SOFIA - Upper Deck Research Facility

				+Home +Feedback

SOFIA > SOFIA - Upper Deck Research Facility

Home
About Upper Deck
Science
2004 Workshop
	Scope
	Participants
	Agenda
	Publication
	Lodging
	Events
	Registration

</td>  <td valign="top" align="right" width="500"> <table width="500" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td>
2004 SOFIA UPPER DECK SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES WORKSHOP
NASA Ames Research Center, CA
June 22-23, 2004

FIRST CIRCULAR

SOFIA UPPERDECK
SPACE AND EARTH SCIENCES OPPORTUNITES WORKSHOP

The "Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy" (SOFIA) is currently being assembled. It is scheduled to perform 960 flight hours/year for 20 years. The Upper Deck of this Boeing 747 aircraft may in the future facilitate experiments for serendipitous research during regular deployments, independent or in support of the regular mid-IR and submm observations with the main telescope. Preferentially, this research will support NASA's and DLR's mission goals.

In order to investigate the science questions that could be addressed uniquely in potential future research experiments on the SOFIA Upper Deck, NASA's Space Science APRA program and NASA's Earth Science Enterprise are co-sponsoring a workshop:

 SOFIA Upper Deck Science Opportunities Workshop
   to be held on:  June 22-23, 2004.
   at: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

We are soliciting extended (2-5 page) abstracts that will be published on-line prior to the meeting. From that library, the important science questions will be summarized in a white paper, writing tasks for which will be allocated at the workshop.

More information on the workshop and registration can be found at: http://surf.arc.nasa.gov.

Important dates:

 Registration deadline:               2004 June 10
 Extended abstract submissions:       2004 June 15
 Workshop:                            2004 June 22-23

All scientific questions that can be uniquely answered by SOFIA Upper Deck enabled research may be addressed. This may include (in no particular order):

the search for extrasolar planets
occulatation studies of minor bodies
the compositional diversity of comets and asteroids
the survival of organic matter in meteors and its astrobiological implications
transport properties and chemistry of the tropopause
the Global Water and Energy Cycle
the Carbon cycle
Atmospheric Chemistry
the satellite impact hazard
the effects of meteoric metals and ionization on the Earth's upper atmosphere
open questions in the generation and propagation of gravity waves
the nature of afterglow and persistent trains of meteor fireballs
factors that influence the generation of elves and sprites
the cause of temporal variations in the nature of aerosols and interplanetary dust particles
the unknown mid-IR signature of meteors
gravitational acceleration measurements
temporal variations in cosmic ray influx
Aerosols
Weather and Short-Term Climate Forecasting
Long-Term climate Change

Workshop participants may extend this list.

The emphasis in the presentations should be on the science question to be addressed, it's link to NASA and DLR roadmap goals, how measurements from SOFIA's Upper Deck could help answer that question in a unique way, and what facilities and instrumentation are required. The primary product of this workshop will need to be a clear articulation of important science questions that upper deck instruments would address uniquely.

The abstract submission deadline has passed.

Future announcements for this meeting will not be mailed in hard copy but will be posted here. For further questions, please contact:

Dr. Peter Jenniskens
Chair Scientific Organizing Committee
Tel.: 1-650-966-8117 (voice mail)
Dr. Hansjuerg Jost
Co-chair SOC for Earth Sciences
Tel.: 1-650-604-0697 (voice mail)

SOC members:

, Utah State University

, The Aerospace Corporation

, NASA Ames Research Center

, University of New Mexico Albuquerque

, University of Alaska Fairbanks

, NASA Ames Research Center

[NEXT]

</td> </tr> </table>