Federal award (DELIVERY ORDER, fiscal year 2021)
Recipient: THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2017-03-21 to 2017-12-31
Current total value of award: $548391
Description: TASK ORDER NO. NND17AA37T ULTRA AIRBORNE FIELD MILL (ABFM)  THE FY17 AIRBORNE FIELD MILL (ABFM) FLIGHT DEMO WILL COLLECT CLOUD ELECTRIFICATION MEASUREMENTS AT ALTITUDES OF 15KFT TO 45KFT USING A MANNED AIRCRAFT. FLIGHTS WILL BE CONDUCTED BETWEEN JUN 2017 AND AUG 2017 ON A NON-INTERFERENCE BASIS WITH THE SCHEDULED RANGE OPERATIONS. THE GOAL OF THIS DEMONSTRATION IS TO SHOW THAT NEAR REAL-TIME CLOUD ELECTRIFICATION DATA CAN BE USED TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF SCRUBS OR HOLDS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE OCCURRED WITHOUT THE AIRBORNE DATA.  THE EASTERN AND WESTERN RANGES CURRENTLY USE GROUND FIELD MILL SENSORS TO QUANTIFY ELECTRIC FIELD POTENTIAL OF CLOUDS. THIS DATA IS ESSENTIAL TO THE LAUNCH WEATHER OFFICER (LWO) IN MAKING LAUNCH SCRUBS/HOLD DECISIONS. POST-LAUNCH RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS CONDUCTED BY AEROSPACE CORP SHOWS THAT 80-90% OF LAUNCHES DELAYED THAT ARE DUE TO VIOLATION OF THE GROUND-BASED LIGHTNING LAUNCH COMMIT CRITERIA (LLCC) WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE NO ADVERSE IMPACTS TO LAUNCH AND THAT AIRBORNE LLCCS WOULD PROVIDE THE LWO WITH MORE ACCURATE DATA THAN THE GROUND LLCCS WHICH COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HOLD/SCRUBS FOR FUTURE MISSIONS.  SPACE&MISSILES CENTER, RANGE&NETWORK DIVISION (SMC/RN) INTENDS TO EXECUTE A PROOF OF CONCEPT DEMO TO BE CONDUCTED ON THE EASTERN RANGE (CAPE CANAVERAL, FL) TO DEMONSTRATE THE CAPABILITY OF PROVIDING REAL-TIME AIRBORNE ELECTRIC FIELD MILL SENSOR DATA TO THE MORRELL OPERATIONS CENTER (MOC) LOCATED AT NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. THIS CAPABILITY WILL ASSIST LAUNCH WEATHER OPERATORS IN MAKING MISSION WEATHER ASSESSMENTS.  SMC/RN HAS ENLISTED THE SUPPORT OF NASA IN THE CONDUCT OF THIS DEMONSTRATION. NASA IN TURN IS SEEKING SUPPORT FROM THE AEROSPACE CORP. GIVEN THEIR EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND AND KNOWLEDGE IN THIS AREA.