The NASA DC-8 airplane. The plane flies in the lowermost stratosphere,
at about 40,000 feet altitude. It houses a sophisticated scientific
laboratory that samples air outside the aircraft (using "in situ"
instruments) and air at considerable distances above and below the
aircraft (using "remote" instruments). The JPL Microwave
Temperature Profiler is the first device mounted onto a window frame.
It is followed by various inlets for brining outside air into
instruments. This airplane has considerably greater flight range than
the other two aircraft, enabling more comprehensive sampling of
stratospheric conditions. One of its primary uses during this mission
was to obtain measurements directly under a spaceborne satellite
sensor named SAGE III
(Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment)
Scientists who ride on this airplane invariably set personal records
for:
They are also sometimes treated to spectacular sights of nature,
as revealed in the photographs of polar stratosheric
clouds that appear below.