the Suborbital Science Office.

ATTACHMENT D ­ Commercial Sensors/Products

Web links to remote sensing industry organizations are provided for information only as a service to investigators. NASA is not responsible for maintaining or verifying the accuracy of data on non-NASA web sites. Investigators are responsible for contacting vendors to determine if the product meets the requirements of the proposed scientific investigation. Before any actual data collection flights, all vendors are subject to airworthiness/flight safety reviews in accordance with NASA Aviation Safety Policy for Non-NASA Aircraft.

Updates to these web sites are expected to be on a continual basis as vendors become familiar with the requirements of NASA investigators.
http://www.mapps.org/membercapabilities.asp
https://eserv.asprs.org/wasprs/ScriptContent/index2sust.cfm

Attachment E
SPECIAL ADDENDUM FOR
EOS INVESTIGATORS
PLANNING FOR NASA'S FY 2004
EARTH SCIENCE ENTERPRISE SUBORBITAL SCIENCE PROGRAM

March 5, 2003

INTRODUCTION

The NASA ESE Suborbital Science Program operates a diverse fleet of aircraft for scientific and applications research. The core fleet in FY 2004 will consist of four aircraft, based at the Dryden Flight Research Center and the Wallops Flight Facility/GSFC, as follows:

To augment the core fleet, NASA intends to contract with other federal agencies, universities, and the private sector for the use of their aircraft and facilities as requirements and resources permit. The following are several aircraft that fall into this category:

The King Air DoE aircraft is currently under contract to NASA and routinely flies the MASTER instrument. The Cessna Caravan will be a new addition from the private sector in 2004. Initially it will be configured to fly the MASTER instrument at low altitudes. Additional information concerning such aircraft is given in the Call Letter. Also, information on such items as contact points and costs for these aircraft may be obtained from:

The investigator/science team has responsibility for sensor support and maintenance, and each investigator should plan on paying the cost of aircraft operations. Flight schedules for the NASA Airborne Science Program and consolidated summary plans showing currently proposed EOS aircraft missions in support of validation of the Terra, Aqua, and other EOS satellite data products have been developed and can be found on the EOS Project Science Office homepage at the following URL: (http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/eos_homepage/airborne.html). This information has been assembled for planning purposes and is subject to change. It must be recognized that there are many demands for aircraft support of other NASA satellite missions, the NASA Research and Analysis Programs, and other users. Hence, because of significant cutbacks in the overall funding of the NASA aircraft program, it is not likely that all of the proposed aircraft missions can be accomplished, and it is incumbent upon all investigators to plan carefully and combine missions with other investigators whenever possible. This need is made especially critical because of the scheduled launch of Aura and other satellites in early 2004, in addition to the continuing operation of a number of satellites already in orbit.

FLIGHT REQUEST

This year, following the method utilized last year, NASA intends to make the annual Call Letter for the development of the FY 2004 ESE Suborbital Science Program plan available electronically via the Internet. Again this year, in lieu of the postcard that has been used in the past, an E-mail message will be sent to all EOS investigators who have previously indicated an interest in using aircraft data. The E-mail message will provide the appropriate URL and instructions for accessing the Call Letter and associated enclosures, including the Flight Request (FR) form, and, again, the Call Letter will include instructions for processing the FR electronically. Much effort has gone into correcting certain difficulties that have occurred in previous years; hence, electronic processing is expected to proceed more smoothly this year. Any potential EOS investigator who does not receive a message, and would like one, can request it by communicating with Michael Craig at the following address or telephone/FAX/Internet channels:

Paper copies of the Call Letter can also be made available for those who do not have access to the Internet. Facility Team Members and Instrument Investigators should enter the following in the "Funding Agency Sponsor" box of the Flight Request form:

Similarly, Interdisciplinary Investigators should enter the following in the box:

The EOS review of flight requests and setting of priorities will be accomplished by the EOS Program and Project Scientists. To enable the most equitable allocation of available resources, you are asked to send a copy of your flight request to the Team Leader or Principal Investigator of your science team who will be called upon to help prioritize multiple requests from a single investigation team.

In FY 2004, as in previous years, user fees for aircraft hours ("flight fees") have been instituted by the Earth Science Enterprise. Flight fees will be withheld automatically from each EOS investigator's budget and transferred directly to the appropriate flight account at Dryden, Wallops, or appropriate contract for the other cooperative aircraft. However, the EOS Program and Project Offices will consider supporting up to 50% of EOS flight fees from a Special Aircraft Support Fund, subject to scientific priorities, programmatic balance, and availability of funds in FY 2004, with the remaining 50% or more coming from the individual investigator budgets. Depending upon the number and scope of the Flight Requests, the Special Aircraft Support Fund will also be used to pay mission peculiar costs (MPC) in their entirety. The total amount available for both flight fees and MPC will be up to $300K in FY 2004.

In addition to flight fees, certain sensor operation and data production costs ("data fees") have been instituted by the Earth Science Enterprise. Data fees, if any, are the responsibility of each individual investigator and will not be subsidized by the Special Aircraft Support Fund in FY 2004. In some cases investigators may be able to avoid overhead charges by their home institutions by having the government transfer data fees directly from their accounts to the appropriate data account at a NASA Field Center. An investigator should contact the appropriate Resource Analyst or Contracting Officer to make such arrangements. Data from many sensors, e.g., photography on most aircraft, are available at no cost or only nominal cost for approved flights.

As in the past, the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) will be operated as a NASA Facility Sensor for scientific research and applications; hence, there will be no data fees required for approved investigators in FY 2004. Furthermore, scenes from the AVIRIS archive (i.e., data that have already been acquired) can be obtained at only a nominal cost. The MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) on the ER-2 is a PI Instrument. In addition, five other airborne simulator instruments are expected to be flown in FY 2004. They are a MISR airborne simulator (AirMISR), a MODIS/ASTER simulator (MASTER), the MOPITT Airborne Test Radiometer (MATR), a second MOPITT simulator (MOPITT-A), and a TES simulator, the Airborne Emission Spectrometer (AES).

Additional information on the AVIRIS sensor can be obtained from Dr. Diane E. Wickland, NASA HQ, Code YS, 202-358-0245. For further information on the PI airborne simulators, contact the following persons:

Scheduling and final flight year approvals are the responsibility of: