NASA 的ER-2飞行七万英尺高度以研究夏季雷暴

2022 年 6 月 14 日 02:33 UTC

作者Otilia Drgan

威奇托鹰报Wichita Eagle报道说，自上月底以来，美国宇航局的一个团队一直在堪萨斯州萨利纳，每两到三天飞行一次。这是 DCOTSS（夏季平流层动力学和化学）研究项目的一部分，重点关注强雷暴与气候变化之间的关系。

NASA 飞行员在堪萨斯州上空 13 英里（20.9 公里）处飞行，这要求他们在加压环境中穿上全套宇航服和头盔。执行研究飞行的飞机是美国宇航局的 ER-2（地球资源）飞行实验室。这两架洛克希德飞机是在 1981 年和 1989 年购买的，此后一直作为高空机载科学飞机运行。

首席研究员兼德克萨斯 A&M 大学大气科学教授肯尼斯·鲍曼 (Kenneth Bowman) 表示，ER-2的飞行高度可达 70,000 英尺（21,336 米），是客机的两倍。它可以在 20 分钟内达到 65,000 英尺（19,812 米），并继续以 410 节（471 英里/小时/759 公里/小时）的速度飞行。

在这项特殊的研究中，ER-2 每次上天飞行大约 8 小时，而其上的科学仪器则用于测量湍流、粒子数密度和粒子尺寸分布等变量。

鲍曼解释说，虽然风暴通常发生在大气的最低层，但强烈的风暴可以进入平流层，携带大量的水和污染物，最终导致全球变暖。

NASA的 ER-2 将在接下来的三周继续收集数据，之后它将返回其位于加利福尼亚州帕姆代尔的基地。

DCOTSS 是 NASA 的四个实验室和来自八所大学的 50 名科学家之间的合作。

NASA’s Flying Lab Reaches Up to 70,000 Feet to Study the Effects of Summer Thunderstorms

Home > News > Aviation14 Jun 2022, 02:33 UTC · by Otilia Drgan author pic

Some people love them, others hate them, but beyond other personal preferences, summertime thunderstorms have a serious impact on climate change. In order to study that in depth, NASA is using its flying lab specifically designed to withstand long flights at high altitudes.

The ER-2 is a Lockheed aircraft specially developed for scientific research

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NASA's ER-2 Flying LabNASA's ER-2 Flying LabNASA's ER-2 Flying LabNASA's ER-2 Flying LabNASA's ER-2 Flying Lab

A different kind of flight operation is carried out these days over Kansas. The Wichita Eagle reports that a NASA team has been in Salina since the end of last month, launching flights regularly, every two to three days. This is part of the DCOTSS (Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere) research project focusing on the relation between powerful thunderstorms and climate change.

NASA pilots are flying at 13 miles (20.9 km) above Kansas, which requires them to wear a full space suit and helmet, while flying in a pressurized environment. The aircraft that’s carrying out these research flights is NASA’s ER-2 (Earth Resources) flying laboratory. These two Lockheed airplanes were acquired back in 1981 and 1989 and have operated as high-altitude airborne science aircraft ever since.

The ER-2 can fly up to 70,000 feet (21,336 meters) which is twice as high as airliners, according to Kenneth Bowman, principal investigator and Texas A&M University atmospheric science professor. It can reach 65,000 feet (19,812 meters) in just 20 minutes and continue to fly at 410 knots (471 mph/759 kph).

For this particular study, the ER-2 flies for about eight hours each time it takes to the sky, while its scientific instruments are used to measure variables such as turbulence, particle number density, and particle size distribution.

Bowman explained that, while storms usually take part in the lowest part of the atmosphere, the intense ones can go up into the stratosphere, carrying high amounts of water and pollutants that end up contributing to the global warming.

NASA’s ER-2 will continue to collect data over the next three weeks, after which it will return to its base in Palmdale, California.

This is the second year of flights launched from Salina, for the DCOTSS, a collaboration between four NASA labs and 50 scientists from eight universities.

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