P-3 Orion 04/12/17

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Aircraft: 
P-3 Orion - WFF (See full schedule)
Flight Number: 
Science Flight #21-Northwest Coastal C
Payload Configuration: 
OIB Arctic
Nav Data Collected: 
No
Total Flight Time: 
7.2 hours
Submitted by: 
Cate Easmunt on 04/14/17
Flight Segments: 
From:BGTLTo:BGTL
Start:04/12/17 11:45 Z Finish:04/12/17 18:55 Z
Flight Time:7.2 hours
Log Number:17P006PI:Nathan Kurtz
Funding Source:Bruce Tagg - NASA - SMD - ESD Airborne Science Program
Purpose of Flight:Science
Flight Hour Summary: 
17P006
Flight Hours Approved in SOFRS333.6
Total Used332
Total Remaining1.6
17P006 Flight Reports
Date Flt # Purpose of Flight Duration Running Total Hours Remaining Miles Flown
02/24/17Airworthiness Test FlightCheck11332.6
02/26/17Project Test Flight #1Check4.95.9327.7
02/27/17Project Test Flight #2Check38.9324.7
03/07/17Transit FlightTransit8.217.1316.5
03/09/17Science Flight #1 - North Pole TransectScience825.1308.5
03/10/17Science Flight #2 - Laxon LineScience8.533.6300
03/11/17 - 03/12/17Science Flight #3 - Chukchi West LineScience841.6292
03/12/17 - 03/13/17Science Flight #4 - North Beaufort Loop LineScience8.149.7283.9
03/14/17 - 03/15/17Science Flight #5 - East Beaufort Loop LineScience857.7275.9
03/20/17Science Flight #6 - Sea Ice South Basin Transect (to Thule)Science8.165.8267.8
03/22/17Science Flight #7 - North Flux 02Science7.973.7259.9
03/23/17Science Flight #8 - Zig Zag West LineScience7.981.6252
03/24/17Science Flight #9 - CryoVEx LineScience5.887.4246.2
03/27/17Science Flight #10 - Northwest Coastal A LineScience7.494.8238.8
03/28/17Science Flight #11 - North Central Cap 01 LineScience7.6102.4231.2
03/29/17Science Flight #12 - Ellesemere Island 01 LineScience7.6110223.6
03/30/17Science Flight #13 - Ellesemere South LineScience7.9117.9215.7
03/31/17Science Flight #14- Alexander-Petermann LineScience6.5124.4209.2
04/03/17Science Flight #15- Zachariae 79N Fram Straight and BGTL ENSB TransitScience7.4131.8201.8
04/05/17Science Flight #16 - Svalbard North Line (High Priority)Science7138.8194.8
04/06/17Science Flight #17- Svalbard South Mission (High Priority)Science8.5147.3186.3
04/07/17Science Flight #18- Combined Zig Zag East Mission and Transit ENSB to BGTLScience8.3155.6178
04/10/17Science Flight #19- North Central Gap 3Science7.8163.4170.2
04/11/17Science Flight #20- CryoVex 2 (High Priority)Science7.8171.2162.4
04/12/17Science Flight #21-Northwest Coastal CScience7.2178.4155.2
04/13/17Science Flight #22-North Glaciers 02 Prime (High Priority)Science8.2186.6147
04/14/17Science Flight #23-IceSat-2 North/CryoSat-2 SARInScience7193.6140
04/17/17Science Flight #24-Humboldt 01(High Priority)Science7.8201.4132.2
04/19/17Science Flight #25-Sea Ice - South Canada Basin (MediumPriority)Science7.8209.2124.4
04/20/17Transit Flight to KangerlussuaqTransit3212.2121.4
04/21/17Science Flight #26-Southeast CoastalScience8220.2113.4
04/22/17Science Flight #27-Helheim-KangerdScience7.8228105.6
04/24/17Science Flight #28-Geikie 01 (High Priority) Science823697.6
04/26/17Science Flight #29-Devon-Bylot (Medium Priority)Science7.9243.989.7
04/28/17Science Flight #30-Penny 01 (Medium Priority)Science6249.983.7
04/29/17Science Flight #31-Thomas - Jakobshavn 01Science8.4258.375.3
05/01/17Science Flight #32-Thomas - Jakobshavn-Eqip-StoreScience8.4266.766.9
05/02/17Science Flight #33-Thomas - ICESat-2 Central Science7.9274.659
05/03/17Science Flight #34-Thomas - Southwest Coastal AScience8.3282.950.7
05/05/17Science Flight #35-Helheim-Kangerdlugssuaq Gap B (High Priority)Science8.2291.142.5
05/06/17Science Flight #36-Helheim-K-EGIG-Summit Science8299.134.5
05/08/17Science Flight #37-Southeast Glaciers 01 (High Priority)Science8307.126.5
05/10/17Science Flight #38-Umanaq B (High Priority)Science8315.118.5
05/11/17Science Flight #39-ICESat-2 South (High Priority)Science8.1323.210.4
05/12/17Science Flight #40-Nuuk FjordsScience1.83258.6
05/13/17Transit Flight to Dover DE (to clear customs)Transit6.4331.42.2
05/13/17Transit Flight to Wallops Flight FacilityTransit0.63321.6

Flight Reports began being entered into this system as of 2012 flights. If there were flights flown under an earlier log number the flight reports are not available online.

Related Science Report: 

OIB - P-3 Orion 04/12/17 Science Report

Mission: 
OIB
Mission Summary: 

Mission: Northwest Coastal C (high priority, last flown 2014)

 

This mission was created from the 2010-2012 “Northwest Coastal” suite of missions by sampling individual coast-parallel lines from those flights to form a grid spaced at 30-35 km from the coast to near the 2000m contour line. This is one of three missions designed in this way, which together form a 10 km grid in the area. The others are Northwest Coastal A and B. We also add two additional bedrock-mapping lines in the Tracy/Heilprin catchment. 

 

Clear weather along the northwest coast, but less so farther north of Thule, made for an easy decision today. As expected, we encountered some cross-winds and turbulence along the first/westernmost/lowermost track, which required us to slow down and ease off the autopilot. Because of time constraints and a delayed start, we had to cut short the Tracy and Heilprin transects at the end of this mission, but mopped up a flowline along Harald Moltke Bræ that had previously been cut from the Alexander-Peterman 01 mission. However, we still ended up overflying Helprin at the end of the mission. No other challenges were encountered as we surveyed the fluxgates of many outlet glaciers along the northwest coast. Our PolarTREC teacher for this deployment, Adeena Teres, joined us for her first flight with OIB. All instruments performed well, and we estimate 100% altimetry coverage.

Images: 

Map of today’s mission

Crevassed ice margin, northwest Greenland

Oblique view of the calving front of Heilprin Glacier, with stable and capsized icebergs visible

ATM T6 surface elevation over a crevasse field illustrating the higher shot density associated with the 10 kHz PRF

Hara Madhav Talasila (CReSIS) viewing the snow he’s sounding while operating the snow/Ku radar

Submitted by: 
Joseph MacGregor on 04/19/17