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STATUS:
09.12.09
Spacecraft Status
Except for the standard lack of receiver bitlock, the AIM spacecraft is operating nominally. This Sunday, September 13, AIM will complete orbit number 13,000.
Instrument Status
SOFIE continues to operate nominally. The processing of September data was delayed due to missing ancillary files, but is now underway and should be up to date shortly. The developmental T/CO2 algorithms are looking quite good in the latest tests though more testing is needed. Work on the SOFIE ice temperature/shape retrievals continues, and a paper describing this work is in preparation. Collaboration was begun with S. Kirkwood comparing SOFIE ice measurements with coincident PMSE observations.
CIPS continues to operate nominally. We are still attempting to acquire flat field images to improve the data processing for the NH 2009 season; assuming we achieve bitlock, the next set of images will be executed on 14-17 October. CIPS observed its last clouds of the NH 2009 season on 17 August.
Current efforts are focused on implementing a new retrieval algorithm, to become operational in October. The primary goals are to improve the background removal process and to introduce a more rigorous error analysis using an optimal estimation approach.
Below is a figure showing the PMC frequencies for all five seasons thus far observed by CIPS. While there are many similarities between the seasons, there are marked differences, including later starts to the SH seasons, generally lower frequencies in the SH, and changing day-to-day variability within each season.
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