Middle Atmosphere Sounder and Thermal Emission Radiometer – Master

Abstract:

The Middle Atmosphere Sounder and Thermal Emission Radiometer (MASTER) instrument is an advanced infrared limb-scanning instrument designed to measure the thermal structure, chemical composition, and energy balance from the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere. MASTER builds on NASA’s long and successful heritage of infrared limb scanners including the LIMS, HIRDLS, and SABER instruments. MASTER has exceptional radiometric sensitivity with a more efficient, compact, and lightweight design. An updated focal plane enables critical new science in the areas of the carbon budget closure, geomagnetically-driven ozone destruction, and auroral energy deposition, while virtually eliminating out of band contributions via dual filtering. MASTER will continue the SABER-TIMED and EOS-Aura records of temperature, lower stratospheric water vapor, ozone, methane, and thermospheric cooling by nitric oxide and carbon dioxide. MASTER’s size and mass are specifically designed to allow flexibility in the choice of small satellite buses and low cost launch vehicles. The expanded focal plane enables a choice of channels applicable to science objectives in NASA’s Earth Science and Heliophysics enterprises. Due to the long and successful heritage the MASTER instrument is at an exceptionally high technology readiness level. No new technologies are required to build the MASTER flight instrument.