Lightning and Sprite Detection from Internationa Space Station

Tomoo Ushio, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Division of Electrical, Electronic and Infocommunications Engineering, Osaka, Japan, Mitsuteru Sato, Hokkaido University, Faculty of Science, Sapporo, Japan, Takeshi Morimoto, Kindai University, Osaka, Japan, Makoto Suzuki, JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Japan, Atsushi Yamazaki, ISAS/JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, Yasuhide Hobara, University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan, Masayuki Kikuchi, NIPR National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo, Japan, Umran Inan, Stanford University, Koc University, Stanford, CA, United States, Ivan Linscott, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States, Hiroshi Kikuchi, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan, Yukihiro Takahashi, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan and Toru Adachi, Meteorological Research Institute, Department of Typhoon and Severe Weather Research, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Abstract:
Lightning and Sprite detection technique from International Space Station (ISS) and its scientific results are presented. Global Lightning and Sprite Measurements from ISS is a mission to observe lightning and sprite from CMOS camera, Photometer, VLF and VHF interferometeric measurements as a part of the multi-mission consolidated equipment on Japanese Exposure Module. In this mission, CMOS cameras measure the optical emissions from sprite at 762 nm and lightning at 740-830 nm in order to discriminate lightning and sprite signals. Photometeric measurements at six channels (150-280 nm , 337+/-5 nm, 762+/-5 nm, 600-900 nm, 316+/-5 nm, 392+/-5 nm) also provide information on the detection and identification of sprite and lightning process. From these measurements, global distribution of sprite has been derived and some implications to discriminate ground and cloud flashes from space borne platforms are presented. VLFR measurements on GLIMS adds information on the charge moment of the parent lightning based on the whistler wave of the VLF waves that the lightning generates. While VLF observation does not locate the sources of the radiation, VLFR serves an important role as a bridge in coupling the occurrence of TLEs to lightning. The VHF measurements consists of two antennas and from this observation with photometric measurements, location of VHF emission from lightning from space station was successful for the first time. In this presentation, mission overview and some scientific results are briefly summarized using these equipments.
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