May 4 Mission Science

Region remains dry.  No flights.  Plan for a land-surface remote sensing mission with ER-2 on Friday. Nominal takeoff planned for 1800 UTC and then a mission to run two NW-SE oriented legs of ~300 km length across soil moisture gradient and over SGP.  We will also test/exercise all instruments on ER-2.  Also discussion possibility of a Gulf of Mexico calibration flight if Friday goes well (GoM flight to occur over weekend, weather permitting over the GoM).

Went to NPOL to discuss options related to RHI scan issues (minor) and Joe Hardin and Mike Watson completed more testing. 

Next best shot for precipitation early next week. It appears that a nice upslope event could also develop over northeastern Colorado- so will monitor this possibility.

ER-2 hard down day tomorrow 5/5/11.

Our thanks to Ed Zipser and Steve Rutledge for kicking off the campaign and getting the "routine" down!  Steve has already departed, but Ed just left yesterday.

Walt Petersen / Dan Cecil