Alot more info, flight paths and programs here..

[link to mas.arc.nasa.gov]

Summary Information
Date: April 16, 1996
ER-2 Flight Number: 96-104
Location: Oklahoma CART Site, Kansas
Principle Investigator: Dr. Brian Toon (NASA Ames)
Additional Sensors: B&W_6"_RC-10, MIR, CLS, RAMS, HIS

Level-1B Processing Information
Level-1B Data Version: #10
Calibration Type: Final
Calibration Version: SUCCESS_Ames 1.0
Temperature Adjustment: No
Status: Final Calibration Done

Flight Track Map

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Level-1B Browse Imagery
Straight Line Flight Tracks: 17
Scanlines Processed: 93756

Level-1B HDF Data Distribution Point
NASA GSFC Earth Sciences (GES) Data Center
NASA DAAC's

Additional Information
The objective of this mission was to observe T-39 and DC-8 generated persistent contrails of various age; characterize contrail/cirrus advection over CART site by combined ground-based uplooking and ER-2 based downlooking; characterize ambient radiometric conditions of atmosphere by flying upwind of T-39/DC-8 contrail generation region.

ER-2 launch at 1700 UTC; ER-2 recovery at 2335 UTC. ER-2 flew 12 legs of an east-west oriented line (headings 90 and 270 degrees true north; 130 nm length) with ARM CART site (36 36.3'N 97 29.1'W) positioned 50 nm from western end of nadir flight line. Final 2 legs extended to 180nm for additional downwind coverage of old contrails. Total of 12 overpasses of ARM CART site. T-39 flying 10 nm diameter circles positioned 10, 20, and 30 nm upwind (west) of ARM CART site. DC-8 flying north-south oriented legs centered at 0, 10, 20, and 30 nm downwind of ARM CART site and then flying racetrack (oriented about 15 degrees off ER-2 heading). No time-dependent positioning coordination between ER-2 and DC-8 or T-39.

Cirrus in westerly flow aloft of varying thickness over ARM CART site and all along ER-2 flight line. T-39 contrails were not persistent. DC-8 contrails more persistent than T-39. ER-2 pilot had 2 visual observations of DC-8 contrail (1802 and 2009:30 UTC).

The pilot reported cirrus of varying thickness. DC-8 with contrail apparent in MAS data at 1802 and 2009 UTC. ARM CART site uplooking lidar operating during mission. Twelve overpasses of ARM CART site (approximately 1758, 1828, 1849, 1918, 1939, 2009, 2030, 2100, 2121, 2150, 2211, and 2154 UTC). DC-8 contrail short-lived at 1802 UTC. No visual of T-39 aircraft or contrails.