Meteorological Measurement System

T. Paul Bui

NASA Ames Earth Science Division

The Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) is a proven instrument to measure accurate, high resolution in situ airborne state measurements. Accurate measurements of these quantities require judicious choices of sensor locations, repeated laboratory calibrations, and proper corrections for compressibility, adiabatic heating and flow distortion.

Primary Products @20 Hz Typical value Precision Accuracy
Pressure ~ 60 mb ± 0.01 mb ± 0.3 mb ~ 0.5%
Temperature ~180 K ± 0.001 K ± 0.3 k ~ 0.2%
Horizontal Wind ~ 30 m s-1 ± 0.004 m s-1 ±1 m s-1 ~3.3%
Vertical Wind < 1 m s-1 ± 0.003 m s-1 time averaged ~ 0.0 m s-1

Derived Parameter:

Potential Temperature, True-Air-Speed, Turbulence,

Measured Parameters:

DGPS Positions, Velocities, Accelerations, Pitch, Roll, Heading, Angle-of-Attack, Angle-of-Sideslip, Dynamic Total Pressures, Total Temperatures

Past Missions: