The MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) is an airborne scanning spectrometer that acquires high spatial resolution imagery of cloud and surface features from its vantage point on-board a NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. This dataset has visible and infrared imagery calibrated to at-sensor radiance. Included are many associated browse files including the flight line tracks, and also text files of nadir brightness temperature and radiance for selected bands.

The Enhanced Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Airborne Simulator (eMAS)instrument is maintained and operated by the Airborne Sensor Facility at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, under the oversight of the EOS Project Science Office at NASA Goddard. The eMAS instrument is now a 38-channel instrument, sensing in the range from 0.445 to 13.844 um.The Enhanced MODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS) L2 Cloud Data product (eMASL2CLD) consists of cloud optical and physical parameters. These parameters are derived using remotely sensed infrared and near infrared solar reflected radiances. Multispectral images of the reflectance and brightness temperature at 10 wavelengths between 0.66 and 13.98nm were used to derive the probability of clear sky (or cloud), cloud thermodynamic phase, and the optical thickness and effective radius of liquid water and ice clouds. The eMASL2CLD product files are stored in Hierarchical Data Format (HDF-EOS). All gridded cloud parameters are stored as Scientific Data Sets (SDS) within the file.For more information and for a list of MAS campaign flights visit ladsweb at:https://ladsweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/missions-and-measurements/mas/or, visit the eMAS Homepage at:https://asapdata.arc.nasa.gov/emas/

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Airborne Simulator (MAS) sensor was developed for NASA's high-altitude ER-2 research aircraft by Daedalus Enterprises, Inc., in support of the MODIS remote sensing algorithm development. The overall goal was to modify the spectral coverage and gains of the MAS to emulate as many of the MODIS spectral channels as possible. With its much higher spatial resolution (50 m vs. 250-1000 m for MODIS), MAS is able to provide unique information on the small-scale distribution of various geophysical parameters. The MAS instrument has been deployed on multiple platforms for many field campaigns since its first mission in 1991, as the prototype Wildfire Spectrometer.For more information and for a list of MAS campaign flights visit ladsweb at:https://ladsweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/missions-and-measurements/mas/

The Enhanced Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Airborne Simulator (eMAS)instrument is maintained and operated by the Airborne Sensor Facility at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, under the oversight of the EOS Project Science Office at NASA Goddard. Prior to 1995, the MAS was deployed on the NASA's ER-2 and C-130 aircraft platforms using a 12-channel, 8-bit data system that somewhat constrained the full benefit of having a 50-channel scanning spectrometer. Beginning in January 1995, a 50-channel, 16-bit digitizer was used on the ER-2 platform, which greatly enhanced the capability of MAS to simulate MODIS data over a wide range of environmental conditions. Recently, it has undergone extensive upgrades to the optics and other components. New detectors have been installed and the spectral bands have been streamlined. The eMAS instrument is now a 38-channel instrument, sensing in the range from 0.445 to 13.844 um.For more information and for a list of MAS campaign flights visit ladsweb at:https://ladsweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/missions-and-measurements/mas/or, visit the eMAS Homepage at:https://asapdata.arc.nasa.gov/emas/

THORPEX_ER2_MAS data are THe Observing-system Research and Predictability EXperiment (THORPEX) ER_2 MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) Data in HDF covering Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean.THe Observing-system Research and predictability experiment (THORpex) is a ten-year international research program where the primary objective is to accelerate improvements in short range weather predictions and warnings over the Northern Hemisphere. The fifth in an ongoing series of ER-2 field experiments, THORpex is the primary over-water validation experiment for the GIFTS (Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer) satellite. The MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) is an airborne scanning spectrometer that acquires high spatial resolution imagery of cloud and surface features from its vantage point on-board a NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. The MAS spectrometer acquires high spatial resolution imagery in the range of 0.55 to 14.3 microns. A total of 50 spectral bands are available in this range. A 50-channel digitizer which records all 50 spectral bands at 12 bit resolution became operational in January 1995. The MAS spectrometer is mated to a scanner sub-assembly which collects image data with an IFOV of 2.5 mrad, giving a ground resolution of 50 meters from 20000 meters altitude, and a cross track scan width of 85.92 degrees.

The Convection And Moisture EXperiment (CAMEX) 4 focused on the study of tropical cyclone (hurricane) development, tracking, intensification, and landfalling impacts using NASA-funded aircraft and surface remote sensing instrumentation. These aircraft flew over, through, and around selected hurricanes as they approached landfall in the Caribbean, Gulf of America, and along the East Coast of the United States. This study yields high spatial and temporal information of hurricane structure, dynamics, and motion. The data set contains the measurements collected by the MAS instrument onboard the ER2 aircraft. The MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) is an airborne scanning spectrometer that acquires high spatial resolution imagery of cloud and surface features from its vantage point on-board a NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. The MAS spectrometer acquires high spatial resolution imagery in the range of 0.55 to 14.3 microns. A total of 50 spectral bands are available in this range. A 50-channel digitizer which records all 50 spectral bands at 12 bit resolution became operational in January 1995. The MAS spectrometer is mated to a scanner sub-assembly which collects image data with an IFOV of 2.5 mrad, giving a ground resolution of 50 meters from 20000 meters altitude, and a cross track scan width of 85.92 degrees.

The First ISCCP Regional Experiments have been designed to improve data products and cloud/radiation parameterizations used in general circulation models (GCMs). Specifically, the goals of FIRE are (1) to seek the basic understanding of the interaction of physical processes in determining life cycles of cirrus and marine stratocumulus systems and the radiative properties of these clouds during their life cycles and (2) to investigate the interrelationships between ISCCP data, GCM parameterizations, and higher space and time resolution cloud data. To-date, four intensive field-observation periods were planned and executed: a cirrus IFO (October 13 - November 2, 1986); a marine stratocumulus IFO off the southwestern coast of California (June 29 - July 20, 1987); a second cirrus IFO in southeastern Kansas (November 13 - December 7, 1991); and a second marine stratocumulus IFO in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean (June 1 - June 28, 1992). Each mission combined coordinated satellite, airborne, and surface observations with modeling studies to investigate the cloud properties and physical processes of the cloud systems. The MODIS Airbourne Simulator (MAS) is a modified Daedalus Wildfire scanning spectrometer which flies on a NASA ER-2 and provides spectral information similar to that which will be provided by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), scheduled to be launched on the EOS-AM platform in 1998 (King et al. 1992). The principal investigators for the MAS are Dr. Michael King (NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt MD), and Dr. Paul Menzel (NOAA/NESDIS, Madison WI). In November/December 1991, the modified Wildfire instrument was flown during the FIRE Cirrus-II experiment onboard a NASA ER-2 in coordination with other aircraft and satellites over the Coffeyville, KS field site as well as the Texas and Louisiana Gulf coast. The MAS spectrometer acquires high spatial resolution imagery in the wavelength range of 0.55 to 14.3 microns. A total of 50 spectral bands are available in this range, and the digitizer can be configured to collect data from any 12 of these bands. The digitizer was configured with four 10-bit channels and seven 8-bit channels. The MAS spectrometer was mated to a scanner subassembly which collected image data with an IFOV of 2.5 mrad, giving a ground resolution of 50 meters from 20000 meters altitude, and a cross track scan width of 85.92 degrees. The data granules were written using the self documenting file storage format provided through the netCDF interface routines included in the HDF libraries.